Simply put, drivers make your computer work. Drivers are the tiny bits of software, or sets of files, that tell computer hardware and devices how to communicate with the operating system. Without drivers, your computer won’t work.

If you notice your computer freezes, crashes, sounds bad, or displays poor graphics, it's time to check for outdated drivers using one of the best driver updater programs listed above.

All hardware has a driver. Drivers act as intermediaries between your device’s operating system and its hardware components, like the graphics card, Wi-Fi chip, and even the motherboard and CPU. Without updated drivers, things can fall apart quickly.

You should regularly update core drivers that your computer uses everyday. These include Windows drivers, audio drivers, graphics drivers, and network drivers. These four driver types underpin most of your computer’s critical functions, from its operating system and internet access to its audio and visual performance.

But why bother keeping only these drivers updated? With an automated driver updater program like AVG Driver Updater, there's no need to pick and choose. You instantly have the most recent version of drivers from all the most popular hardware manufacturers.