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What is a driver?
A driver is the small translator program that lets Windows talk to a specific piece of hardware — your GPU, network adapter, printer, webcam, and so on. Hardware can't do anything without a driver, and a broken or outdated driver is one of the most common causes of crashes, peripherals that stop working, and blue screens.
What Driver Manager shows you
When the page opens, TuneBit scans every installed driver and shows you the ones with problems. Each row lists the device name, class (Display, Network, Storage, etc.), driver version, date, and signer, plus an Issue column that flags any of these:
- No driver installed — Windows knows the device exists but has no driver for it (Device Manager shows it as a yellow triangle).
- Error code N — Windows reported a specific device error. Common ones are Code 10 (device won't start) and Code 43 (device reported a problem to Windows).
- Unsigned — the driver isn't digitally signed. Could be a legitimate hobbyist driver, could be a compatibility hack, could be malware.
- Outdated — the driver is more than two years old. Not always a problem, but worth checking for updates.
Use the Show All Drivers toggle if you want to see the complete driver list rather than just problems.
Actions you can take
Backup Drivers
Exports every currently-installed driver to a folder of your choice. The backup includes .inf, .sys, and associated files — enough to reinstall the exact same driver later. Strongly recommended before a Windows upgrade, a motherboard swap, or a clean install.
Restore Drivers
Reinstalls drivers from a previous backup folder. Use this after a fresh Windows install if your hardware isn't being detected properly. Windows sometimes installs generic drivers that work but aren't as good as the vendor's.
Reinstall Selected
Uninstalls and reinstalls the selected driver. The quickest fix when a device suddenly stops working — often the driver is fine but has gotten into a confused state.
Check Windows Update for Drivers
Launches the Windows Update "Optional updates" page where Microsoft lists newer vendor drivers. Most Windows drivers come through here rather than Windows Update's main feed.
How to use it
- Go to Info → Drivers. The scan runs automatically.
- Look at the problem drivers. Click a row to see its details in the log.
- If you see No driver installed or Error code N, use Reinstall Selected first. If that fails, visit the device manufacturer's website.
- Before any major system change, click Backup Drivers and pick a folder on an external drive.
- Use the filter box at the top to narrow the list — type
Intel or audio to jump straight to what you want.
Where to get fresh drivers:
- PC brand sites (Dell, HP, Lenovo) are the best source for laptops — they bundle the exact combo that works on your model.
- GPU drivers should come from NVIDIA/AMD/Intel directly for gaming PCs.
- Motherboard drivers for desktop PCs come from the board's manufacturer (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, etc.).
- Avoid "driver updater" websites that aren't the vendor — they're famously a source of bundleware and occasionally malware.
Never update a driver that isn't misbehaving. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" applies doubly to drivers. A well-intentioned update of a working audio or network driver is a common cause of "everything was fine until yesterday" problems. Update drivers when you have a problem to solve, not as routine maintenance.