When updating your drivers in XP, do you use windows update or do it manually?

[wjsulliv]

I am interested to know what people are choosing to do out there? But I also have some questions...

I know my motherboard has more recent drivers than XP has installed for it automatically. In older versions of windows in order to upgrade the motherboard drivers, I had to first run the uninstall program from the same install disk coresponding to my current drivers (i.e. To install version 4.1, you used disk 1, and to uninstall version 4.1 you had to use disk 1 also, using disk 2, which has version 4.2 on it, doesn't work properly to uninstall version 4.1), then I could install new ones.

1) How would I go about uninstalling/upgrading the drivers? Should I just download the drivers from my motherboard company and install them? What about the old drivers windows selected automatically? Should I use the device manager to run the update?

2) Generally, how often do you update your drivers, for any device in XP? When windows update says there are new drivers? Or when ever you know that there are new drivers from the manufacturer (and then you update them manually)?

 

[iCore]

To answer your question... Both, I use windows update for Windows XP stuff and download drivers from the manufacture for my hardware (i.e. video, sound). I turned of Automatic Update since *I* want to choose when *I* want to update my Windows.

If your sure that the latest and greatest drivers you want to install in XP will work well with XP then...

Download your updated driver(s) from the manufacture. Then in the device manager go through the process of "updating" your drivers. When it comes to the point were windows goes to look for an updated driver "just say NO" and select the location of your drivers that you downloaded.

 

[RalfHutter]

I think almost everyone will tell you not to use Windows Update for drivers. You're way better off getting your drivers from the manufacturer. Drivers from Win Update seem to cause lots of problems.

I have personally never used a Win Update driver. I always use drivers from the manufacturer. I just use Update for "Critical Updates".