Where to Download the Latest Windows 7 Drivers for Popular Hardware
After installing Windows 7, you may need to download the latest Windows 7 drivers for some of the hardware in your PC.
Windows 7 is Microsoft's most popular operating system right now so most manufacturers regularly release Windows 7 driver updates for their products. Updating to the latest Windows 7 drivers may help keep your PC running at its best.
Need help to install a Windows 7 driver? See How To Update Drivers in Windows 7.
Below is an alphabetical list of Windows 7 driver download links for 21 major hardware manufacturers, from Acer to VIA. See the bottom of the third page for a quick list of the most recently updated Windows 7 drivers.
Please let me know if this page needs updated.
Acer Drivers (Desktops and Notebooks)
© Acer Inc.
Windows 7 drivers available for Acer desktops or notebooks can be downloaded via Acer's Service and Support site, linked below.
Acer provides many custom Windows 7 drivers for their PCs and laptops but much of the hardware will be installed using the default drivers in Windows 7.
ASUS Drivers (Motherboards)
©ASUSTeK Computer Inc.
ASUS Windows 7 drivers can be downloaded via ASUS's support site, linked below.
ASUS has made available Windows 7 drivers for most of their motherboard lines including those based on AMD, Intel Socket 775, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011, and more.
I did a quick spot check on several of ASUS's motherboards and all of them showed both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 drivers.
ASUS also manufactures servers, workstations, notebooks, and other computer peripherals but they are most known for their motherboards. You can look for Windows 7 drivers for your non-motherboard ASUS product on their website.
Note: If you're wondering if your "older" ASUS motherboard has Windows 7 drivers, ASUS keeps a list here: Windows 7 Compatible ASUS Motherboards.
ATI Radeon Driver (Video)
© Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
The latest ATI Radeon Windows 7 driver is the ATI Catalyst 12.6 Suite (Released 2012-06-28).
This Windows 7 driver from AMD/ATI contains the entire Catalyst suite including the ATI Radeon display driver, the OpenCL driver, the ATI integrated driver, and the Catalyst Control Center. This Windows 7 driver is compatible with AMD and ATI Radeon HD series GPUs.
Important: There are 32-bit and 64-bit versions of this Windows 7 driver available on AMD's website so be sure to pick the right one.
BIOSTAR Drivers (Motherboards)
© BIOSTAR Group
BIOSTAR Windows 7 drivers are listed on BIOSTAR's Windows 7 Ready motherboard list, linked below.
BIOSTAR lists many of their motherboard lines as passing WHQL testing with Microsoft, including those based on Intel 1155, 1366, 1156, 775, 478, and AMD AM3+, FM1, AM3, and AM2+ designs.
Important: Many BIOSTAR motherboards may have passed certain Windows 7 tests but that does not mean that Windows 7 drivers are available from BIOSTAR. However, the motherboards listed should work as expected with native Windows 7 drivers.
C-Media Drivers (Audio)
© C-Media Electronics, Inc.
Windows 7 drivers for products based on C-Media's audio chipset are available via their driver download page, linked below.
A lot of the drivers available for C-Media products appear to have been tested on the latest RC build of Windows 7, not the final version, but they should still work fine.
Windows 7 drivers are available for CMI8788, CMI8738, CMI8768, CMI8768+, CMI8770, and CMI8787 but Windows 7's native drivers might work best.
Important: The Windows 7 drivers linked to here are directly from C-Media. A C-Media chip may be a part of your sound card or motherboard but it's possible there's a Windows 7 driver that's a better fit for your sound device from your actual sound card or motherboard manufacturer.
Compaq Drivers (Desktops and Laptops)
© Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
If any Windows 7 drivers are available for Compaq computers, they can be downloaded via HP's standard support site, linked below. Compaq is now part of HP.
Compaq's newer computers typically come with Windows 7 installed and of course have Windows 7 drivers available. HP's site may have Windows 7 drivers listed for older Compaq computers as well.
