Has updating device drivers through device manager ever worked? Can't remember last time it did (no matter how old a driver was, it was up to date according to device manager). Not a huge loss on my end but sorry for those who used it.
I don't think I have ever used that. I download drivers directly from the manufacturer, pretty sure that anyone that knows what the device manager is does the same. I have no idea why people are complaining about this.
I always prefer download the driver directly from the manufacturer’s website due that usually these are more up to date, but I think this internet driver updates from Microsoft should not be removed completely. The drivers listed in the "Optional Updates" are very useful if the manufacturer does not provide the drivers or if you don’t know what drivers needs an unknown device and you need the automated recognition and installation of the drivers.
The driver update option from devmgmt.msc only triggers a Windows Update sync. It was never more than that
Same here, & yes, MSFT driver updates are mostly old & outdated so I too prefer to update drivers from the respective official websites (mostly) or from StationDriver.
Not for me, it usually offers more up-to-date drivers for graphics, network, USB... for my 5 years old laptop, something Windows Update never did, at least with this laptop.
This is pretty common. There is something about integrating updates that sometimes does not work perfectly and WU will try to install them again. Typically that install works more like a double check and only takes a few seconds, there is no need to reboot either. I have never figured out what causes this. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't.