Question about Windows 7 and older motherboard drivers

[bupkus]

I have a Foxconn 6150BK8MC-KRSH with some brand new G.Skill 2x1GB DDR I just bought from the egg. I installed Windows 7 32-bit and went to Foxconn's website and downloaded 32-bit drivers for Audio, onboard Video and Chipset.
Everything in device manager except a pci modem seem to have drivers and so should I act by the motto of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" or should I install the drivers and see if it brakes?
BTW, I'll probably be selling this computer to a friend for real cheap so I want the onboard video to be at its best, not that this last fact changes the general question about legacy drivers.

Another BTW... the drivers on Foxconn's website do not indicate which OS they are to be used for. Instead, they are dated as at release (all 2005) and only indicate whether 32-bit or 64-bit.

 

[Gamingphreek]

DO NOT use Chipset and Essential system drivers in Windows 7 unless they are explicitly written for it. The same goes for using any Essential System Drivers across OS versions. Scanners and other I/O devices are generally fine between Vista and 7; however, Chipset drivers should be left alone unless the version explicitly states which OS.

To my knowledge, Nvidia does not have drivers available for that chipset for Windows 7. The video drivers are available under the current version of Forceware for Windows 7 since Forceware is a Unified Driver Architecture (Meaning all video cards use the same driver install).

-Kevin

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: bupkus
Another BTW... the drivers on Foxconn's website do not indicate which OS they are to be used for. Instead, they are dated as at release (all 2005) and only indicate whether 32-bit or 64-bit.

That's your clue that none of the drivers are designed for Windows 7, let alone Windows Vista, and should not be used.

All drivers can be obtained from Windows Update, NVIDIA, and Realtek. Windows 7 or Windows Update should have drivers for everything, except perhaps the integrated NV LAN. In the Windows Update settings, select 'optional and recommended downloads' to search for drivers. If you need LAN drivers in order to connect to Windows Update, I uploaded them here:

NV Integrated MAC/LAN

Unzip the files to any temp folder. Right-click on the unknown device, select 'update driver', then point Windows driver wizard to the location of the ethernet driver files.

I would recommend using the latest graphics and audio drivers from NVIDIA and Realtek instead of those offered by Windows Update, both of which support Windows 7:

GF 6150 Graphics

Realtek HD Audio

If there are any unknown devices needing drivers after you've done this, its either SMBus or SMU, which I've also included in the same ZIP file as the LAN driver.

FWIW, almost any drivers designed for Windows Vista that have been released in the past couple months will be fully compatible with Windows 7. The only problem is that the installer executable may not recognize Windows 7 as a supported OS and will refuse to install. This can usually be worked-around in two ways; either extract the driver files from the installer package then install manually, or run the installer executable in compatibility mode for Windows Vista SP2.

 

[Gamingphreek]

FWIW, almost any drivers designed for Windows Vista that have been released in the past couple months will be fully compatible with Windows 7. The only problem is that the installer executable may not recognize Windows 7 as a supported OS and will refuse to install. This can usually be worked-around in two ways; either extract the driver files from the installer package then install manually, or run the installer executable in compatibility mode for Windows Vista SP2.

No - for essential system devices (IDA Controllers, SMBUS Controllers, and other chipset components) the Vista drivers should not be used. The ONLY time you should use Vista drivers on Windows 7 is for non-essential I/O type devices such as scanners.

Also note there are issues with Windows 7 where 2 system/chipset components may not recognized. Its a bug that is being worked on - they shouldn't affect your system stability or performance.

-Kevin

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
No - for essential system devices (IDA Controllers, SMBUS Controllers, and other chipset components) the Vista drivers should not be used. The ONLY time you should use Vista drivers on Windows 7 is for non-essential I/O type devices such as scanners.

You're entitled to your opinion but there is no factual support for it. There are vanishingly few changes between Vista SP1 and Windows 7 that would pose a problem. In fact, Microsoft has stated that 100% compatibility with the existing base of certified Windows Vista drivers is among the specific goals for Windows 7:

Drivers that were created for Windows Vista should not require updating to run correctly in Windows 7.

