Install motherboard drivers through Windows Update or the official support page for your exact motherboard or prebuilt PC. Match the board model, revision, and operating system, then install the relevant chipset, network, audio, and other device packages. Restart when requested and check that the affected hardware works.
There is no single driver that controls every part of a motherboard. Different onboard devices can need different packages. A BIOS update is separate from a Windows driver update and follows a different procedure.
Identify the system first
For a branded desktop or laptop, start with the PC manufacturer's support page for the exact system model. For a custom desktop, use the motherboard maker's page. Check the model printed on the board or shown in system information, including a hardware revision where the manufacturer distinguishes one.
Choose the Windows version and architecture offered for your system. A package for a similar board name is not automatically suitable. Download from the manufacturer rather than from a third-party driver-download advertisement.
Download the relevant packages
Windows may already have installed working drivers. Use Windows Update first, including relevant optional driver updates. Microsoft notes that optional drivers are not installed automatically; their selection is a separate step. See Microsoft's driver-update instructions.
On a motherboard support page, common categories include chipset, LAN, wireless, Bluetooth, and audio. Install packages for hardware your system actually has. Some boards offer different wireless controllers or packages across revisions, so the download's applicability matters more than its date alone.
Chipset packages do not all work the same way. For example, Intel's Chipset Device Software primarily supplies INF information used to identify devices in Windows; it is not a universal performance driver or a replacement for every other device driver. Intel explains what its chipset utility installs.
Install and check one package at a time
Read the package notes for prerequisites and the recommended order. Extract an archive if required, run the manufacturer's installer, and review its options. Save open work before restarting. Follow any instruction to close applications; ordinary PC use does not automatically cancel every driver installation, but avoiding interruptions makes troubleshooting easier.
After installation, verify the relevant function: connect to the network, play audio through the intended output, or reconnect the device you were troubleshooting. A successful installer message alone does not tell you whether the original symptom is gone.
If internet access works
Download the applicable package directly to the PC. Keep a copy of the installer and note its version if you are investigating a regression. Avoid installing a collection of unrelated utilities just because they appear beside the driver download.
If the new PC cannot get online
Use another computer to download the correct network driver from the official support page. Copy it to a USB drive, transfer it to the affected PC, and install it there. The USB drive is simply the transfer method; it does not make an incompatible package suitable. Once networking works, obtain the other required updates normally.
Updating an existing installation
Update to solve a relevant problem, meet a documented requirement, or apply an applicable manufacturer fix. Read release notes where available. If everything works, replacing every driver with a differently numbered generic package is not automatically an improvement.
Using Device Manager
Open Device Manager, locate the actual device, and choose its driver-update option. Windows can search automatically or use an extracted driver location you provide. If Windows finds nothing newer, the manufacturer may still provide a suitable package. Do not assume every chipset device appears under IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers. Microsoft documents updating, reinstalling, and rolling back drivers.
If a problem began after an update, use the supported rollback option when available or reinstall the manufacturer's appropriate version. Change one thing at a time so you can identify which package caused the regression.
If a driver does not fix the problem
A PC that cannot complete POST needs hardware and firmware checks before Windows drivers. Use our motherboard testing guide for that situation. For processor-related packages, see what updating CPU drivers actually means. Record the device name, error, driver version, and system model before contacting support.
