For any computer, be it on a desktop or the laptop form factor, updates are what makes the difference between being the best in its class to be the worst in its class. If the devices within a system are devoid of the necessary drivers/driver revisions, it will only result in reduced efficiency. This tutorial will show you how to make sure your computer, running on Windows, is always up to date. There are a number of ways you can achieve this and we will follow through on how.
Option 1:
The first method is using the Automatic update feature built into your OS. In this method you don’t need to open up a web browser or scan through updates for your platform rather the updates are delivered to your system as deemed necessary. Mind you, you will require the internet connected to your laptop in order for the OS to download the updates to your system.
The Automatic update feature, recognizes when you’re online and searches Microsoft’s site (and other sites pertaining to your hardware specs) for updates on its own accord. Once it deems the necessary updates for your platform are ready for downloading, an icon will appear on the bottom right hand corner in your taskbar. This icon will pop up every time new updates are available for your platform. Additionally, you can specify how and when you want the Windows Updates to update your computer.
e.g.:
You can configure Windows Update to automatically download and install updates on a schedule that you specify
Or
You can have Windows notify you upon finding updates for your computer and then download it in the background. This allows you to work unhindered. Upon completion of update downloads, an icon again appears in the notification area with a message stating that the updates are primed for installation. Clicking on the icon/message will bring up a new window to perform installation of said updates.
For Windows 7/8/8.1:
Control Panel>System and Security>Windows Update>Left hand pane/Change Settings>Drop Down menu under Important Updates.
Click OK to confirm.
For Windows 10:
Start>Settings>Update & security>Windows Updates>Under Update settings>Restart Options>Toggle key under Schedule a Time using date and time selectors to schedule an update time convenient for you.
Likewise you can pause updates:
Start>Settings>Update & security>Windows Updates>Under Update settings>Advanced Options>Pick a Time to schedule a restart at your convenience.
While you’re at the Windows Update window, for your respective Windows OS version, you can click on Check for updates to search for updates regardless of the schedule you set.
Option 2:
The second method is to open each app on your laptop and manually check for updates for that particular app. The option to look for updates will reside in the tools section of your app or will be located at the navigation bar at the top or as a link at the corner of your app’s window. For this example, we’ll demonstrate how to look for an updated version of CCleaner.
1. Open your app in an elevated command i.e. right click app>Run as Administrator.
2. At the bottom of the app’s window you should see an option Check for updates.
3. Click on it.
4. You should be taken to a webpage courtesy of your preferred web browser in which you will see the latest version hosted on Piriform’s site.
5. Download it to your laptop and install it using an elevated command.
6. If you want that the app checks for updates, enable it by clicking on Options (in the left pane)>Settings
7. Make sure the box for Automatically check for updates to CCleaner is ticked.
8. The next time you open the app and there’s an update available, you should see this message.
9. Clicking on Yes will allow you to download the app to your laptop to install.
We advise against third party apps like DriverBooster to suggest that you require updates (firmware or software) for your laptop since there are numerous documented cases whereby the app has suggested an update only to turn things upside down. If you’re skeptical about how effective Windows is with automatic updates, we suggest you visit your laptop’s support site, specific to your SKU, to source the latest device drivers and visiting FileHippo to find the latest (freeware) versions of apps you work with.
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