Dear Lifehacker,
I recently updated my video drivers and discovered that a lot of my other drivers were out of date. Do I really need to keep them updated all the time? Will I notice any improvements in speed or features if I have the latest versions?

Sincerely,
Disorganized Drivers

Dear Disorganized,
Drivers can be pretty confusing, and while we've talked about them a bit before, there are a few things everyone should know about how to manage their drivers and when to update them. Here's the most important stuff.

The Golden Rule of Drivers: If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It

Before you go obsessing about up-to-date drivers, you should note that, while we always recommend you keep your software updated for security and stability, drivers are another matter. While you should keep an eye on any security updates that pop up, different driver versions can introduce stability problems, so if your hardware is working as expected, you're better off not updating, since you never know when it might cause problems. You'll rarely get big speed or feature boosts from a driver update, so unless you see in the release notes that there's something big, you're usually okay to just ignore it.

Instead, only update your drivers if you're having a problem with your hardware. Say your ethernet connection drops occasionally, or your printer isn't printing properly. In this case, one of the first troubleshooting steps you should take is to update the driver, since these issues may be fixed in a new update.

The main exception to this rule is video drivers. Unlike other drivers, video drivers are updated often and usually with big performance increases, especially in new games. Heck, a recent Nvidia update increased Skyrim performance by 45%, and the driver after that increased its performance by another 20%. If you're a Skyrim player, that's a huge boost. So, when you see that your video card has a new driver available, see what improvements the driver offers—if it offers system-wide performance improvements or improvements in a game you're currently playing, you'll definitely want to update. If it doesn't, stick with the current driver.

Where to Get Your Drivers

So you need to install or update a driver, but you often have a few choices in where you get it from. When you first plug in a device, Windows will often install its own generic version of the driver itself, and your device will get basic functionality right away. For some things this is fine, but oftentimes you'll find that downloading the driver from the manufacturer's web site gives you lots of extra features. Sound drivers may give you things like virtual surround or room correction, while video drivers will usually give you a whole control panel of options that let you customize your graphics performance, features like Nvidia's PhysX, and more. In general, there are three different places you'll find drivers, and here's how they differ:

• From the chipset manufacturer's web site: This is the first place you'll usually want to look. The chipset manufacturer is the company that designed the original video or sound chip, e.g. Nvidia or Realtek. These companies often have the very latest drivers available before anyone else. Some drivers (like Nvidias) will come with extra features, while others (like Realtek) will only offer the latest generic drivers.
• From the hardware manufacturer's web site: If you find that you have problems with the chipset manufacturer's drivers, or that they only offer generic drivers with no extra features, your next stop should be the hardware manufacturer. This is the person who made the actual hardware, like EVGA or XFX for video cards, and companies like Gigabyte or MSI for motherboards (which often include things like sound and ethernet). If you have a laptop, you'll want to go to your laptop manufacturer's site instead, e.g. Asus or Lenovo.
• Directly from Windows: Windows' generic drivers are usually the bare minimum of what you need for something to work. It isn't ideal for most things, but in some cases—like printers—that's exactly what you want. If you visit your printer's web site, they'll only offer you a driver that includes a bunch of software that may include other features, but not necessarily ones you'll use. Regular printing and scanning is already built right into Windows, and you don't need photo editors, cloud services, and other junk bloating up your machine. So instead of getting drivers from the manufacturer, just get them right from Windows as described below.
• From the CD that came with your device: You'll almost never want to do this. These drivers are probably outdated by the time you get the computer up and running, so you should download the drivers from one of the above sources instead. The only exception: ethernet drivers, if Windows doesn't have them built-in. Obviously if you start up your computer and can't access the internet, you can't download drivers. So install the ethernet drivers from the CD, connect to the internet, and download all your other drivers online.

