Question Is there a safe way to prevent Windows from automatically updating my GPU drivers ?

[eziowar]

Hi, my cpu i5-4670k, gpu - Asrock rx 7800xt challenger oc, mobo- gigabyte z87x-ud3h, OS- windows 10
My windows update automatically updating my amd gpu drivers, which creating issues for me. So i found these following ways to prevent that. but Doing these steps will harm my computer in any way? Is there any safe way to prevent windows from automatically updating my amd gpu drivers?


If i select that "No"

https://imgur.com/5QAylBG

View: https://i.imgur.com/5QAylBG.png


if i set that value to "0"

https://imgur.com/NZSXlXV

View: https://i.imgur.com/NZSXlXV.png


if i choice "enabled" here

https://imgur.com/YFYRoMy

View: https://i.imgur.com/YFYRoMy.png

 

[hotaru.hino]

Unplug the computer from the internet before you uninstall/clean the drivers. Plug it back in once you have the drivers you want installed.

 

[Darkbreeze]

IF, and I say IF it IS doing it automatically, which generally it DOES NOT if you have the actual AMD driver package installed rather than using Windows update for your optional drivers, then choosing to not allow Windows to automatically update manufacturer apps and drivers should not hurt anything. You will just need to be aware that you need to periodically check manually at your motherboard, graphics card and any other peripherals you have, manufacturer website for updated drivers or run the manufacturer update option if it has it's own utility. But it's not going to "hurt" anything.

And for the record, unplugging from the internet has nothing to do with whether Windows update will automatically decide to install those drivers once you are again connected to the internet, or not. Usually though, for example, if you install the AMD driver package for your graphics card, rather than JUST the very basic minimal driver, Windows will generally NOT update that driver automatically. It might show up in the optional drivers section of Windows update, but it should not do it automatically unless you only have the basic driver installed. But if it does, then choose the No option. That is the best method in that case.

 

[hotaru.hino]

And for the record, unplugging from the internet has nothing to do with whether Windows update will automatically decide to install those drivers once you are again connected to the internet, or not. Usually though, for example, if you install the AMD driver package for your graphics card, rather than JUST the very basic minimal driver, Windows will generally NOT update that driver automatically. It might show up in the optional drivers section of Windows update, but it should not do it automatically unless you only have the basic driver installed. But if it does, then choose the No option. That is the best method in that case.

I've had an incident where I was trying to clean install my drivers and left the internet plugged in. After the reboot after cleaning, I left the computer alone for like 5 minutes, and Windows automatically installed drivers onto it. And this caused problems when I eventually installed what I wanted on it.

In addition, on the site where you can download DDU officially, it states (emphasis added):

Recommended usage

• You MUST disconnect your internet or completely block Windows Update when running DDU until you have re-installed your new drivers.
• DDU should be used when having a problem uninstalling/installing a driver or when switching GPU brand.
• DDU should not be used every time you install a new driver unless you know what you are doing.
• DDU will not work on network drive. Please install in a local drive (C:, D: or else).
• The tool can be used in Normal mode but for absolute stability when using DDU, Safemode is always the best.
• If you are using DDU in normal mode, Clean, reboot, clean again, reboot.
• Make a backup or a system restore (but it should normally be pretty safe).
• It is best to exclude the DDU folder completely from any security software to avoid issues.

So if you want to be absolutely damn sure Windows doesn't automatically install some drivers before you can get the ones you want installed, unplug the computer from the internet.

 

[Darkbreeze]

Right. You are right. IF you give Windows time BEFORE you install your full driver package from the manufacturer, it CAN do that. All the more reason to first download your installer package and then after running the DDU, immediately run the installer. Do not give Windows time to try and mess things up. But I agree that IF you have this problem, it probably can't hurt to unplug your LAN cable or disable your WiFi so long as you already have the required installer downloaded. Problem is, MANY of the installers these days REQUIRE you to have an internet connection that is active or they just won't work properly. Usually graphics driver packages aren't among those. But it's getting more and more where they are all simply a download of the utility that THEN downloads the actual drivers DURING the installation, so even that might not be an option in some cases.

But I get what you are saying and don't disagree to that extent.

