I was reminded yesterday of the importance of keeping computer drivers up to date, as new drivers can not only fix performance issues but sometimes provide additional features.
I recently purchased a new D-Link 802.11n router to try and fix the problems I was having streaming blu-rays and 1080p mkv video files to a new wireless media center I’d built. Even though my old router was an 802.11n router, it wasn’t good enough to stream large HD files. Streaming media files over wireless networks requires much better performance – when you browse the internet you won’t spot small millisecond glitches in connectivity, but when you are watching a HD movie they stand out like a sore thumb.
Imagine my surprise when my 5Ghz D-Link DIR-855 802.11n router couldn’t play back the HD files without an awful stutter either. After trying to reposition the router and USB adaptor (D-Link DWA-160), changing the router settings etc with no joy, I called D-Link’s support line. When I explained my problem to the D-link support engineer he immediately asked for my email so he could send me the latest drivers, that he said had fixed similar issues. Once I installed the new drivers, all my problems went away and I could stream 1080p/blu-ray files with no problems at all. I’ve tested my D-Link DIR-855 router streaming HD files up to 35Mbps with no problems at all, which is fantastic as it means my current network/router setup won’t need replacing for at least 3-5 years.
When I used to have one PC, I used to religiously check all of my apps and drivers for updates at least once a month. However, now that I have several PCs now in my home (1 desktop PC I use for work, 3 media centers I’ve built, 1 Windows Home Server, 2 laptops and a netbook!) I had to stop, as I’ve now got too many machines to monitor. However, after my D-link experience yesterday, I’m going to spend some time on Sunday updating all of my machines. Luckily I’m quite organised with where I store my current files and software on my WHS and I’ve also got all my software/driver sites bookmarked, so this shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours.
How often do you check for updates for your drivers and apps? Are you going to make Sunday PC upgrade day as well?