How to Update Your Drivers

When it comes time to update, the process is very simple. Just open up Device Manager (by clicking on the Start orb and typing "device manager" into the search box) and right-clicking on the hardware you want to update. Click Properties and go to the Driver tab. Here, you can see your current driver version. If you're updating through Windows, click "Update Driver" to update it. If not, check the driver's version number and head to the manufacturer's web site. If their driver number is newer than the one you have, an update is available and you can read up on it, if necessary. Then, just download the installer from there and run it like you would any other program. When you're done, you should have shiny new drivers ready to help you get the best out of your hardware.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. Got any extra driver-related tips to share? Favorite features you found in another version of a driver? Share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments.

Photo remixed from boroboro , tele52, DVARG, and Diagon (Shutterstock).

There are a lot of ways to fix issues with your browser, but they often require you to delete all your data—stored passwords, cookies, form history, and other things that take awhile to build back up. Firefox's Beta and Aurora channels now have a new feature called "Reset Firefox", which lets you start fresh while still keeping some of your old information.

Firefox Reset essentially starts you off with a new profile, then migrates some of your data back from your old profile. This includes:

• Cookies
• Browsing History
• Saved Form History
• Saved Passwords
• Bookmarks and Bookmark Backups

These are usually not the kind of data that cause problems, so there's no harm in restoring them. It does not restore your extensions, preference tweaks, or about:config hacks—but it makes it easy to print out a list of them before you reset the browser. Then, you can start adding those back in one by one. As soon as you notice the issue that was plaguing your browser before, you know what the culprit is and can then move on accordingly.

To reset Firefox, just head to about:support and click the "Reset Firefox" button in the top right-hand corner. If you want to save your list of extensions and about:config tweaks, you should click the "Copy to Clipboard" button or print the about:support page first (mine listed most of my tweaks, but not quite all of them). When you reset, it'll let you know what it's going to restore, then quit Firefox. When you open it back up, you'll have a clean slate from which you can start rebuilding.

Right now this feature is only in the Beta and Aurora channels of Firefox, and Mozilla says the Beta channel is the only one that's been tested and known to be stable. It'll make its way to the other channels soon, but for now, you can hit the link below to read more, see Mozilla's support page for detailed information, or hop on over to about:support and try it out for yourself if you've bee putting off a profile reset.

The New Reset Firefox Feature Is Like Magic | SUMO via GHacks

Dear Lifehacker,
My router sucks. My connection goes wonky once every few days, and I have to unplug the router and reboot it (I believe this is called a hard reset) to fix the problem. Obviously, this is incredibly annoying. What can I do to just make the darn thing work properly?

Sincerely,
Infernal Internet

Dear Infernal,
This is a very common ailment, but there's no one universal cause (which, sadly, means there's also not one simple solution). It could be that your internet provider changes your IP address often, and your router doesn't catch on. Maybe it's overheating, or maybe it's getting bogged down by too many connections at once (which can happen if you download a lot). There isn't an easy way to figure out what the problem is, but there are a few common solutions that could help you fix the problem and prevent it from happening in the future.

First: Verify That Your Router Is the Source of the Problem

Before you start messing with your router, you should make sure the problem doesn't lie with your modem or your internet service provider. To do this, plug your computer directly into your modem and see if you get any dropped connections or other problems. If not, the problem is more likely related to your router. If your modem is a modem/router combo, you won't be able to perform this step (we recommend having a separate modem and router for just this reason). If your modem is the problem, contact either your internet service provider or the modem manufacturer to get support, since it's probably not something you can fix at home.

Option 1: Make Sure Your Router Isn't Overheating

This is about the easiest solution to the problem, so it should be your first go-to step. Get your router out of hot, enclosed spaces, raise it up using wooden blocks, or even stick it in front of your fan. A lot of times, a router that keeps dying can be fixed with just a bit of extra airflow.

Option 2: Update Your Router's Firmware

If the internet works fine when directly connected to the modem, it's probably an issue with your router, and the first thing you should do is check for firmware updates. To do this, just:

1. Head to your router's config page (usually available by typing http://192.168.0.1 into your browser, but you'll have to check your router's manual) and check its current firmware version. Write it down or keep that tab open so you don't forget.
2. Next, go to your router's manufacturer's web site (e.g., www.linksys.com) and head to their support page. Find your router and go to its download page.
3. If the latest firmware on the downloads page matches the one your router is using, then you have the latest firmware. If not, then you should download the latest firmware and update your router according to the manufacturer's instructions.