 

[kerberos_20]

ddu, install amd drivers in safe mode, reboot to normal mode..done
works on both amd and nvidia, win update doesnt kicks in if you have it preinstalled from safe mode (thats where you use DDU)

 

[eziowar]

IF, and I say IF it IS doing it automatically, which generally it DOES NOT if you have the actual AMD driver package installed rather than using Windows update for your optional drivers, then choosing to not allow Windows to automatically update manufacturer apps and drivers should not hurt anything. You will just need to be aware that you need to periodically check manually at your motherboard, graphics card and any other peripherals you have, manufacturer website for updated drivers or run the manufacturer update option if it has it's own utility. But it's not going to "hurt" anything.

And for the record, unplugging from the internet has nothing to do with whether Windows update will automatically decide to install those drivers once you are again connected to the internet, or not. Usually though, for example, if you install the AMD driver package for your graphics card, rather than JUST the very basic minimal driver, Windows will generally NOT update that driver automatically. It might show up in the optional drivers section of Windows update, but it should not do it automatically unless you only have the basic driver installed. But if it does, then choose the No option. That is the best method in that case.

but not allowing Windows to automatically update manufacturer drivers , wouldn't it prevent many essential updates like intel chipset etc which's only update method is automatic windows update and there's no manual update for chipset?

 

[DSzymborski]

but not allowing Windows to automatically update manufacturer drivers , wouldn't it prevent many essential updates like intel chipset etc which's only update method is automatic windows update and there's no manual update for chipset?

Which updates are you talking about? I just found Intel chipset drivers for my last two Intel builds in 30 seconds and 45 seconds respectively on their respective motherboards' download pages.

 

[eziowar]

Which updates are you talking about? I just found Intel chipset drivers for my last two Intel builds in 30 seconds and 45 seconds respectively on their respective motherboards' download pages.

are you sure those are actual chipset driver, not just INF? actual chipset driver only can be updated from windows update according to this - https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/tl1pxs/what_is_the_best_method_to_update_your_intel/

but not sure about it's credibility

 

[DSzymborski]

Oops, sorry, it's late.

 

[Darkbreeze]

.inf IS the actual chipset drivers. If you want to listen to what the idiots at Reddit have to say, then be prepared to get fed a lot of BS because the vast majority of people over there don't know a derriere from a derelict. Intel chipset drivers are ALWAYS listed as the ".inf" under chipset drivers on the motherboard manufacturers support page. And you should NEVER allow Windows update to control driver installations for anything unless it's something that the manufacturer does not offer driver support for anymore, as when newer OS versions come out that aren't supported by them but that Microsoft offers support for through Windows update. Otherwise, you should ALWAYS update the chipset, LAN, WiFi, Bluetooth, Audio and any required storage controller drivers (if, IF necessary, and usually not necessary as most storage controller drivers are covered by the chipset drivers these days unless you are going to be running a RAID array, which makes zero sense these days except in very specific, limited circumstances) by downloading the latest driver directly from your motherboard's product page.

And yes, the person who said that in that Reddit thread is a complete idiot who doesn't have the slightest clue what the hell they are talking about, and that's putting it much more mildly than how I'd like to express it.

 

[kerberos_20]

.inf IS the actual chipset drivers. If you want to listen to what the idiots at Reddit have to say, then be prepared to get fed a lot of BS because the vast majority of people over there don't know a derriere from a derelict. Intel chipset drivers are ALWAYS listed as the ".inf" under chipset drivers on the motherboard manufacturers support page. And you should NEVER allow Windows update to control driver installations for anything unless it's something that the manufacturer does not offer driver support for anymore, as when newer OS versions come out that aren't supported by them but that Microsoft offers support for through Windows update. Otherwise, you should ALWAYS update the chipset, LAN, WiFi, Bluetooth, Audio and any required storage controller drivers (if, IF necessary, and usually not necessary as most storage controller drivers are covered by the chipset drivers these days unless you are going to be running a RAID array, which makes zero sense these days except in very specific, limited circumstances) by downloading the latest driver directly from your motherboard's product page.

And yes, the person who said that in that Reddit thread is a complete idiot who doesn't have the slightest clue what the hell they are talking about, and that's putting it much more mildly than how I'd like to express it.

