Windows 10: Latest Realtek HD Audio Driver Version

Thanks Sean, I managed to get it updated.

 

IMHO If manually trying to update the driver, it's simpler to

• Select the first option Browse for driver software on your computer
• Browse to the folder containing the driver files just extraced
• Include sub-folders should already be checked (by default)
• Click Next

Windows will search all the INF files for you and select the best match. No need to guess

 

This should work if the INF file contains hardware IDs that match your hardware. By going to the manual selection you can force-install even partial compatible drivers (not exact ID match).

 

IMHO That's incorrect. It might appear that way but, behind the scene, it's the device vendor that determines acceptable matching IDs for a driver. I'll explain.

Every device has one or more hardware IDs. It also has Compatible IDs. These IDs are burned into the firmware by the vendor when the device was built. By definition, the first h/w ID in the list is its "Device ID". Many spec analysis programs may only show the Device ID as the h/w id. They may not display the full list ids.

When Windows searches for suitable INF matches it uses the full list of both Hardware IDs and Compatible IDs for the device. If any of the IDs defined within an INF match any h/w or compatible ID, the INF becomes (what i'll call) a driver candidate. When done searching INFs if Windows found more then one candidate, it evaluates and ranks each candidate. It uses driver "rank" to select the one it thinks the best match.

So, partial matching isn't a function of how you update the driver but rather

• The list of IDs burned into a device by the vendor plus
• The IDs defined in an INF (as determined by the driver developer to indicate what IDs the driver supports)

As an example, find below the h/w and compatible ids I found for the Realtek chip on a PC. (Use Device Manager to see them. Right click->Properties tab. Select Hardware ids then Compatible ids from the pull down menu). Windows would accept an INF that matches any of these. So, bottom line, it's the vendor that defines the IDs and partial matches that are acceptable

/* EDIT */
Note: For Windows to ultimately accept an INF also requires compatible architectures and OS. I refer to INF acceptance or matching by ID only just for easier reading

Hardware ids

Compatible ids

 

And that explains why the first device on the list when manually updating the driver almost always works as it is the most compatible. Frequently a chipset can have many "cousins" such as GeForce 9600 GS, 9600 GT and some other alternatives with minor differences (same core, less or more processing units etc). This means that even if you have a 9600 GS, you can force install the 9600 GT driver which should work without the extra features enabled with the true 9600 GT hardware. I have used this trick to install desktop NVidia or AMD drivers to a notebook when the respective mobile drivers where not available. I just installed drivers for the closed desktop chipset, the display worked properly without any noticeable difference from the mobile version.

 

So why doesn't 8040 install? Did microsoft goof and put a incompatible driver for those who have the ALC 8888S chipsets?

 

Well I've stuck with 6.0.1.8036... I've tried every possible method, but nothing works.
When either Realtek come out with another update on their website, or Microsoft provide an update that works, then I'll update.

One thing I have observed is that previous update .cab that worked had many more components (when you extract them to a folder), while the latest updates have much less... and I'm thinking this might be the main problem for many of us not being able to update to the latest version(s).

 

• Understand, one can't "force" Windows to install any driver that doesn't match Windows search/match criteria as outlined in previous post. At best, you're constraining the set of "not yet installed" INFs Windows should consider when picking a driver.
• If we talk about the case of this thread, installing from a cab, the problem with your instruction in post #1986 , is that when you Select device->Have Disk you're "forcing" Windows to consider just a single, specific INF you arbitrarily selected in the cab. INFs are listed alphabetically. (see below) You'd need work your way through the list. See #4, as even then, you may not have selected the best one.
• You want Windows to do the work. Let Windows inspect all INFs in the cab for you. Let Windows select the best one. (i.e. you want to be able to select the folder containing the cab files, not a single INF in the cab)
• If a cab should contain more then the one INF that Windows would select as "driver candidates" for your h/w, when you select Have Disk you're telling Windows which one of them to use. How do you know you picked the best one? The INFs happen to be in alpha order. You want Windows to the evaluate/selection job for you

The important point, is when installing the cab, you want Windows to search and evaluate all INFs in the cab. That won't happen if you use Have Disk and point it to a specific INF

In any case, you should use whatever you think best. But for the reader installing a cab, IMHO you want to select the folder, not the INF file. Let Windows choose the INF for you

 

When you click the "Have Disk" button and browse to a folder, you supposedly select a specific INF file. If multiple INF files are present in that folder or any subfolder, Windows will ignore your selection and search through all of them for a compatible driver. So you are not restricted to the drivers of a specific INF file. Also you may see a "Show Compatible hardware" box. In case that there is not a compatible driver (such as when trying to install a dektop graphics driver to a notebook), you can simply uncheck that box and see all possible drivers. Then, provided you know what you are doing, you can select the best possible match and see if it works. If it doesn't you will see the well known "Device cannot start (10)" error. In this case you try another driver. If the list has reasonable size (10-15 devices) you can even try them one-by-one risking a BSOD if the chosen driver messes up the system. I have done all of these that I suggest, and I know that they work most of the cases. Otherwise I wouldn't mention them. Don't worry, I'm a Computer Technician and I do know one thing or two about force-installing a device driver.

 

OK. All well and good for you, but again for the general reader, IMHO select the folder. Let Windows do work

 

Yes, done automatically is easier and best, but my reply was for one or two posters that said they could not install the new driver (Windows gave a message that the best driver was already installed). For those fellows, I explained how to force the newer version. All others do it automatically, don't bother.

 

I don;t want to continue a back-an-forth, so i'll end with pointing out: if a user already tried installing the cab (i.e. Windows already considered all INF in the cab) and it said "No newer version" pointing Windows back to any INF in the cab won't cause it come to any other conclusion. Those INFs were already considered and evaluated first time around

In any case, i respect your judgement and opinion. We just seem to have a difference here *Smile

 

The manual installation allows you to re-install the same driver (if previous installation is broken) or force a version that Windows think is not good for your hardware. The fellows with the annoying message that best driver is already installed fit in the second case. Windows don't find a perfect (100% ID) match in the INF files, so they reject the available drivers. Manual installation is the only way to force one driver. The first one in the list is usually the most compatible.

 

You don't have to force particular .inf file, it's enough to point to folder containing all .inf files. If you try forcing particular .inf that doesn't have what's needed it will just refuse to install or say that driver is already up to date.

 

The point is you can't chose a specific INF file. Windows looks for all INF files present on that folder and subfolders and presents all available drivers (that match the type of device, in that case audio device).