If you're lucky, the latest firmware will fix whatever problem your router was having that made it thirst for regular reboots. If not, though, continue on to the next step.

Option 3: Flash a Third Party Firmware Like DD-WRT

Sometimes, your manufacturer's firmware just isn't very good. In those cases, flashing a third-party firmware—like the free, powerful DD-WRT—can potentially fix all your problems. It isn't for the faint of heart, but can seriously boost the usefulness and customizability of your router, so we think it's a worthwhile project. It can also reboot your router on a schedule, which may not solve the problem itself, but will keep you from having to do it manually.

Check out DD-WRT's compatibility page to see if your router is supported, and check out our guide on how to set it up, and to turn on scheduled reboots, just head to DD-WRT's configuration page and go to Just head to Administration > Keep Alive > Scheduled Reboot.

Option 4: Limit Connections to File Sharing Services

Oftentimes, your router can just get bogged down by too much traffic coming through. This is especially common with things like BitTorrent and Usenet, which achieve high download speeds by making multiple connections at one time. If you make too many, your router will stop working and need a reboot.

If you're a heavy downloader, head into your BitTorrent or Usenet client of choice and go to its settings dialog. You should find a place where you can limit the download speed. Try limiting the speed, and see if that solves your problems (or just shut off your client for a few days). You can also try tweaking the number of connections, if your client allows it. If you find that your router woes disappear after changing these settings, you've found the problem and you'll just have to settle for slightly slower download speeds.

Option 5: Buy a New Router

The fact of the matter is that while the above tweaks may help, chances are your router is old, cheap, or just plain crappy. If none of the above solutions work, head on over to a site like Newegg.com and start reading reviews on routers. I'd look for a router that not only has high ratings, but is popular—this means that the manufacturer is more likely to update the firmware, and also more likely that DD-WRT will have a version available for it. Also make sure that you buy from a store that has a good return policy in case you experience problems within the first few weeks. You don't want to go spend $100 only to find that your new router has the exact same problem.

While you're at it, check out our router buying guide to see what other features you might want.

Last Resort: Plug the Router Into an Outlet Timer

If you'd rather not buy a new router, you might be able to solve your problem with this rather clever hack from ErnieTheGeek over at Superuser:

In situations like this I love to take a cheap garden timer from Home Depot/any hardware store and set it to reboot the router on a daily basis in a time when there's generally little to no usage.

This could solve a number of the problems that would cause your router to need a reboot, and if you just set the timer to reboot once a day when you're sleeping, you probably won't ever have to do it manually (note that if you followed Option 3 and flashed DD-WRT, you can do this with its built-in scheduled reboot feature). It isn't a perfect solution, but it's a rather clever one that doesn't involve buying a new router or going through hours of troubleshooting. Any outlet timer should work; there are a lot designed for indoor lights that will let you program the outlet over a 7-day period, like this one from GE. They're cheap and they'll get the job done.

Again, these aren't the only solutions to the infamous router reboot problem, but these are some of the most common ways to solve the issue. While you're fixing router problems, you might as well fix your crappy Wi-Fi signal, too. Good luck!

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. Got any other solutions for fixing a constantly failing router? Share them with us in the comments below.

Dear Lifehacker,
My cable company's web site doesn't work in Chrome, and it's really annoying. What's going on and how can I fix it?

Sincerely,
Broken Browser

Dear Broken,
A web site may not work properly for a lot of reasons, and sometimes those reasons aren't immediately obvious. Luckily you can hunt down and fix a lot of these problems yourself. Here are a few things you should try before throwing in the towel.

Change Your User Agent

Some web sites will tell you they don't work in a browser like Chrome, but all that normally means is that they haven't updated their "works with" checks in a very long time (if they don't support Chrome, they probably haven't updated since Chrome was released). If that's the case, all you need to do is trick that web site into thinking you're using another browser, and you can do this by changing your browser's user agent. A user agent is just a string of text that tells a web site what browser you're using. So, in this case, by changing Chrome's user agent string to Firefox, you can make that web site think you're using Firefox and let you through.

