Quick checklist

Suddenly, you notice minor but irritating issues: Your battery meter is inaccurate, your USB ports act glitchy, or your system takes 30 seconds longer to wake from sleep. You are not alone.

If the Dell website isn't working or you can't find your specific model, you can force Windows to find it.

Locate your Dell Service Tag (a 7-character alphanumeric code) on the device sticker or by typing wmic bios get serialnumber in Command Prompt. Alternatively, use your laptop model (e.g., Dell XPS 13 9360, Latitude 5490, Inspiron 3880).

He opened Device Manager with trembling hands.

You might think, "It’s 2023; Windows 10 has millions of drivers built-in." That is true for common peripherals, but .

Search for the Hardware ID on the Dell or Intel support website to locate the appropriate driver

When you install a fresh, retail copy of Windows 10 (64-bit), Microsoft applies generic drivers to get your computer up and running. However, Microsoft’s generic driver library does not always include the highly specific chipset instructions created by Intel or AMD for custom Dell motherboards (such as those in OptiPlex, Inspiron, Latitude, or XPS models).

In the driver list, look for a category called or "Chipset Software." Expand this category if necessary. You will find a driver file named something like "Intel Chipset Device Software" or "AMD Chipset Driver." Click the "Download" button next to the appropriate file.

This is the official and most reliable method. Dell provides all necessary chipset drivers through their support website, tailored specifically to your computer model.

There are three primary methods to solve this, ordered from most recommended to manual methods. Method 1: Using Dell SupportAssist (Recommended)

If Windows finds a suitable driver, follow the prompts to install it.

This is the safest and most reliable way to get the correct driver. Dell maintains a database of drivers specifically for your machine's Service Tag.

Crucially, the SM Bus Controller is . Instead, it is a functional block within the motherboard’s chipset (e.g., Intel H610, B660, AMD B550, or older chipsets like Intel HM87 or AMD A68). Therefore, the "SM Bus Controller driver" is almost always part of the main Chipset Driver package provided by the manufacturer.