The system and methods described herein relate to upgrading firmware and other device specific software such as device drivers on computing devices. An applet or upgrade module on a computing device is configured to periodically search predesignated locations for firmware or driver upgrades, compare available upgrades with the current version on the computing device and send email notifications when an available upgrade is suitable for installation onto the device. The email notifications are configured by the applet with an option that permits an email recipient to have the upgrade automatically installed onto the computing device.