Changing Chrome's User Agent

To change Chrome's user agent, you can either download the User Agent Switcher extension (which makes the process quick and easy), or do it without any extensions by going to Tools > Developer Tools > Settings > Override User Agent. This will only change your user agent while you have the Developer Tools window open, so don't close it until you're done with that web site.

Changing Firefox's User Agent

On Firefox, you can download the User Agent Switcher extension for quick changes, or change Firefox's built-in setting, which is a bit more involved. To do this, type about:config in the address bar, promise Firefox you'll be careful, and create a new string by right-clicking on the page and going to New > String. Type in general.useragent.override for the string's name, and a user agent string as the value, which you can find on the internet. For example, the user agent string for Chrome 19 is:

 Mozilla/5.0 (X11; Linux x86_64) AppleWebKit/536.5 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/19.0.1084.9 Safari/536.5 

Again, this method is a bit more roundabout, but doesn't require any extensions installed.

For more info on user agent strings and how to change them in your favorite browser, check out this how-to from our friends at How-To Geek.

Open Your Browser with a New Profile

Sometimes, your problem can be a bit more complicated, and you'll actually see rendering errors on the page. For example, I recently found that I couldn't view Lifehacker's reader polls in Firefox—the poll portion of the page just wouldn't show up. To determine whether this was an issue with Firefox or an issue with my particular setup, I opened the page with a new Firefox profile and discovered the problem was on my end.

Creating a New Profile in Chrome

To open Chrome using a new profile, open up a Windows Explorer window and type in the following file path:

Windows Vista/7:

 %LOCALAPPDATA%\Google\Chrome\User Data\ 

Windows XP:

 %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\User Data\  

Mac and Linux users should open up their respective file managers and go to Go > Go to Folder or its equivalent, and type in the following paths:

OS X:

 ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome/ 

Linux:

 ~/.config/google-chrome/ 

Once you're there, find the folder called "Default" and rename it to "Backup Default". When you reopen Chrome, it'll open with a clean slate, after which you can check the problematic web site and see if it renders correctly. If it doesn't, then Chrome is to blame, and you'll have to use another browser to access it for the time being. If it does render correctly, then your particular Chrome setup was the problem, and you'll want to keep that new profile and reinstall your extensions one-by-one (in case one of them was the problem). You can delete the old profile if you no longer need it by deleting the "Backup Default" folder. Check out Chrome's help page on profile management for more info.

Creating a New Profile in Firefox

To open Firefox using a new profile, open up a Command Prompt in Windows (or, if you're on Mac/Linux, a Terminal window) and type one of the following commands:

Windows:

 "C:\Program Files (x86)\Firefox\firefox.exe" -P 

OS X:

 /Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox-bin -profilemanager 

Linux:

 ./firefox -profilemanager 

Be sure to replace the file path in the command with wherever you installed Firefox or Aurora.

If you entered the command correctly, you should see the profile manager pop up. Click "Create Profile" and give it a name. You should be greeted with a clean Firefox slate, after which you can check the problematic web site and see if it renders correctly. If it doesn't, then Firefox is to blame, and you'll have to use another browser to access it for the time being. If it does render correctly, then your particular Firefox setup was the problem, and you'll want to start fresh with that new profile and reinstall your extensions one-by-one (in case one of them was the problem). You can delete the old profile from the Profile Manager if you no longer need it. For more info, check out Mozilla's help article on the profile manager.

Open The Problematic Site In Another Browser

If creating a new profile doesn't help, it's probably an issue with that browser, and you can't fix the problem yourself. Instead, you'll just need to open that page in another browser from now on. It's kind of a pain, but there are a few things you can do to make it easier. Firefox users can download the Open With extension, which will let you right-click on any link and open it in the browser of your choice. Chrome users don't have a comparable extension, but you can always open up Firefox and drag the URL from Chrome's Omnibar into Firefox's tab bar. This is a quick way to open your current page in another browser.

Sincerely,
Lifehacker

P.S. Got any of your own tips for troubleshooting broken web sites? Tell us about them in the comments.