How to Keep Windows and Drivers Up to Date
Keeping Windows and your drivers up to date is one of the simplest yet most important things you can do for any PC. Updates patch the security holes that criminals rely on, fix bugs that cause crashes and freezes, and often bring genuine performance and stability improvements. Skipping them is how a perfectly good computer slowly becomes slow, glitchy and vulnerable. Here's how to do it properly — without the nagging restarts at the worst possible moment.
Why updates matter so much
Most malware and ransomware doesn't break in through clever hacking — it walks through holes that were fixed months ago in updates people never installed. Staying current is the single cheapest piece of cyber security there is. Updates also fix the small bugs behind a lot of "my PC's gone weird" complaints, so keeping a machine patched genuinely keeps it healthier for longer.
1. Open Windows Update
Go to Settings → Windows Update. This is mission control for everything — the operating system itself, security patches, and many of your hardware drivers all flow through here.
2. Check and install updates
Click "Check for updates" and install everything offered. Some updates are small security patches; others are larger feature updates that take longer. Either way, don't keep clicking "remind me later" indefinitely — postponed updates are unpatched holes sitting open.
3. Restart to finish
Many updates only complete after a restart, and a machine stuck half-updated is a common cause of a slow start-up or odd behaviour. Restart when prompted rather than just sleeping the PC for weeks. If you've been ignoring a "restart to finish updating" message, that alone may be why things feel sluggish.
4. Update your drivers
Drivers are the small pieces of software that let Windows talk to your hardware — graphics, sound, Wi-Fi, printers and so on. Most arrive automatically, but check "Advanced options" → "Optional updates" for any waiting driver updates. For graphics cards and specialist hardware, get drivers from the manufacturer's official site — for example Dell, HP, Lenovo or your graphics-card maker — using your model number. Crucially, avoid "driver updater" tools advertised in pop-ups; they're often more trouble than help and sometimes bundle unwanted software.
5. Set a sensible schedule
Set your active hours (Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options) so Windows never restarts while you're mid-task, and let updates install automatically from then on. With that done, the whole thing largely looks after itself.
Don't forget your other software
Windows isn't the only thing that needs updating. Your web browser, office apps and anything that touches the internet should be kept current too — browsers usually update themselves, but it's worth a periodic check. Out-of-date apps are just as much a way in for malware as an out-of-date operating system.
When updates cause problems
Occasionally an update is the culprit rather than the cure — a device stops working, or the PC becomes unstable. If a problem started right after an update, you can usually roll that specific update back from Windows Update history, or use System Restore. Persistent crashes after updating can point to a deeper fault — see our guide to the blue screen of death.
How long do updates take — and what if one gets stuck?
Small security patches install in a few minutes; larger feature updates can take half an hour or more, often with a couple of restarts, so it's worth starting a big one when you don't need the machine right away. If an update appears stuck on a percentage for a long time, resist the urge to force a shutdown straight away — updates frequently sit at the same number for ages while working in the background. Give it a good while first. If it's genuinely frozen for hours, a forced restart will usually let Windows either continue or roll the update back safely. Updates that repeatedly fail to install often point to low disk space (see how to free up space) or a corrupted update cache, both of which are fixable.
What if Windows itself is out of support?
Updates only help while your version of Windows is still supported. Once it reaches end-of-life, the security patches stop entirely — a growing risk over time. If your PC can't move to a current version, see our Windows 11 guide and when to replace your PC.
We'll keep your machines current
Stuck or failing updates, drivers that won't behave, or a fleet of machines you'd rather not babysit? Our computer repair team sorts stubborn update problems, and our managed IT services keep business machines patched and monitored automatically — so nothing slips through.