In the case of the current Intel Chipset Device Software, that information is primarily the product name for the piece of hardware. This allows the operating system to show the correct name for that piece of hardware in Device Manager.

source:

Chipset INF Utility

Primarily for Intel® Chipset Products, this utility version 10.1.19444.8378 installs the Windows* INF files. See detailed description to find out if you need this file.

www.intel.com

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, it isn't. And to prove it, I just went and downloaded the ".inf" package for my Z690 Aorus elite AX which results in a zip file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.zip, which, if you extract the contents, results in the extraction of a file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.exe.

If you then extract the contents of THAT file, what you get is all of the following INCLUDING the "Setupchipset.exe", InstUpd.exe and "DriverFiles" folder. Now, if you want to believe all of that is simply to supply a product name, that is your choice, but I'm telling you in no uncertain terms that you are 150% wrong. Period. And so is the offered description on the Intel website.

The ".inf" package IS, and has ALWAYS been, for as long as modern systems have needed manufacturer chipset drivers, THE way you update the chipset drivers for any given Intel chipset.

I know that the Intel website indicates that it primarily provides the product NAME, but that information is misleading because there is far more to it than that. The .inf on modern chipsets does not however offer any driver or naming information for AGP or USB onboard hardware, according to Intel. But we know already that Intel has a bad habit of providing inaccurate or misleading information on it's website and media materials and that you NEED to go to the datasheets if you want accurate information. In reality, especially now that Intel does not offer direct downloads of it's chipset drivers on it's own website, the fact is that motherboard manufacturer's ALL have their own custom chipset driver packages for the specific motherboard model and it's onboard hardware, and that chipset driver information is found in what they list as ".inf" under "chipset drivers". It has ever been this way for modern chipset hardware even back when Intel DID offer direct downloads of the latest chipset drivers on their own website. And when they did, THOSE too were specifically labeled as ".inf".

Why they call it ".inf" instead of "SetupChipset" is beyond me, because the fact is that the SetupChipset is what contains the ".inf" files, not the other way around. It does the system no good to know what the "name" of something is if it does not have the necessary drivers and supporting files to know what to do with it. But I assure you, when you want to update the chipset driver for a specific motherboard, the latest .inf file under chipset drivers is what you really are looking for. And in some cases there will be other downloads available there as well such as the Intel management engine driver, which is entirely independent of the actual chipset operation itself and is an embedded microcontroller that basically runs a backdoor OS intentionally implemented by Intel to run on a microkernel and it is an autonomous subsystem that is totally not required for standard operation of the CPU or chipset.

Also listed under there may in some cases be the Serial I/O driver, HID event filter and other things like recently the Dynamic tuning technology and GNA scoring accelerator all of which might be needed depending on your platform and application but none of which are the actual "chipset driver" that gives Windows the information it needs for full featured operation of your platform.

 

[eziowar]

No, it isn't. And to prove it, I just went and downloaded the ".inf" package for my Z690 Aorus elite AX which results in a zip file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.zip, which, if you extract the contents, results in the extraction of a file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.exe.

If you then extract the contents of THAT file, what you get is all of the following INCLUDING the "Setupchipset.exe", InstUpd.exe and "DriverFiles" folder. Now, if you want to believe all of that is simply to supply a product name, that is your choice, but I'm telling you in no uncertain terms that you are 150% wrong. Period. And so is the offered description on the Intel website.

The ".inf" package IS, and has ALWAYS been, for as long as modern systems have needed manufacturer chipset drivers, THE way you update the chipset drivers for any given Intel chipset.

I know that the Intel website indicates that it primarily provides the product NAME, but that information is misleading because there is far more to it than that. The .inf on modern chipsets does not however offer any driver or naming information for AGP or USB onboard hardware, according to Intel. But we know already that Intel has a bad habit of providing inaccurate or misleading information on it's website and media materials and that you NEED to go to the datasheets if you want accurate information. In reality, especially now that Intel does not offer direct downloads of it's chipset drivers on it's own website, the fact is that motherboard manufacturer's ALL have their own custom chipset driver packages for the specific motherboard model and it's onboard hardware, and that chipset driver information is found in what they list as ".inf" under "chipset drivers". It has ever been this way for modern chipset hardware even back when Intel DID offer direct downloads of the latest chipset drivers on their own website. And when they did, THOSE too were specifically labeled as ".inf".

