Driver installation for targeted and non-present devices

A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for managing device drivers, the instructions, when executed, causing a computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

• requesting, from an update service, one or more drivers for one or more devices connectable to a computing device further including:
• compiling a list of device drivers stored on the computing device, wherein the list includes at least a disconnected device driver and a second device driver and further includes disconnected device driver version information and second device driver version information, wherein the disconnected device is a device that was previously connected and is disconnected from the computing device at the time of the request;
• determining one or more computing device attributes;
• sending the computing device attributes and the list of device drivers to the update service;
• receiving, from the update service, a device driver update set, wherein at least one driver in the update set is a driver for the disconnected device;
• installing the at least one driver for the disconnected device on the computing device;
• and
• configuring the at least one driver for the disconnected device to activate when the disconnected device is detected by the computing device.

A computer-implemented method for managing device drivers comprising:

• receiving a request for device driver updates for one or more devices connectable to a computing device;
• receiving computing device configuration information for the computing device, the computing device configuration information including information regarding at least one device driver for a disconnected device, wherein the disconnected device comprises a device that was previously connected and is not connected to the computing device at the time of the request;
• comparing the computing device configuration information to stored driver information;
• retrieving a device driver update set including at least one updated device driver for the disconnected device;
• adding a new device driver to the update set, wherein the new device driver is for a new device that has not previously been connected to the computing device;
• and
• providing the update set to the computing device.