A new feature rolling out to Windows 10 will make it easier for users to access the available driver and optional updates.
In Windows 10 Build 19041.450 or newer, Microsoft said it has restored the Windows 7-era optional updates page, which allows you to discover new updates to drivers and non-security features.
Windows has definitely gotten beter over the years at providing a basic set of functional drivers after a fresh installation, but it’s far from perfect, and unlocking the full potential of your hardware still requires going through a long list of hardware manufacturer websites.
And those third party drivers are often absolute trash, in a very-obvious-what-were-they-thinking kind of way. I’m looking at you Synaptics, Realtek, Dell, HP, nVidia, AMD, Intel…
The drivers present in the Windows installation directory are also written by the exact same companies and hence are also trash, but older trash. Microsoft doesn’t write drivers, unless we are talking about “generic” hardware (standard USB sticks, standard mice/keyboards, unaccelerated VESA graphics driver etc)
The reason Realtek writes such awful drivers is that they are the lowest bidder. The reason OEMs choose Realtek is because they don’t have to support the software and they are also stuck in a race to the bottom with each other, so of course they go for the lowest bidder with the worst drivers. The reason buyers who can afford a Mac go and get a Mac is so that they can escape this entire mess. Unless you a somewhat knowledgable person, in which case you can swap out the Realtek WiFI/Bluetooth module in your laptop or desktop for something better.
This is why I am still on Windows 8.1… Microsoft, even in its current hipsterized form, is the kind of company that backtracks from controversial usability decisions (unlike Apple, where once a decision is made it’s final). I mean, look where Windows 10 was at launch (upending your Nvidia GameReady drivers for the Windows Update ones and all) and where it is now. Give it 3 more years and it should be tolerable.
Surprised you are on 8.1… most people stopped on 7 as it was actually decent 8 was bad and 8.1 was barely better, 10 was if anything after the first RTM better than 8.1 in all except memory use.
I noticed this feature a week or so back but only on my Windows Insider machines, I had assumed it wasn’t a global feature.
@kurkosdr I’ve no idea why you hesitate, I realise you may have genuine legacy hardware issue like application specific cards requiring specific drivers. For the bulk of my run of the mill mass produced hardware I’ve had no issues at all on a wide variety of machines. In fact I’d say Win 10 x64 delivered a huge performance boost to even older hardware on bare minimum Win 8.1 specs. For me in terms of performance it’s been Win 8.0 ……………..> Win 8.1 ………………………………………………….> Win 10 is way way ahead.
Having said that, I admit I do not do any heavy lifting on the old hardware, no complex builds or other processor intensive tasks.
I do have “legacy” hardware in the form of two fairly Alienware 3D Vision laptops (last ones to be made in 2014, woo!), and with Windows 10 breaking Nvidia 3D Vision functionality at whim, I ‘d rather stay at 8.1.
But even on my bog-standard Lenovo Z70-80, I still don’t want Windows 10. Windows 10 is the kind of “rolling release” OS that updates without your control, more often to a broken version. I prefer “LTS” type OSes. Let’s wait 3 more years and see if Microsoft gets the “rolling release” model right or if they backtrack from the decision (one of the two will happen eventually).
Also, Windows 10 has bad performance and frame-pacing issues in games (compared to Windows 8.1)
Lenovo x120e x131e don’t work with Windows 10 audio drivers only windows 7-8 and Linux (Haiku works also last I checked).