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General discussion

Windows Update won't upgrade drivers

by Bugsy270 Jul 11, 2006 3:04PM PDT

I did a scan at driveragent.com and it recommended upgrading a number of drivers. I went to device manager and tried to upgrade drivers by allowing Windows to search for new drivers at Windows Update. In each case, it reported a better driver was not available. Should I go about this a different way, or just forget about it? I run Win XP Pro 5.1 on an EMachines T6522 with AMD 64 3500+ MMX 3dNow with onboard MSI Radeon Express 200 video and Realtek AC97 sound. I have no current problems, but have read where one should periodically upgrade drivers.

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5 Posts
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Update drivers. . .
by Coryphaeus Jul 11, 2006 9:58PM PDT

via the vendor site only. XP doesn't always know what a newer driver looks like. XP will save the older driver (usually) so you can roll back if necessary.

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And it never has.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jul 11, 2006 10:05PM PDT

Microsoft did not make your PC. Also, the number of times an updated driver from Microsoft broke something is legendary.

There's a lesson here.

-> Get your drivers from the maker of your hardware.

Bob

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Confusing going to hardware maker
by Bugsy270 Jul 13, 2006 3:15AM PDT

Are driver upgrades vital if the system is working properly? I go to the hardware makers and end up confused. A search at ATI site doesn't even reveal any radeon express 200 or unified av stream drivers. I found a driver package for Realtek built-in AC97 sound, but am unsure whether it is actually an upgrade. I have ver 5.10.0000.5760. The file I downloaded is WDM_A390. Meanwhile, the EMachines tech says any driver upgrades are automatically installed. How? Via Windows Upgrade? (He recommended changing nothing, btw, since I have no current issues). Sorry for being such a confused ol' ******.

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You've hit on "one of the problem areas" of PC ownership.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Jul 13, 2006 3:25AM PDT

Many are best to take the approach of "If it works, don't fix it" when it comes to drivers.

If you've been following Microsoft for a few decades, they still expect PC owners to learn quite a bit about our PCs. Make, model, where to get the drivers and more.

HP, Dell and other names can be easier to deal with than a built PC since you only have one place to check in. My HP laptop for instance has a tool that HP supplied that keeps its drivers, bios and more up to date. Not every machine has this but it is the rigth thing to do for those that don't want to know how to or what is in their machine.

At least the Macintosh doesn't have this issue.

Bob

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I think I'll stay put
by Bugsy270 Jul 13, 2006 7:15AM PDT

"If it ain't broke..." has always been a mantra of mine, especially involving computers. Spend too much time on the damn thing as it is without "making" work. So until I develop problems, I'm leaving everything alone. Too bad there isn't a simpler way. Your HP setup, Bob, sounds promising - too bad Gateway-EMachines don't follow suit. Thanks for all your help.

George

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