Windows 10: Microsoft explained why Windows might be installing old drivers

Most home Windows machines may download drivers automatically via Windows Update by default. In the best case scenario, users do not need to install any driver manually to ensure their devices are working properly and offer the best performance. This was not always the case, and you had to install drivers from floppy disks or CDs, or download them from the Internet to get certain peripherals or hardware working properly.

Quite a few programs exist to manage Windows drivers. These usually let you export lists of drivers and check driver information, something that Windows offers as well, but not as straightforward.

When you monitor the installation of drivers, you may notice Windows installing drivers that look to be very old. It is puzzling, so much, that Microsoft decided to publish a new FAQ on its support website to reveal why this might be happening, and why it is usually nothing to worry about.

Here is Microsoft's answer to "Why did Windows install an old driver?": "Driver dates might look old, but that is not true. The driver date is descriptive info set by the driver provider and can be any date they choose. When determining which driver to install, Windows Update uses targeting information set by the provider inside the driver files to determine the best driver. This lets the device provider promote the best driver, regardless of the chosen date. "

In short, Windows pulls the driver date from the data that the driver creator provides. It can be any date, which could make recent drivers look old. Windows, on the other hand, does not use the date information provided to determine the driver that is best suited for a particular Windows machine. It uses other information and Windows Update might conclude that the seemingly old driver might be best suited for a specific Windows PC.

Now, that does not mean that you can't install another driver manually on the system, provided that you still find a download on the manufacturer's site or have a driver locally already.

Microsoft announced plans to simplify driver titles. Windows Update displays the publisher's name and driver version number now, as provided by the manufacturer. However, there is one exception to the rule. Older drivers, which displayed publisher name - device class- version number, continue to display the driver name as such.

Microsoft did announce to clean up the drivers that it offers via Windows Update earlier this year.

In closing, Microsoft says that old driver dates are nothing to worry about, if the drivers get installed via Windows Update, as the automatic updating system decided that a particular driver was the best fit for that particular Windows system. Still pays to verify that this is indeed the case though.

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Windows 7 wont install drivers

i dont think anyone here understands what your asking either when its nearly a 90% english dominated Tech forum.
Step 1
reinstall windows from scratch
Step 2
install all drivers from the cd that came with the god damn motherboard *common sense*
Step 3
update windows
Step 4
install misc etc crap like flash java etc etc
Step 5
Install GPU drivers
Step 6
go back to using your pc without issue.

 

Windows 7 wont install drivers

+1

If you having an issue installing a driver that worked before you formatted or wont install on a fresh build, sometimes this means hardware damage

 

windows xp installation and dual core am

could someone please list the steps they follow to install windows with a dual core processor and windows xp service pack to. I'm reletively new to amd dual core and i feel i'm missing a step. All help will be appreciated. thanx