Why they call it ".inf" instead of "SetupChipset" is beyond me, because the fact is that the SetupChipset is what contains the ".inf" files, not the other way around. It does the system no good to know what the "name" of something is if it does not have the necessary drivers and supporting files to know what to do with it. But I assure you, when you want to update the chipset driver for a specific motherboard, the latest .inf file under chipset drivers is what you really are looking for. And in some cases there will be other downloads available there as well such as the Intel management engine driver, which is entirely independent of the actual chipset operation itself and is an embedded microcontroller that basically runs a backdoor OS intentionally implemented by Intel to run on a microkernel and it is an autonomous subsystem that is totally not required for standard operation of the CPU or chipset.

Also listed under there may in some cases be the Serial I/O driver, HID event filter and other things like recently the Dynamic tuning technology and GNA scoring accelerator all of which might be needed depending on your platform and application but none of which are the actual "chipset driver" that gives Windows the information it needs for full featured operation of your platform.

Ty. But as my mobo is 10 years old gigabyte z87x-ud3h, gigabyte has stopped providing chipset driver update long time. In this case isn't windows update only option to update my chipset? Or 8 year old chipset driver from my mobo website which was last updated 8 year ago is better than windows latest updated chipset driver ?

 

[kerberos_20]

No, it isn't. And to prove it, I just went and downloaded the ".inf" package for my Z690 Aorus elite AX which results in a zip file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.zip, which, if you extract the contents, results in the extraction of a file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.exe.

that is something that manufacturer added into package..if theres any actual driver in it..im not sure, havent checked...but lets look at intel inf drivers from intel website
single executable file, once extracted, there is bunch of language files, xml parser, some certificates...hmmm not a single driver

 

[kerberos_20]

No, it isn't. And to prove it, I just went and downloaded the ".inf" package for my Z690 Aorus elite AX which results in a zip file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.zip, which, if you extract the contents, results in the extraction of a file named mb_driver_647_infupdate_10.1.19198.8339.exe.

there actualy is hidden realtek audio driver in it inside instupd.exe with webinstall
setupchipset.exe is what intel website offers - no driver
so apart from hidden realtek driver inside intel inf drivers from gigabyte..there isnt single intel driver in that package

btw .inf isnt driver by itself, that just catalog of devices with how they will be named in device manager and which drivers they will will be using,
intel infs doesnt offer anything outside of replacing device names
just name change and driver returned to (windows\inf\machine.inf) which is what you have even before installing intel infs

 

[DSzymborski]

Ty. But as my mobo is 10 years old gigabyte z87x-ud3h, gigabyte has stopped providing chipset driver update long time. In this case isn't windows update only option to update my chipset? Or 8 year old chipset driver from my mobo website which was last updated 8 year ago is better than windows latest updated chipset driver ?

I have serious doubts that Intel's offered much of anything relevant to a Haswell chipset in a long time, outside of things offered in BIOS updates, which have nothing to do with Windows.

 

[Darkbreeze]

there actualy is hidden realtek audio driver in it inside instupd.exe with webinstall
setupchipset.exe is what intel website offers - no driver
so apart from hidden realtek driver inside intel inf drivers from gigabyte..there isnt single intel driver in that package

btw .inf isnt driver by itself, that just catalog of devices with how they will be named in device manager and which drivers they will will be using,
intel infs doesnt offer anything outside of replacing device names
just name change and driver returned to (windows\inf\machine.inf) which is what you have even before installing intel infs

Intel doesn't even offer chipset drivers anymore. Not for newer platforms. They SPECIFICALLY tell you to get them from the motherboard manufacturer. Not going to argue this anymore because I know the facts related to this topic very well. In fact, it's been a WHILE since you could just go download chipset drivers for any of the Intel chipsets for the last few years. Many years in fact.

But for the older systems, they did, but like DSzymborski has already said, there is nothing new for those older chipsets in many years so without Intel offering something new for those older chipsets, there is basically zero chance microsoft would have anything new to offer for them either. What you get from Windows update is going to be exactly the same as what you'd get if you went to the board manufacturer or Intel websites and downloaded the last offered release, say 2014 for example or whenever it was for a given chipset. Microsoft does not develop new chipset drivers for end of life Intel chipsets. Period.