Earlier this year, Microsoft made a change that allows hardware developers to offer their drivers in two ways – Automatic and Manual. The driver updates for installed devices via Windows Update are based on the way the drivers are specified by the OEM. Now Microsoft has announced that it is changing the way manual drivers are automatically installed on Windows 10 PCs.
Microsoft Windows 10 To Be More Cautious With Plug-N-Play Devices And Their Drivers:
Earlier this year, Microsoft revised the Windows Update page and separated quality/assured updates and optional/driver updates. This change moved the optional as well as driver updates to a new location and allowed users to independently search for driver updates without using the Device Manager. Now, Microsoft is making another change to how manual driver updates are delivered to Windows 10 users. Specifically, the change applies to the way drivers for Plug-N-Play devices are installed.
— Ring Ø Labs (@RingZeroLabs) October 30, 2020 To date, drivers that qualified as ‘Automatic Drivers’ were installed automatically when a device was plugged in for the first time. If the Automatic Driver was not available, Windows 10 used to install the driver that was tagged as ‘Manual Driver’ as a part of the plug-and-play feature to get the device up and running.
— Inari (@InariMedia) October 30, 2020 However, Microsoft has now changed this behavior for the driver installation of Plug-N-Play devices. Starting from November 5, Windows 10 users will have a stricter distinction between Automatic and Manual updates in Windows Update. Microsoft claims the new policy will allow users to have more control over plug-and-play accessories that automatically download and install drivers.
Plug-N-Play Device With Driver Marked As ‘Manual’ Or ‘Optional’ Will Not Work Immediately After Connecting:
Essentially, starting from November 5, if a user plugs in a peripheral that does not have an Automatic Driver Update available, Windows 10 will return a ‘Driver Not Found’ (DNF) error and the device won’t work immediately. To get the Plug-N-Play device to work, users will need to manually install the driver by navigating to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates. Drivers have been one of the most troublesome in updates for Microsoft Windows 10. Faulty, bad, or poor-quality drivers have caused a lot of problems including freezes, system crashes, BSOD, etc. Microsoft has been attempting different techniques to eliminate problems with updates. Changing the way driver updates are delivered and installed is just one of them.
