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This article covers the methods available to update drivers for Middlebury-managed Dell and Lenovo Windows computers.
Return here easily using go/drivers/.
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Drivers are a set of files on our computer that tells a piece of hardware how to operate. Every piece of hardware in your computer requires a driver. When drivers go out of date, it can cause malfunctioning hardware, such as issues connecting to Wi-Fi or printers, issues with sound or microphones, and many others.
This article only applies to Windows devices, specifically Dells and Lenovos that are issued by the College. MacOS devices update their drivers with the system updates and do not need to be checked this way.
There are two ways to update Lenovo Drivers: using the Lenovo Commerical Vantage application or the Lenovo Support website.
Lenovo Commercial Vantage
Most Lenovo computers come with this installed when you receive the device from ITS. Here is how to use the application to check for updates:
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Use the search feature on your Taskbar to search for Lenovo Commercial Vantage, then open the application.
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From the Dashboard of the Commercial Vantage application, click Check for System Updates.
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You will see a list of all of the available updates when the app completes its check; please run all available updates. To do this, select the box next to Select All and then click the now blue Update Now button—the button will not be clickable until you have selected updates to run. Updates will run in the background. Please make sure your computer remains connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in while the updates run. Some updates, like BIOS, will require a restart of your computer in order to complete.
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From this page of the Commercial Vantage app, you can also toggle Auto Update Settings. This can help keep your device up-to-date without having to check manually.
Using the Lenovo Support Website
If you do not have the Commercial Vantage app installed on your device, you can use the Lenovo Support website to check for updates.
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The link provided to the Lenovo Support website will bring you to the Please select your product page. Click Please select your product, then Detect Product; you may need to allow the website to open the Lenovo service bridge.
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This will take you to the Drivers & Software page. You will see several options; please select the Scan Now button in the Automatic Update section.
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You will then be brought to the Automatic Driver Update page. Please click the black Start Scan button shown below. This will open a Lenovo Service Bridge window that will start the scan and check your device for updates. Do not leave the page. You may need to allow the Lenovo Hardware Scan to make changes to your device.
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When the scan has completed, you will see a list of available updates. This website automatically selects updates for you; please make sure you select All Updates. Click Download Selected to obtain and install the updates. These updates will run in the background, so please make sure your computer remains connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in while the updates run. Some updates, like BIOS, will require a restart of your computer in order to complete.
There are two ways to update Dell Drivers: using the Dell SupportAssist application or the Dell Drivers and Downloads website.
Using Dell SupportAssist
Some Dell computers come with this installed when you receive the device from ITS. Here is how to use the application to check for updates:
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Use the search feature on your Taskbar to search for SupportAssist, then open the application. If you do not have the application installed, you can run this installer.
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On the SupportAssist Home tab, select the Update software button toward the top of the page.
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This will bring you to the Run scans and optimizations page. Make sure that Check for updates is checked. Click Start to start the scan.
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You can check the corresponding box to add any of the other available scans as well; however, the only one you need to run to check for driver updates is Check for updates, and selecting other scans will add time to the process.
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When the scan is complete, you will be brought to a page that says We've finished checking your PC. If updates were found, you can view them by clicking View updates under the Report summary on the right.
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If no updates were found, it will instead say Your PC is doing great, its software is all up to date, and show 0 Software updates found.
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Click Install to obtain and install the selected updates. You should make sure all updates available are selected. These updates will run in the background, so please make sure your computer remains connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in while the updates run. Some updates, like BIOS, will require a restart of your computer in order to complete.
Using Dell Drivers and Downloads
If you would prefer to check for updates through the web, you can use the Dell Drivers & Downloads webpage.
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The link provided to the Dell Drivers & Downloads webpage will bring you to the Drivers & Downloads page. The box on the right hand side of the page should automatically detect your device in the section labeled What product can we help you with?
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Click on the device name in blue.
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You will be brought to a page that details some basic information detected about the device. Scroll down to find Automatic Updates, and click Check for Updates. The website will then begin to scan for driver updates. Do not leave this page until the scan is done.
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If driver updates are found, click Download And Install to obtain and install the selected updates. You should make sure all updates available are selected. These updates will run in the background, so please make sure your computer remains connected to Wi-Fi and plugged in while the updates run. Some updates, like BIOS, will require a restart of your computer in order to complete.
You can also directly see & remove drivers on your device from the Device Manager. Use the Taskbar to search for Device Manager, then open the application.
NOTE: We recommend using the officially provided support channels for Lenovo and Dell above first. Only use the Device Manager if you 1) understand how to and are comfortable managing device drivers manually and 2) the support options above did not fix your issue.
The Device Manager lists all of the drivers currently installed on your device; if there is an issue detected with one, the driver's icon will show a caution triangle. See Microsoft's documentation on Error codes in Device Manager in Windows for a list of the various error codes that may show and how to fix them. Whenever you remove a faulty driver, you must then completely restart your device (shut down, wait ~15 seconds, turn back on) for the driver to properly automatically re-install.