Do I have to pay for USB drivers?

Discussion in 'Software' started by sssteve72, Jan 30, 2008.

  1. sssteve72

    sssteve72 Private E-2

    Am I missing something here? I can download all sorts of updates and drivers from windows updates or I can go to my video car manuf. website and download a new driver for my video card but if I want to update my usb drivers I have to go to a 3rd party website and pay to download an update for my computer?

    I've been to driver agent.com it says there are updates for my usb but these dont show up on windows update. I tried doing a search at dell since I have a dell computer. I tried doing a search at Intel since it is an intel chip. But nothing.

    Is the only way to update my USB driver to pay driveragent or another update site for the files?

    Do I really even need an update? I am trying to update them because I was using an ipod and apple in their infinite wisdom says I need to try updating all of my usb drivers and that that may be why the ipod won't connect properly.

    I have an Dell 690 with XP pro SP 2 everything is up to date from windows update.
     
    sssteve72, Jan 30, 2008
    #1
  2. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

    Hi

    No you should not have to pay for driver updates, while sites like driveragent.com make it easy to check, I peronally wouldnt take too much stock into what they say in your having out of date drivers as actually true, at times I have had a newer driver installed than their site tells me that I'm missing.


    In the majority of cases you only need a driver update if your having issues with a hardware device, if its working ok then leave alone, you can create more issues updating drivers as some OEM PCs from the likes of DELL need the specific DELL drivers off their site to work correctly and not the unified hardware makers drivers which are the majority of what those driver sites link you too.

    Many people do install unified manuracturers drivers and end up having to go through the process of reinstalling the original driver they had as the new suposed driver was not compatible... not worth the chance of this happening IMO.

    Main ones to really update are Graphics Card and Network and maybe Audio at a push, but if everything is working fine with your PC, take the age old stance of "dont fix whats not broken"

    I think your fine with what you have done already, in keeping Windows upto date as well as your security software.
     
    DavidGP, Jan 30, 2008
    #2
  3. sssteve72

    sssteve72 Private E-2

    Yeah, I'm just trying to get this stupid IPOD to work (it won't connect properly) and the only help Apple has given me is I need to try updating my USB drivers. I don't really want to mess with them because everything works fine except for the connection with the IPOD. This is why I will never own an Apple computer. I guess I should call it a friends IPOD.


     
    sssteve72, Jan 30, 2008
    #3
  4. dlb

    dlb MajorGeek

    How do other USB devices work on the PC? If you have trouble with other USB devices, then you may indeed have a USB or chipset driver issue. If other USB devices are OK, maybe try the iPod on a different PC and see how that goes....
     
    dlb, Jan 31, 2008
    #4
  5. sssteve72

    sssteve72 Private E-2

    Well, I plug in a usb flash drive and it works fine, I plug in a usb cord from a printer and it works fine. I plug in a usb from an ipod. And it won't recognize the ipod. It just hangs up the computer. Freezes. It wasn't doing that with anything other than the ipod. So I've been to apples website and one of their suggestions is to update the usb drivers. I never said I had trouble with usb devices. All other usb devices were working fine. It is just that the ipod isn't connecting properly. It seems to be the only usb device that wasn't working properly.

     
    sssteve72, Jan 31, 2008
    #5

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