This article gives an overview of device drivers and BIOS firmware. It also shows how to update device drivers on Windows 10 and Windows 11, and how to update BIOS firmware on Dell laptops deployed by iSolutions after 2021.

Overview of device drivers and firmware

Device drivers

A device driver is a collection of files with instructions that enable your operating system (in this case, Windows 10 or 11) to interact with:

Specific hardware, such as graphics card, hard drive, and network adapter)

Peripherals, such as keyboards, mice, printers, monitors, and many others.

Device drivers are important. If do not have them installed, you will see 2 consequences:

1. Your version of Windows cannot communicate with the hardware / peripherals
2. The hardware / peripherals will not function. 

Firmware and BIOS firmware

Firmware

A firmware is a specific class of software that provides control for a specific hardware on a device. Firmware may contain basic functions of a device and may be used by higher-level software such as operating systems.

Firmware is important component – by updating them, you allow your computer to fix system bugs or add features.

Devices such as printers, scanners, webcams, and USB flash drives have internally-stored firmware; some devices may also permit field upgrading of their firmware.

BIOS firmware

BIOS is an acronym for Basic Input/Output System. BIOS firmware is built into PCs and it is the first software they run when powered on.

BIOS firmware is also known as System BIOS, ROM BIOS, or PC BIOS.

The BIOS may be manually updated by a user via a small utility program.

How Windows and device drivers usually interact

When you install or connect a new component to your computer, Windows will detect and install devices automatically. Windows does that by combining local basic drivers and Windows Update.

Sometimes you need to update some controllers manually. This might happen when:

• When Windows does not recognize a component
• The device stops working after upgrading Windows
• Windows Update installs a generic package
• The manufacturer requests to install an auto-update
• You need to run a critical fix.

Best practices

The latest updates for drivers might take some time to appear on Windows Update, though this is the best channel to download and install them.

By downloading new drivers from Windows Update you will be sure that you are:

• Getting updates through a trusted source
• Downloading only the compatible packages with your system
• Minimizing the chances of confusion for your Operating System

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Updating device drivers on Windows 11

Before starting the procedure, please keep in mind that:

• The process might take time
• We recommend backing up your data (or store them on OneDrive) before doing any BIOS and drivers update.

Follow the instructions below to update device drivers using Windows Update:

1. Open the Start menu and select the "Settings" icon

2. Select “Windows Update”, then select the button "Check for updates".

Install all the updates available by following the prompts.

3. Select “Advanced options”

4. Select “Optional features”

5. If there are available driver updates, they are listed here. Just check the box of the drivers that you want to install and click Download and install.

6. Then, you can see the downloading and installing process. If required, restart your computer to make the change take effect.

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Updating device drivers on Windows 10

Before starting the procedure, please keep in mind that:

• The process might take time
• We recommend backing up your data (or store them on OneDrive) before doing any BIOS and drivers update.

Follow the instructions below to update device drivers using Windows Update:

1. Open the Start menu and select the "Settings" icon

2. Select "Update & Security"

3. From the left menu select "Windows Update"

4. Select the button "Check for updates" 

5. Select the "View optional updates" option.

If the "View optional updates" option does not appear on the page, then Windows Update does not have any new drivers or updates for other products at the moment.

6. Open the "Driver updates" tab.

7. Check the box next to the device driver or drivers you need to update:

8. Select the button "Download and install"

9. Once you complete the steps, the newer driver will install automatically on the computer. If required, restart your computer to make the change take effect.

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Updating BIOS firmware on a Dell laptop managed by iSolutions

If you are using a Dell laptop device managed by iSolutions and deployed after 2021, it can appear a “Dell Command | Update” notification every now and then.

Launching this update might not work properly on these laptops (also known as AutoPilot laptops). This is because the BIOS firmware on these laptops needs to be updated by using Windows updated instead of Dell updates.

Please note: if you try to install BIOS firmware by using Dell Command | Update, you will see an error message saying the process has failed:

To update the BIOS firmware on the laptop you are using, please:

1. Turn off Dell Command Update
2. Check  for Windows updates after a couple days or a week
3. Launch Windows BIOS firmware updates when prompt.

Turning off “Dell Command | Update”

1. As soon as you see a pop in from Dell Command | Update, please select the button “Install”

2. You will see a screen with the list of all available System BIOS updates available

3. Uncheck the System BIOS box available from the list

4. Select the button “Close”

5. Check whether there are Windows updates after a couple of days or a week.