See this full discussion of the subject in The PC Buyer's Guide . The answer is that it is mostly hands-on experience and a lot of reading . You'd be surprised how much you can learn by reading others' experiences and sharing yours.
Most component manufacturers revise their drivers regularly.
Be careful when setting up the PC not to mix these connections up, as on some systems they will not work if reversed. Otherwise you will inadvertently change the date, as I manage to do probably three or four times a year. Setting the date forward on your PC can cause all sorts of problems with some types of software, especially after you discover the problem and set the date back again. There can of course be other causes for microphone woes. This page has been served 3118 times.