• Wildmimic@anarchist.nexus
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    17 hours ago

    No, Microsoft has a bad method of deciding which driver is appropiate for your device:

    Right now, OEMs publish their drivers to the Windows Update Catalog, and they’re approved by Microsoft.

    These drivers use 4-part Hardware IDs, but the catch is that the targeting is too broad, which means Windows creates a “highest-ranked driver” on Windows Update for a device class, and it applies to all devices, even those that do not need the driver immediately.

    For example: You own a PC with Intel GPU drivers, which you manually downloaded from Intel’s website. It’s the latest version and is maintained via Intel’s Driver Assistant software.

    When Windows Update finds an OEM-approved driver for the Intel GPU, it pushes it through Windows Update. That driver can either be marked as optional or mandatory. If it’s optional, you’re golden, as it won’t get installed. In the latter case, Windows Update will automatically begin downloading the driver.

    Windows Update looks at the 4-part HWID, or Hardware ID, as part of the ranking system, and it treats the driver as the best-ranked driver, even if it’s older than the one already installed on your PC.