Realtek drivers free windows xp

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Hello,
In trying to solve an audio stuttering problem, which happens both when viewing videos and even when the windows startup sound file plays, I've come across many driver scan programs, so I did a scan and was told I had 7 old, even ancient, drivers with details as to what was currently on my system and what was available for download, in exchange for $30 or so American. I know I should be able to do this myself, and I'll keep reading until I get it, but I'm wondering why, when I use the built in XP method of updating drivers in Device Mgr I get the msg that I already have the latest versions despite the "scan" advising that much newer versions are available? The Emachines website offers the same date/version Realtek AC97 audio driver I've already got on my system, so are there other sources for later drivers later than my boxmaker? I linked to the Realtek site from here but it was fairly inscrutable to me & makes you assent that what they offer may be inferior to your mobo maker.

 

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(Addendum)
Hello again,
Sorry for the double post on my 1st try here, and also the abrupt end to my query - it was at the end of a long nite of reading and I actually thought it to be an experiment, since I wrote it before signing up, and wasn't sure it would appear. The two omissions I'd like to acknowledge are that my machine is an old (2004-5) desktop Emachines Celeron D upgraded to 2G ram and more importantly to thank the many who take the time to share their tech savvy with newbies and those who with their time commitment should not be but still are for whatever reason.

I guess the essence of my inquiry is to get some sort of handle on whether software scans can be outright wrong or to some degree overstated as to what is available for updated drivers, in this case, and whether to believe the accuracy of WinXP's searches which fail to find newer/better versions. Altho my status is not emergency - where I have no sound at all - the stuttering/breakup has made videos a lot less enjoyable, and I'm wondering if a just plain overworked processor is the reason for both the audio/ typing delay and erratic cursor movements I've had for months.

Thanks in advance for any help on this...