Updating your sound card drivers can be a great way to improve the overall quality of sound you experience on your Windows-based computer. Below is a step-by-step guide, with screenshots, to help you update your sound card drivers in Windows.
Step 1: Downloading the Latest Driver Package
The best way to update your sound card drivers is to download the most recent driver package from the manufacturer’s website. This will ensure that you are using a current version of the driver, which may include some performance or bug fixes that were not included in the original version of the driver. Before downloading the driver, check to see if your computer already has the most recent version of the driver. To do this, open the Control Panel by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Control Panel. Then, click on Hardware and Sound and then Device Manager. In Device Manager, open the Sound, Video and Game Controllers folder and identify your sound card device. Right click on the device and select Properties. On the Driver tab, you will see the version number of the driver installed on your computer. Then, compare this version to the version available on the manufacturer’s website.
Step 2: Uninstalling the Old Driver
Before installing the new driver, the old version of the driver needs to be uninstalled. To do this, open the Control Panel again and select Add or Remove Programs. Find the entry for your sound card device and click on it. Select Uninstall/Change and then follow the instructions to remove the driver.
Step 3: Installing the New Driver
After the old driver has been uninstalled, you can install the new driver. Make sure to download the driver package from the manufacturer’s website and save it to your computer. Then, double-click on the driver package to begin installing the driver. Follow the instructions onscreen to complete the installation. Once the installation is complete, restart your computer.
Step 4: Verifying the Driver Installation
Once the new driver is installed, it is important to verify that it has been correctly installed. To do this, open the Control Panel again and select Device Manager. Open the Sound, Video and Game Controllers folder and find your sound card device. Right click on the device and select Properties. On the Driver tab, you should see the version number of the new driver listed. If it is not listed, the driver may not have been correctly installed. If this is the case, try reinstalling the driver.
By following the steps outlined above, you can easily update your sound card drivers in Windows.