Intel® Driver & Support Assistant Fundamentals
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What is the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant?
The Intel® Driver & Support Assistant is a re-architected version of the Intel® Driver Update Utility.
Improvements allow it to:
- Easily identify drivers installed by Intel and third-parties.
- Scan for driver updates as well as system and device information.
- Integrate several Intel support tools within a web based application (This includes the Intel® Driver Update Utility, and will soon include the Intel® System Identification Utility, and the Intel® System Support Utility).
What is a driver?
A device driver (or simply driver) is a software program that tells your computer how to communicate with a particular piece of hardware. An example of this hardware is a video card. Intel offers generic drivers.
What is a generic driver?
A generic driver is a basic driver version that isn't customized. Intel offers generic versions of Intel® Graphics Drivers, but recommends using drivers from your computer manufacturer. The computer manufacturer can offer customized versions of the Intel Graphics Drivers for your particular computer model.
What is the difference between a generic driver and a computer manufacturer customized driver?
Intel offers generic versions of drivers while computer manufacturers:
- May have pre-installed customized drivers with altered features.
- May have verified these drivers for use with the devices on that particular system.
Why it is important to keep your drivers updated?
Updated drivers allow you to use new programs and new hardware.
You should update your drivers if:
- You have a new device.
- You see an error message that tells you to update to a new driver.
- You see problems while using hardware.
You may not need to update your drivers if:
- Your system is working correctly.
- You experience issues with the speed of your machine. Updated drivers do not upgrade slow computers.
- You already have specific drivers for your device, and the latest driver is generic.
Are all Intel® drivers and software updates offered by the tool?
No, the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant (Intel® DSA) gives you a subset of the drivers and software available on Download Center. View a list of which drivers and software are excluded.Will the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant provide me with graphics drivers if I have custom graphics drivers installed by my computer manufacturer?
Some users will have customized graphics drivers pre-installed by their computer manufacturer. The Intel® Driver & Support Assistant will not offer any recommended graphics driver updates in those instances. We provide this partial list of computer manufacturers for your convenience. If you don’t see your computer manufacturer listed, notify us by adding it in the feedback form on the page.
Why is it important to know the operating system (OS) of your device?
You will need to know the version of Windows on your device in order to determine what software to install.
Some device examples include:
- Desktop
- Laptop
- Tablet
- Intel® NUC
- Intel® Compute Stick
You can review this article for assistance on determining which version of Windows OS you have installed.
The Intel® Driver & Support Assistant supports 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7*, Windows 8* and Windows 8.1*, and Windows® 10. If your OS is not supported, visit the Intel Download Center to look for available drivers.
Where can I get information on Wireless Drivers?
Review this article for additional information on Wireless Drivers.
Where can I get information on Intel® Graphics Drivers?
Review this article for additional information on Intel® Graphics Drivers.
If you still have questions, visit our FAQ page for more information.
Get started and install the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant. You will need to know that Intel provides drivers for your device before you use this application.
Is there a fee for using the Intel Driver & Support Assistant?
There is no fee associated with the Intel Driver & Support Assistant. It is available for your convenience at no cost.
What if I get an error while trying to install?
Check out the following articles related to error messages. If you cannot find the error message you are seeing, notify us by adding it as feedback.
If you still have questions, visit our FAQ page for more information.
Get started and install the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant. You'll need to know that Intel provides drivers for your device before you use this application.
