Computer House Keeping / Updating ALL Motherboard Drivers and Firmware

[problemsolver]

This Guide is for Updating the Various Components of a Windows Computer and is Intended for:

• Those who have a fresh install of Windows on their computer and haven't installed any drivers yet
  • Contrary to popular belief, a default Windows install will NOT update all of the things listed in this guide
    • Spoiler

      • You can view driver updates by looking at the optional updates in Windows Update.
      • You may need to enable the toggle for: "Receive updates for other Microsoft products
        Get Microsoft Office and other updates together with Windows updates" in the Windows Update settings before all updates show properly.
      • Sadly, this will still not install them automatically, nor will it get all required drivers
      • It can cause issues because Windows may install an older driver from Windows Update and overwrite your newer driver. This is more likely to happen with laptops, but it can also happen with various other drivers.
      • Feel free to experiment with it, but it does not negate this guide
      • Carefully look at each driver if you choose to mess with this setting. If you blindly install all optional driver updates Windows finds, some of them may cause computer issues or be older versions than what the manufacturer provides on their website
• Those who are trying to troubleshoot issues. This is a great place to start and rule out the simple things quickly.
• Those who want to see if they have anything out-of-date
• This guide does include links to update the OEM software on laptops
• If you are using a laptop , use the manufacturer's application to update your laptop. It should be in the list below.

MANUAL METHOD (Motherboard)
This is for those who want to avoid installing the all-in-one updating software from motherboard manufacturers. Skip to step 4 if you want to go that route.

1. For updating desktop motherboard drivers (for laptops, skip to step 4 and select your brand)
   Run the following commands in PowerShell to obtain your motherboard model and UEFI version

   Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_baseboard | Format-List -Property Manufacturer,Model,Name,SKU,Product
   Get-CimInstance Win32_BIOS | Format-List -Property SMBIOSBIOSVersion,Manufacturer,Name,Version

   Search for your exact motherboard model from the report in your favorite search engine.

2. Once you find the manufacturer website and your specific motherboard, click on the Support tab (NZXT downloads are on the bottom of the page of the motherboard product description).
   Sometimes there are two support tabs, so look for the smaller support tab.

3. Download the latest drivers from the Support tab and install them
    DO NOT SKIP INSTALLING THE CHIPSET DRIVER
    

4. Manufacturer Driver Updater Apps and/or Driver Links
    DO NOT SKIP INSTALLING THE CHIPSET DRIVER

   Acer: Where to download Acer Care Center
    Asrock: Asrock Live Update and App Shop
    Asus: Armory Crate
    Biostar: List of Motherboards (use their Aurora app linked under individual motherboards to auto-update them)
    Dell: Dell Support Assist
    Gigabyte: Gigabyte Control Center
    Hewlett-Packard (HP): HP Support Assistant
   Intel: Download Intel Drivers and Software
   Lenovo: Lenovo Vantage
    MSI: MSI Center
   NZXT: Gaming Motherboards
   Razer: Software and Firmware Updates for Razer Systems
    
5. Graphics Drivers from the GPU manufacturers
    AMD Drivers:  AMD Drivers and Support | AMD
    Intel Drivers:  Download Intel Drivers and Software
    Nvidia Drivers:  Official Drivers | NVIDIA (Installing GeForce Experience is not required.)
   If you have a laptop, and receive an error installing the latest drivers from the GPU manufacturer, simply use the latest drivers supplied by your laptop manufacturer.
   While it is possible, this guide does not cover how to remove manufacturer-tailored drivers and replace them with the latest drivers from the GPU manufacturer.
    
6. SSD Firmware (in most cases, these tools will only be able to see/update the drive if you are not running RAID)
   Not sure what brand drives you have? Open Device Manager >> Disk drives >> use your favorite search engine on the model numbers listed to determine the brand
   ADATA:  ADATA SSD Toolbox | ADATA (Global)
    Crucial:  Crucial Storage Executive Tool | Firmware Download | Crucial.com
    Intel: Download Intel Drivers and Software
    Micron:  Storage Executive Software | Micron Technology
    Samsung:  Samsung Magician & SSD Tools & Software Update | Samsung Semiconductor Global
    SKHynix:  Download – SK hynix SSD
    Teamgroup: Download│TEAMGROUP (teamgroupinc.com)
    Western Digital: Download, Install, Test Drive and Update Firmware Using Western Digital Dashboard (wd.com)
    
7. UEFI + BitLocker Update Information:
   If you are using BitLocker, ensure you have access to your BitLocker recovery keys in your Microsoft Account before updating the UEFI.
   If you don't do this step, there's a small chance that you will be prompted for your BitLocker recovery key, and if you cannot retrieve it from your Microsoft account... IT WILL RESULT IN TOTAL DATA LOSS
   If you are not sure if your computer's storage drive(s) are using BitLocker, search the Start Menu for Manage BitLocker and open it to view the status
    
8. RGB & Peripheral Things
    Corsair:  iCUE Software
   Glorious: Downloads - Glorious Gaming
    Logitech: Logitech G HUB
    NZXT: NZXT CAM
    Razer: Razer Synapse 3

Did you arrive here from the GPU Micro Stuttering Guide? Click here to return to it!

Edited 1 hour ago by problemsolver
Last updated 27 April 2024: Added laptop-specific language