Drivers: install, update, roll back

Which drivers matter, where to actually get them, and how to recover when an update breaks things.

1. 1

   The four that matter

   GPU (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel site), chipset (AMD/Intel site), LAN/Wi-Fi, and audio (board vendor's support page for the latter two). Everything else, Windows Update handles fine.

2. 2

   Clean GPU driver installs

   For routine updates, the vendor app is fine. After crashes, artifacts, or switching GPU brands, use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) in Safe Mode first, then install fresh.

   Tip: Game-ready drivers the day a game launches are sometimes rough — waiting a week costs little.

3. 3

   Roll back when an update breaks things

   Device Manager → device → Properties → Driver tab → Roll Back Driver. For GPUs, download the previous version from the vendor's driver archive instead.

4. 4

   Avoid driver-updater utilities

   Third-party 'driver updater' tools mis-detect hardware and bundle junk. The vendor sites plus Windows Update cover 100% of real needs.

   Careful: Never download drivers from ad-heavy 'driver database' sites — a top source of bundled malware.