How to get Windows 10 to automatically update printer drivers

Question

I have ESET NOD32 installed and it tells me that there are supposed to be updates for my printer drivers available on Windows Update. But Windows 10 is not downloading these drivers by itself and doesn't show them in Windows Update.

I do not presently have any deferred updates and I'm otherwise up-to-date. I had to go into the Device Manager and choose Update Driver on a couple of drivers to have my system download the latest versions from the Windows Update server.

The remaining drivers I seem to be missing are those for printers. One can't update these from Device Manager as the drivers listed there are all of the generic local printer queue type.

I tried updating them through the Printer Preferences page (Devices and Printers) and picking the Windows Update source from the New Driver option.

This does seem to download a bunch of files from Windows Update, but doesn't solve the warning about older drivers.

In previous versions of Windows I did get more driver updates directly through Windows Update automatically. Is there a setting I messed up somehow?

Another example of updates (available from the Windows Update Catalog), but not being brought in through windows update were the Azure Power pack found here:

• https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3069121

Update

Eset contacted me and will do a remote screen sharing session to see what's going on.

Remarks know some of the answers below, yes windows update provides generic drivers for some devices, but also provides drivers which are the same as the ones provided by oems, the Lenovo power management drivers for example are identical, whether I install them through windows update or Lenovo. The same applies to the wireless drivers from Intel or the Webcam driver from Realtek.

And yes, for some, like certain printers, it ships generic drivers. I don't mind generic drivers, as long as they are the latest generic drivers.

It still baffles me that some driver updates are not pushed through windows update, but will update through the device manager. Similarly it baffles me that certain drivers are not pushed through windows update, neither by checking through the device manager.

I'll update again after Eset has had its chance to investigate my system.

Solution 1

You can double-check NOD32's claim that there are newer drivers available from Windows Update by searching for those drivers using the Microsoft Update Catalog (this site requires Internet Explorer 6.0 or later). Techtarget.com explains the equivalency of Windows Update and the Update Catalog:

The Microsoft Update Catalog is a searchable catalog of all security updates, drivers and service packs that are available through Windows Update (WU) and Microsoft Update (MU)

A search of the catalog for your HP Deskjet F300 series printer shows the most recent available driver is version 7.0.0.25 last updated 8/13/2012:

A search for your Kyocera Mita FS-1800+ KX printer shows the most recent driver is version 6.0.2726.0 last updated 3/26/2013:

You can download these drivers directly from the Update Catalog and afterward see if NOD32 still claims drivers are available, in which case you know that claim is incorrect. Alternately, you can look at the version of the drivers currently installed for your printers and see how they compare to the drivers available through Windows Update.

Solution 2

Windows Update does not cover all driver updates or devices, it's up to the device manufacturers to provide the drivers to Microsoft...its all part of their WHQL program.

In this case you need to download the driver direct from HP and Kyocera.

Solution 3

These updates look more than a bit suspicious - see if Nod3 can give more details.

Deskjet F300 : the last update found in the HP website dates from Oct 2009, so it is highly unlikely that a new update has appeared in 2015. The indication by Nod3 should be ignored.

Kyocera FS-1800 : the latest Windows 10 driver is found here from Aug 2015. This is the absolutely latest driver, and you should install it and ignore Nod3 if it continues to show an update for this device. This update would take some time to get into Windows Update, so installing it would put you ahead by months if not years over Windows Update.

Windows Update drivers come from the manufacturer, since Microsoft only creates generic drivers. In most cases, drivers from the manufacturer take months and sometimes years to become available via Windows Update. If one installs from the manufacturer, Windows Update is smart enough not to replace the new driver with an older one.

Please note that the drivers I specified above are from the manufacturer, so are absolutely the latest possible version.

My conclusion is that you shouldn't blindly trust Nod3.

Comments

[jessehouwing]

eset notifies of missing updates from windows update, which means that Windows update has updates available for these drivers, but that they're not shipping. They don't notify for driver not available over windows update.

[jessehouwing]

Problem is, when one installs a vendor driver, it sometimes changes the driver I'd and won't pick up the same windows update because of that, so it'd be a kind of false test.

[I say Reinstate Monica]

@jessehouwing I'm not so sure that's true. A physical device's Device ID is a property of the hardware itself, not the driver. That's how Windows knows which driver goes to which device in the first place. If identifying the device depending first on loading the driver, by this reasoning devices without any driver loaded would be unidentifiable.

[harrymc]

@jessehouwing: The Windows Update drivers come from the manufacturer. Microsoft only creates generic drivers. In most cases, drivers from the manufacturer take months and sometimes years to become available via Windows Update. If one installs from the manufacturer, Windows Update is smart enough not to replace the new driver with an older one.

[cjb110]

I would double check that, as it seems rather pointless, Windows already does this, why duplicate it? Most of these update checkers address the limitations of Windows Update and do a more thorough check, and find updated drivers that are not on Windows update, by checking the manufactures sites.

[jessehouwing]

It's not really pointless, as it checks at a higher frequency to flag important updates earlier. And they do manage to find driver updates, from Windows update, for a very thing but printers which can be updated from the device manager with a 'look for newer version on Windows update'. This applied to the power management drivers, Webcam, audio and Intel management engine drivers.

[Ramhound]

Furthermore. If the printer works. You don't need to update the driver. Unless something does not work don't worry about the update, ignore it, and move on. If you can't indicate you want to ignore said update, find better software, that does allow you to do so :$

[jessehouwing]

@ramhound that's true unless there are performance, security, power management or other issues that do not break the functionality, but would greatly enhance my experience.

[jessehouwing]

@harrymc, I understand, but having 15 different auto-update tools running at startup doesn't make me happy. Plus HP installs much more crap than just the driver.

[harrymc]

In my opinion you should have only one update tool : Windows Update. Only if you have to, install drivers from the manufacturer's website. Using third-party update tools is asking for a disaster - let Windows update itself. Windows 10 does that anyway, whether you agree or not, so avoid having conflicts.

[jessehouwing]

That works for all drivers except printer drivers.