We made a very successful transition from 1.5 to 1.7 with absolutely no compatibility issues and we would like to ensure that we repeat that success and keep you all happy. (My Note: "repeat that success" means compatibility between WDF 1.7 drivers designed for Windows Vista and WDF 1.9 that will ship with Windows 7)

Device compatibility a non-issue with Windows 7, unlike Vista

Windows 7 will support all Vista-certified drivers


I've spent the past six months not only informing people how to use Vista drivers on Windows 7 BETA, but in many cases extracting the drivers from installers and uploading them for those who aren't as savvy. Not once have I ever seen a single problem reported.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
No - for essential system devices (IDA Controllers, SMBUS Controllers, and other chipset components) the Vista drivers should not be used. The ONLY time you should use Vista drivers on Windows 7 is for non-essential I/O type devices such as scanners.

You're entitled to your opinion but there is no factual support for it. There are vanishingly few changes between Vista SP1 and Windows 7 that would pose a problem. In fact, Microsoft has stated that 100% compatibility with the existing base of certified Windows Vista drivers is among the specific goals for Windows 7:

Drivers that were created for Windows Vista should not require updating to run correctly in Windows 7.

We made a very successful transition from 1.5 to 1.7 with absolutely no compatibility issues and we would like to ensure that we repeat that success and keep you all happy. (My Note: "repeat that success" means compatibility between WDF 1.7 drivers designed for Windows Vista and WDF 1.9 that will ship with Windows 7)

Device compatibility a non-issue with Windows 7, unlike Vista

Windows 7 will support all Vista-certified drivers


I've spent the past six months not only informing people how to use Vista drivers on Windows 7 BETA, but in many cases extracting the drivers from installers and uploading them for those who aren't as savvy. Not once have I ever seen a single problem reported.

Well that is unfortunate - there is another thread going around here where the OP had the exact problem. Blue screen was caused by using non Windows 7 drivers for essential components.

I don't care what MS says - if it doesn't work, it doesn't work.

The reason you can't use XP Drivers on Vista is due to Kernel Space/User Space as well as modifications to the Hardware Abstraction Layer. While Vista to Windows 7 doesn't not make any additional changes known, that doesn't mean they aren't there.

Chipset drivers such as SMBus, Co-Processor, USB Controllers, I/O Controllers, SHOULD NOT use drivers from Vista on Windows 7 - regardless of what MS says. What should work, isn't always what does work.

Video drivers and Audio drivers I have found to work out well though.

-Kevin

 

[tcsenter]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Well that is unfortunate - there is another thread going around here where the OP had the exact problem. Blue screen was caused by using non Windows 7 drivers for essential components.

Ah, so the basis of your statement is a sample of one, weighted against THOUSANDS of cases where Vista drivers work flawlessly on Windows 7. Whatever.

The reason you can't use XP Drivers on Vista is due to Kernel Space/User Space as well as modifications to the Hardware Abstraction Layer. While Vista to Windows 7 doesn't not make any additional changes known, that doesn't mean they aren't there.

Uhh...you can use XP drivers on Vista. Graphics and audio will not take advantage of some advanced features due to the new graphics and audio architecture and interfaces, but things like storage controllers, core logic, chipset, and network will function just fine.

 

[Mem]

Ah, so the basis of your statement is a sample of one, weighted against THOUSANDS of cases where Vista drivers work flawlessly on Windows 7. Whatever.

There's still quite a few bits of hardware that don't work in Win7 yet,I tried Vista 32 bit drivers on my Win7 32 bit RC OS no go ( my brothers HP C6380 Printer) they installed but don't work, thread about it here and here.

Bottomline its still trial and error for some hardware driver wise so this is just a friendly caution,you can't blame Win7 because its not officially released yet,however beware there are still driver issues or lack of with some hardware with Win7 and its not all plain sailing ,so user beware as they say.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Uhh...you can use XP drivers on Vista. Graphics and audio will not take advantage of some advanced features due to the new graphics and audio architecture and interfaces, but things like storage controllers, core logic, chipset, and network will function just fine.

110% incorrect. Ever wonder why DirectX 10 can never be ported to Windows XP without a 100% rewrite? Same reason.

Ah, so the basis of your statement is a sample of one, weighted against THOUSANDS of cases where Vista drivers work flawlessly on Windows 7. Whatever.

Hmm well its still a problem even if it is 1 out of 1000. Not to mention you should never install drivers cross platform if you can avoid it - in this case there is absolutely NO reason to install Core Chipset drivers across OSs.

-Kevin