Check if your Dell XPS 15 9550 has the latest drivers installed.
Check if your Dell XPS 15 9550 has the latest drivers installed.
Owned a Dell XPS 15 9550 laptop for many years. Hardware includes an i5-6300HQ processor, 1TB SSD, NVMe storage—previously upgraded from 250GB SSD and 8GB RAM. Graphics card is Intel HD 530 with NVIDIA GeForce 960M. A few months ago I suspected malware on my Windows machine. I ran a scan using Kaspersky Total Security and found no threats. Eventually, I performed a full reinstall of Windows 10 Pro. After the installation, there was no internet access. I had to download the Wi-Fi drivers myself.
To resolve this, I used another Windows laptop to install two Wi-Fi adapters/drivers and saved them on a USB flash drive. I then connected that drive to my cleanly reinstalled laptop and successfully restored Wi-Fi functionality. On the Dell website, I entered my XPS 15 serial number to locate the necessary drivers. I downloaded all important ones and some recommended ones. While checking Device Manager, I noticed several yellow exclamation marks indicating missing drivers. I tried downloading additional drivers from the Dell site that appeared relevant.
Eventually, most of those warnings disappeared, suggesting most required drivers were installed. I also checked Windows Update and found no issues. However, I still experienced some lag with Chrome. After installing a driver from the update, the yellow exclamation marks vanished, confirming it was resolved.
I downloaded Kaspersky Total again and installed Chrome along with other programs. Although my laptop has been in use for months, I’ve noticed occasional slowdowns, especially with Chrome. Whenever a Windows update is prompted, I usually proceed.
Regarding driver updates: everything seemed fine during setup, so I assumed it was adequate. However, I’m unsure if all drivers are current. For instance, the Intel HD 530 graphics show a driver date from several months ago in Task Manager, suggesting it might be outdated. The NVIDIA GeForce 960M displays a 2020 release date, which seems inconsistent with its actual age. When I checked Device Manager under Processor, the driver listed was from 2009—this raises doubts about whether it’s still current.
Given that my laptop is over six years old, it’s normal for some components to be outdated. Still, I need to verify if all drivers are up to date. The process of reinstalling and updating helps, but I should confirm regularly.
I prefer this over the manufacturer sites with exclamation points. For GPUs, go directly to Nvidia or AMD. It's a Dell...