Windows Update on Vista
Before my upgrade to Vista I had been pretty impressed by Windows Update and I was impressed by the install experience of Vista, all my drivers seemed to be on the DVD or seamlessly downloaded.
However last night I checked on the HP web site and was pleased to see Windows Vista drivers listed but then pretty surprised to see that none of the latest drivers had been downloaded via Windows Update. Updates were available for:
- Disk controller
- BIOS
- Audio
- Graphics
- Network
- Diagnostics
So I looked around for an auto updater (I previously always used ibm Thinkpads and I was used to an automatic updater for all my drivers) but the best HP seem to offer is an email subscription or RSS feed.
Bottom line – don’t rely on Windows Update!
I second that, but for a different reason. I had sort of the opposite experience.
I just recently got a new laptop with Vista. The other day, Windows Update dutifully notified me that an update for my network drivers was available. Like a good boy, I installed the update. Almost immediately, I started having problems culminating in the dreaded BSOD (most often upon shutdown, but a few times on bootup, too). This was very discouraging, to say the least. I can’t remember the last time I had a BSOD with WinXP, and here I am a few days in with Vista and I get one almost every shutdown.
The new “problem resolution” feature of Vista then kicked in and offered a solution: go to the manufacturer’s web site and download the driver software directly (and it even recommended the software version to download). Ironically, the recommended solution involved re-installing an older version of the driver software. So far, I have been trouble-free since doing so.
So, even if Windows Update does offer you updates, you might still find yourself having to go to the manufacturer’s web site to do it manually.
Btw, Windows Update keeps telling me that an update for my network driver is available.