Creative Sound Blaster Drivers (Audio)
© Creative Technology Ltd.
The most current Creative Sound Blaster Windows 7 drivers are listed on Creative's Driver Availability Chart, linked below.
Creative has made available Windows 7 drivers for many of their popular Sound Blaster products including their X-Fi, Sound Blaster Live, Audigy, and more.
Some Windows 7 drivers by Creative may be in beta. Please be aware that beta drivers may not always work properly and you should update as soon as final versions become available.
Note: This page also links to Windows 7 drivers for other devices from Creative including MP3 players, speakers, headsets, web cams, and video cams.
Dell Drivers (Desktops and Laptops)
© Dell
Windows 7 drivers for Dell desktop and laptop computers can be downloaded via Dell's standard support site, linked below.
Dell also keeps a list of their older computer systems that they have successfully tested with Windows 7: Microsoft Windows 7 Compatible Dell Systems.
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eMachines Drivers (Desktops and Notebooks)
© Gateway, Inc.
Any available Windows 7 drivers for eMachines desktop or notebook computers can be downloaded via eMachines' support site, linked below.
To see if your eMachines laptop or desktop PC is compatible with Windows 7, select the Product Category, then Series, and finally Model in the link provided below. If "Windows 7" is an option under the Operating System choices then your PC should support Windows 7.
Note: If no drivers are listed for Windows 7, even though eMachines says your PC supports it, it just means that the native drivers available in Windows 7 will suffice for your computer. In other words, after installing Windows 7, you shouldn't need to update any of your drivers.
Gateway Drivers (Desktops and Notebooks)
© Gateway
Windows 7 drivers for many Gateway desktops and notebooks are available via Gateway's support site, linked below.
According to Gateway, their only advice for compatibility with Windows 7 for older computers is to check the minimum system requirements for Windows 7 and compare to your PC.
The native drivers that Windows 7 provides will likely work for the majority of Gateway hardware manufactured before 2009. Otherwise, Gateway will likely provide their own Windows 7 drivers via their support site.
HP Drivers (Desktops and Laptops)
© Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
Any available Windows 7 drivers for HP desktop, laptop, and tablet computers can be downloaded via HP's standard support site, linked below.
Many of HP's desktop and laptop PCs have Windows 7 drivers available.
HP has also published valuable information about the availability of HP printer and scanner drivers in Windows 7 (see the HP entry below).
Realtek AC97 Driver (Audio)
© Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
The latest Realtek AC97 Windows 7 driver is version 6305 (Released 2009-09-07).
This download contains both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of this Windows 7 driver.
Important: The Realtek AC97 drivers linked to here are directly from Realtek - the chipset manufacturer. The AC97 chipset may be a part of your sound card or motherboard but Realtek only created the chipset. This means that it's possible there's a Windows 7 driver that better fits your hardware available from your actual sound card or motherboard manufacturer.
Note: I've listed various Realtek drivers separately because of their individual popularity.
Download the Latest Realtek AC97 Driver for WindowsNVIDIA GeForce/ION Driver (Video)
© NVIDIA Corporation
The latest NVIDIA GeForce/ION Windows 7 driver is version 304.79 Beta (Released 2012-07-03).
This Windows 7 driver is compatible with NVIDIA GeForce 6, 7, 8, 9, 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 series GPUs and also NVIDIA ION GPUs.
Note: NVIDIA 3D Vision, NVIDIA SLI, NVIDIA Surround, and NVIDIA Update are all included in this single driver suite.
Important: There are Windows 7 32-bit drivers and 64-bit drivers available from NVIDIA. Take care in choosing the correct one for your system.
Important: These NVIDIA GeForce/ION drivers are directly from NVIDIA - the GPU manufacturer. The GeForce/ION GPU may be a part of your video card or motherboard but NVIDIA only created the GPU. This means that it's possible there's a Windows 7 driver that better fits your hardware available from your actual video card or motherboard manufacturer.