Update the OS before adding new hardware

This is the time of year when we often treat ourselves to new hardware for our computers or pockets. A new phone, a new music player, a new printer, a new tablet and so on. There are lots of sales on and this is the peak selling period for many stores.

If you have just bought or are about to buy a new gadget, accessory or peripheral for your computer there are some simple maintenance steps to take that will ensure that everything works well together. There is nothing more irritating than buying something new and then finding that it isn't compatible with your computer or that it doesn't work as expected.

The first thing you should do is to use the operating system's update facility and this means Windows Update on PCs or Software Update on Apple Macs. (Linux users should use their distro's update facility too.) Make sure that you select optional updates and not just the compulsory ones.

What this does is to ensure that all the drivers and patches are installed and that the operating system's database of supported hardware is up to date. Operating systems maintain a compatibility list of supported hardware and if you have an outdated list then a brand new gadget might be flagged as incompatible when in fact the OS has recently been updated to support it.

After updating and rebooting you should then plug in the new hardware. Should you install the software that came with the device? Modern operating systems contain basic support for a wide range of devices and frequently simply plugging in the hardware is enough to get it working. The OS has drivers for webcams, scanners, printers and other devices, so if you want to keep the system light and fast then don't install the supplied software.

The only snag is that operating systems usually only provide basic support for devices, so it will work, but special functions may not. What's more, sometimes the software supplied with devices is pretty good and has useful functions and features. It is often a good idea to ignore the software supplied with a device because it is on CD and was probably written moths ago. Instead, go to the manufacturer's website and download the latest version of the software. I recommend installing that instead of the CD.

After installing the software and the hardware, restart the computer and then use the operating system update facility again. This will ensure that if there are newer drivers for the device then they will be downloaded and installed.

To summarise then,

1. Use the operating system's update facility
2. Download the latest software from the manufacturer's website
3. Install the software and the device
4. Use the operating system's update facility