windows drivers

[BriGy86]

i have 2 hardware updates i can get

one for the monitor, and another for hte gigabit ethernet

should i download them?

i've heard windows drivers are a lil weird

 

[halfadder]

Gigabyte ethernet? 8000mbit? Yeah, yeah, I know you meant gigabit!

Anyway... I like Windows's drivers for older hardware, it's often easier than tracking down the manufacturer's drivers and hoping they work with XP. But for the new hardware, I almost always use the official drivers and avoid those that Windows tries to give me.

 

[BriGy86]

fixed

and thanks for the response

 

[MrChad]

The ones on Windows update come from the manufacturers, but you can probably download more recent ones directly from the manufacturer's own site.

 

[BriGy86]

and how important would you say getting the newest ones is?

i built this computer a couple weeks ago and just installed the ones on the CD

 

[ronach]

There is a chance your equipment manufacturer has produced a newer version than what you have on the CD that came with it. A quick trip to their website will set your mind at ease on this subject. As a matter of course, most techies keep themselves abreast of these driver upgrades released by their equip builders by visiting their website occassionally. With that said, one does not have to install each and every driver upgrade released, that is still a matter of choice.

 

[kylef]

Generally speaking, Windows Update drivers are posted when either Microsoft or a hardware vendor finds a flaw in a previous driver that is very widespread. For instance, if a flaw is found in a driver that originally shipped "in-box" with the OS, it is a likely candidate to be fixed with a Windows Update patch.

Microsoft uses OCA (Online Crash Analysis) to determine which flaws are affecting the most people. Any hardware or app vendor who has signed up (https://winqual.microsoft.com/Default.asp) can participate by reviewing and obtaining the crash data that Microsoft collects whenever users click on "Send this information to Microsoft..." Generally speaking, if the crash is common enough, Microsoft will proactively work with the hardware vendor and, if request, make a fix available on Windows Update.

What I am not too familiar with, however, is how the Windows Update program determines whether you are running suitably updated drivers. I too have seen it offer me drivers that are actually older than the ones I was running at the time.

Generally speaking, if you are savvy enough to check for driver updates directly from your device manufacturer, then you can safely ignore the driver updates at Windows Update. But for the other 90% of the population, Windows Update remains a convenient mechanism for pushing fixes for some of these nasty crashes to computers that would otherwise continue in their original state forever.

 

[cubby1223]

The sound drivers shown on Windows Update are often wrong, though, and should not be trusted. Often when the motherboard chipset has built in audio that's disabled & using a different chip (like the realtek's) WU will show the wrong one, and installing the update will result in no drivers loaded at all.

Other than that, it's pretty reliable, though I'd still rather get them from the manufacturer instead (like WU notifies you there is a driver update to go get from the manufacturer).

 

[RelaxTheMind]

the windows update versions are the fully tested microsoft certified versions. they tend to be the most stable versions but usually lack in extra features that manufacturer or custom drivers can do.

 

[okb]

Originally posted by: RelaxTheMind
the windows update versions are the fully tested microsoft certified versions. they tend to be the most stable versions but usually lack in extra features that manufacturer or custom drivers can do.

I find I like that better; the feature-lite drivers that is. Personally, I have no use for the large bundles that come with the drivers. When I install my printer I set up my prefered printing options and leave it be, same with my graphics card (but I have an old PC so gaming isn't really in my life atm ), and so on.

But I digress. When a new stable driver comes out for one of my devices I almost always install it, especially if they've improved performance or fixed something that could cause a problem. IMO installing the new drivers is generally never a bad idea, is it necessary? Well that depends on WHY it was released. Every few weeks I skim the vendor sites to see if anything new's up, and yes I do use the Windows dirvers. I've yet to have a complaint.