How to install drivers and software safely on Windows

Quick answer: what is the safest way to install drivers and software?

Use only official sources. For drivers, that means the support page of your laptop's maker, where you search by exact model name or serial number. For apps, it means the software maker's own website or the Microsoft Store. Before anything large, create a restore point and copy your important files.

During installation, choose Custom or Advanced if offered, read each screen and untick extras. Afterwards, restart and check that the thing you wanted actually works. That sequence prevents most of the problems people bring to technicians.

What is a driver and when do you need to update one?

A driver is a small program that lets Windows communicate with a piece of hardware: graphics, sound, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, the touchpad, the camera and so on. Without the right one, the part either does not work or works badly.

Typical driver symptoms are no sound after a Windows reinstall, no Wi-Fi option, a stretched or low-resolution screen, a touchpad that does not scroll or a camera that does not appear.

You do not need to update every driver regularly. Windows Update already delivers many of them. Update a driver when there is a problem it can fix, when the maker publishes a fix for a known fault, or after a fresh Windows installation when some parts are missing drivers.

If everything works, leaving drivers alone is a perfectly sensible policy.

How do you find out which driver your laptop needs?

First identify your laptop exactly. The brand alone is not enough, because models differ widely.

1. Look at the sticker underneath the laptop for the model name or number and the serial number.
2. Press the Windows key and R, type msinfo32 and press Enter. System Model and System Type are listed on the first page. System Type tells you whether Windows is 64-bit or 32-bit.
3. Press the Windows key and R, type winver and press Enter to see your Windows version, such as Windows 10 or 11.
4. Open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start button and choosing Device Manager. Any item with a yellow triangle or listed as Unknown device is missing or has a faulty driver.

Write these details down. They are everything you need to pick the right download.

How do you download and install a driver step by step?

Start with Windows Update, since it is the easiest and safest route.

Step 1: Try Windows Update

Open Settings, then Windows Update, and click Check for updates. On Windows 10 and 11 you can also look under Advanced options and Optional updates for driver updates. Install what is offered and restart.

Step 2: Use the maker's support page

1. Go to your laptop maker's official website and open its Support or Drivers section.
2. Enter your exact model name or serial number.
3. Choose your Windows version and 64-bit or 32-bit type.
4. Download the driver for the specific part that has the problem. For Wi-Fi trouble that means the Wi-Fi driver, not a whole bundle.
5. Run the downloaded file, follow the prompts and restart when asked.

Step 3: Check that it worked

Return to Device Manager and confirm the yellow triangle has gone. Then test the thing itself: play a sound, join Wi-Fi, use the camera.

If you have no internet because the Wi-Fi or network driver is the missing piece, download the driver on another device or phone and move it across on a flash drive. Keep a copy of your key drivers on a flash drive so you are never stuck, and so you do not spend data downloading them twice.

What if a new driver makes things worse?

You can undo it, provided you act before doing more.

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand the category, right-click the device and choose Properties.
3. Open the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver. If the button is greyed out, there is no earlier driver saved.
4. Restart.

If Windows will not start normally after an install, restart it three times in a row by turning it off during the Windows logo to reach the recovery menu. From there, choose Troubleshoot, Advanced options, then System Restore, and pick the restore point you made earlier. Safe Mode is also available from the same menu and lets you uninstall the offending driver or program.

This is why a restore point matters. It takes under a minute and can save an evening of frustration.

Where should you get apps and how do you spot unsafe downloads?

Use these sources in this order of preference: the Microsoft Store, the software maker's own website, and a well-known open-source project's website.

• Check the web address before downloading. Fake sites use near-identical names, extra words or unusual endings.
• Search results can include adverts that look like the official site. Look for the real address in the result, not just the title.
• Avoid cracked, patched or keygen software. It is illegal and one of the most common ways malware reaches laptops. The people who crack software have no reason to keep your files safe.
• Do not run files forwarded on WhatsApp or Telegram, or installers from unknown flash drives, even from people you trust. Their device may be infected.
• Look at the publisher. When Windows shows the User Account Control prompt, it displays the verified publisher. An Unknown publisher on a big, well-known program is a red flag.

Many good tools are free and legitimate: LibreOffice for documents, 7-Zip for archives, VLC for video, and Chrome or Firefox for browsing. You rarely need a cracked copy of anything.

How do you stop installers adding toolbars and extra programs?

Free software is often paid for by bundled offers: browser toolbars, extra browsers, search changers and so-called cleaner or optimiser programs. You can avoid most of them.

1. Choose Custom or Advanced install when it is offered, not Express or Recommended.
2. Read each screen, especially the ones with small tick boxes and a pale Decline button.
3. Untick anything you did not set out to install.
4. Do not click Next repeatedly without reading.
5. If the installer is a tiny file that downloads the rest online, be extra careful about what it adds.

If extras slipped through, open Settings, Apps, Installed apps (on Windows 10, Apps and features), sort by Install date and uninstall anything you do not recognise that appeared around the time of installation. Also check your browser's extensions and your homepage and default search settings.

Avoid driver-updater and PC-cleaner programs that promise to fix everything with one click. They often push alarming scan results to sell a paid version, and some install unwanted software themselves.

How do you prepare before a big installation?

Preparation takes five minutes and makes recovery simple.

1. Check free space. Open Settings, System, Storage. Keep comfortable room beyond what the installer asks for, because many programs need extra during setup.
2. Create a restore point. Type Create a restore point in the Start menu, select your main drive, make sure protection is on, and click Create. Name it clearly, such as Before installing accounting software.
3. Back up your files to an external drive or cloud storage.
4. Keep the laptop plugged in. Power cuts mid-installation can corrupt Windows and programs. If power is unstable, use an inverter or wait for a stable period.
5. Close other programs and save your work.

Keep Windows Security turned on and updated as your antivirus. For most people it is enough when combined with sensible downloading habits.

Frequently asked questions

Written by the ICT AccessPoint team

We repair laptops and build websites and business systems. Have a question this guide did not answer? Message us.

This guide is general advice. Every device and business is different, so if you are unsure, ask a technician before you act.