Two camps argue about the first hour after an install: update everything through Windows Update, or fetch every driver from the manufacturer first. The truth is a specific order that uses both — and avoids the one tool category that ruins new installs.
A fresh Windows install lands with whatever drivers were on the installation media — often years old. Getting current is not one step but a sequence, and the sequence matters: Windows Update first for the platform, the chipset maker next for the foundation, and the graphics maker for the one driver that changes weekly. Here is the order, and the reasoning behind each step.
Windows Update is not one download. Security updates, .NET updates, a servicing-stack update and possibly a full feature update arrive in dependency order, each round unlocking the next. Restart whenever asked and press Check for updates again. The round is finished only when a check returns You are up to date with nothing underneath.
While you are there, open Advanced options → Optional updates. The Driver updates section holds maker drivers Microsoft has validated for your exact hardware — safe to take.
The SM Bus and PCI warnings in the screenshot above are the classic signature of a missing chipset package. Windows Update sometimes fills these in; when it does not, the fix is the chipset driver from your laptop or motherboard maker's support page — matched to your exact model, not a similar one.
Why chipset before everything else: it defines how the board talks to USB, storage and power management. Audio oddities, sleep problems and slow USB ports on new installs are very often this one package missing.
msinfo32)The graphics driver is the one worth taking straight from the source, especially on gaming or editing PCs: the makers publish far newer versions than Windows Update carries. Use the official NVIDIA, AMD or Intel site (or their official apps) — never a driver-download portal.
On a plain office PC with integrated graphics, the Windows Update driver is honestly fine; the maker driver mainly buys newer features and game fixes.
Audio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and touchpad drivers from Windows Update are fine for most people. Fetch a maker version only when you have a symptom: no sound after install, Wi-Fi dropping, touchpad gestures missing. Chasing “newer” versions of working drivers adds risk without benefit.
Programs that promise to update all drivers in one click are the single most common way a healthy fresh install gets broken. They match drivers by database guesses, install near-miss versions, and bundle extras you did not ask for. A wrong storage or chipset driver from such a tool can leave a PC unbootable — on day one.
Everything they do, the three steps above do safely: Windows Update for the platform, the maker for chipset and graphics.
Watch the exact first-hour routine — update rounds, chipset, graphics and the Device Manager check — on a real fresh install.
▶️ Watch Full VideoUsually yes. Optional driver updates on Windows Update are maker drivers Microsoft has validated for your hardware model. They are a safe way to fill gaps like printers and older network cards.
It means one piece of hardware has no driver — often a chipset component, a card reader or a sensor. Install the chipset package from your maker's model page first; most unknown devices disappear with it.
You can, but it is the wrong order. Some drivers and feature updates need the newer servicing stack that only Windows Update delivers, and an unpatched fresh install is exposed on the internet from its first minute.