Having problems updating Intel chipset drivers on P45 Mobo

[karolisk]

Hi,

I have just acquired a 2009-ish era custom PC, with a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R P45 motherboard running a Q6600 processor. The operating system in Win7 64-bit, Home Premium edition. As it is a fresh install of Win7, I thought I should update the motherboard drivers (chipset, lan and audio). This is new procedure for me, and is slowly driving me insane. I would sure appreciate some help and advice.

I have been to the Gigabyte website and downloaded the chipset, audio and lan drivers specific to my motherboard.

So far, I haven’t got beyond the chipset driver update. The file from GA is “mb_driver_chipset_intel.exe”, which when run simply extracts to a folder “INFUpdate”. There is a “readme” in there, which tells me to go to the Device Manager, select to view “Devices by connection”, then click on MPS Uniprocessor PC or MPS Multiprocessor PC. In my device manager, no such entry is visible.

I the tried to run the “Setup.exe” file in the INFUpdate folder. This runs (after a UAC prompt) and tells me that “Intel Chipset Device Software” was installed. No idea what that is, or what it does. It certainly doesn’t appear to have updated the drivers, as far as I can see by looking in the Device Manager, where all the drivers appear to be generic Microsoft ones, I assume from the Win7 install. I can’t find anyway to access this software.

A previous post (http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2305711) suggest running Setup.exe from the command prompt, but implies that this will get to the “Intel Chipset Device Software” was installed point I was at above. A later post suggests I need to install “Intel Chipset Device Software (INF Update Utility)”. I found and downloaded this, but it looks very similar to the GA packet above – and since I don’t know what it does, I’m worried about executing it.

I’ve been googling for hours, and found nothing very helpful - why do Intel have to make it so hard? Could some kind soul please give me some pointers?

 

[ShintaiDK]

Intel doesnt make it hard. You simply downloaded something odd from Gigabyte. And then you got affraid of installing the Intel update.

Just run this: (Get the exe file)
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?agr=Y&DwnldID=20775&ProdId=816&lang=eng&OSVersion=Windows%207%20(64-bit)*&DownloadType=Drivers

Or the one you already got.

 

[karolisk]

Hi ShintaiDK,
Thanks for responding. Your link points to "Intel Chipset Device Software (INF update Utility)". Please could you explain what that is, and what it does? I can't find any guidance on google. For example, does this install as a GUI-driven program that guides you thro' downloading and installing drivers, or does it of itself, on installing, update the chipset drivers? Thanks for your help

 

[Morbus]

After installing a new operating system, you need to install your hardware drivers. They run ON TOP of the operating system.

So when your operating system is installed, your hardware (printers, mouse, graphics card, sound car, sound card, network card, USB, all that - included plenty of stuff that's onboard, like the sound card may be) will run on generic non-optimized drivers that come with windows, or they simply won't run at all.

The very first thing you do after installing Windows (or any operating system for that matter) is install the drivers for your hardware. This includes (but is not limited to):

- motherboard chipset
- LAN controller
- USB controller
- soundcard or integrated sound controller
- graphics card
- pretty much all peripherals (printers, tablet pens, mouse, keyboard, etc.)

You should refer to the website of the relevant part's manufacturer for the latest drivers. If you can't find them there, then you're in for driver fishing, which is awful, but it's usually safe business if you don't download stuff off clearly scammy sites. Don't be afraid to install stuff, the worst you could do is have to uninstall the drivers and getting your registry a bit dirty (you can optimize it at any time using proper software).

After the drivers are installed, you can start installing the rest of the software. Office, games, browsers, the lot.

 

[karolisk]

Hi Morbus,
Thanks for helping - the overview is very useful. I'm sure I have the right drivers, the Gigabyte site makes it fairly easy to ID the Mobo and chipset, and hence the most recent drivers. So thats good. I'm fairly sure that they haven't actually installed - in Device Manager, all of the Intel devices still have generic Microsoft drivers associated with them (right click, Properties, Drivers tab). Thats my central problem - why doesn't the GA chipset driver bundle, when executed, actually install the new drivers.

 

[karolisk]

Figured it out (at least I think I have). I’ll post what I found here in case it helps others in the same situation.
Briefly, chipset "drivers" are not drivers at all. What you are downloading is the "Chipset Device Software". It does not contain any drivers at all, it is it's just a collection of INF files that tell Windows the correct descriptive names of the devices to show in Device Manager: That's all it does. Windows 7 does this automatically, so the only reason you would need this software is if you had messed up your computer somehow and the devices were not showing. You do not need this software on a fresh OS install (Unless your hardware post-dates the last OS SP package).
See http://www.sevenforums.com/drivers/23909-latest-intel-chipset-device-software-11.html (scroll down to Codify’s post, #104)
Intels own description is at http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/inf/sb/CS-030865.htm
There is a very informative thread at http://www.overclock.net/t/1365345/intel-chipset-inf-utility-installation.
So my issues amounted to my not actually understanding what “chipset drivers” are – which is not actually drivers at all. Thanks to the guys that responded and helped out.