Windows Update offers drivers I already have

Why does Windows Update insist on serving up drivers I already have? Just
installed the latest 186.18 drivers for the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280, but
Windows Update reckons there's an update available, published "yesterday".
Does it not do a version check? I'm assuming NVIDIA wouldn't publish a later
version on WU than through their own website of course. But the same thing
seems to be happening with the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi...

This is with Vista Business x64 SP1.

--
Andy

Andrew McDonald wrote:
> Why does Windows Update insist on serving up drivers I already
> have? Just installed the latest 186.18 drivers for the NVIDIA
> GeForce GTX 280, but Windows Update reckons there's an update
> available, published "yesterday". Does it not do a version check?
> I'm assuming NVIDIA wouldn't publish a later version on WU than
> through their own website of course. But the same thing seems to be
> happening with the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi...
> This is with Vista Business x64 SP1.

Simply put:

Microsoft did not create your hardware, depending on them to provide you
with the drivers for said hardware is (IMO) unwise. lways get the drivers
on your own - direct from the hardware device manufacturer's web
page/support and drivers downloads.

And yes - versions *older* than what you have will be pushed through Windows
Update - since the process to get them approved for listing is often much
longer than the time it takes to figure out fixes needed/wanted in the
current driver.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

"Shenan Stanley" <newshelper@gmail.com> wrote...
> Andrew McDonald wrote:
>> Why does Windows Update insist on serving up drivers I already
>> have? Just installed the latest 186.18 drivers for the NVIDIA
>> GeForce GTX 280, but Windows Update reckons there's an update
>> available, published "yesterday". Does it not do a version check?
>> I'm assuming NVIDIA wouldn't publish a later version on WU than
>> through their own website of course. But the same thing seems to be
>> happening with the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi...
>> This is with Vista Business x64 SP1.
>
>
> Simply put:
>
> Microsoft did not create your hardware, depending on them to provide you
> with the drivers for said hardware is (IMO) unwise. lways get the drivers
> on your own - direct from the hardware device manufacturer's web
> page/support and drivers downloads.
>
> And yes - versions *older* than what you have will be pushed through
> Windows Update - since the process to get them approved for listing is
> often much longer than the time it takes to figure out fixes needed/wanted
> in the current driver.


Thanks Shenan. I do usually get drivers from the manufacturers' websites,
it's just disconcerting that WU performs no version check when proferring
new ones. The NVIDIA ones in my example are WHQL certified; I at least
understand if WU offered downgrades in the case where your current drivers
weren't, even though they might expose a higher version number.

Since I'm running the Windows 7 Beta on another machine, I'll see if the
same behaviour occurs and file feedback if it does.

--
Andy