How do I safely update a Graphics Card?

[Pflueger]

A program said I had six drivers that had updates available. The two updates
I was most interested in were the Realtek Sound Card driver and the S3 Pro
Savage Graphics card driver. I DLed and installed the new Realtek sound card
driver (17+MBs), tried to Restart and my PC went nuts! Luckily I got it
booted with Last known Good Config, then restored it and it is OK now.

I have known the S3 Pro Savage Graphics Card has an update available for
awhile but wanted to research it first. Now I have it DLed but not
installed. After what happened with the Realtek Sound Card I have worries,
because if this one makes my PC crazy it may be in a way that makes the
screen unusable (a valid concern?).

What is the best way to go about updating a Graphics Card? If something goes
wrong, how would I fix it or restore XP?

Also, since the updated Realtek driver is recommended, what would you
suggest I do, besides leaving it alone?

Thanks, Pflu

P.S.
The magazine PC Advisor (UK) is giving away free Driver Genius Pro (the
full featured, not the limited) downloads to no-cost registered (not
subscribers) online folks. I don't know if that includes new registers, but
it's worth a try if you're interested. They say they have 20,000 drivers in
their database.

 

[Malke]

A program said I had six drivers that had updates available. The two
updates I was most interested in were the Realtek Sound Card driver
and the S3 Pro Savage Graphics card driver. I DLed and installed the
new Realtek sound card driver (17+MBs), tried to Restart and my PC
went nuts! Luckily I got it booted with Last known Good Config, then
restored it and it is OK now.

I have known the S3 Pro Savage Graphics Card has an update available
for awhile but wanted to research it first. Now I have it DLed but not
installed. After what happened with the Realtek Sound Card I have
worries, because if this one makes my PC crazy it may be in a way that
makes the screen unusable (a valid concern?).

What is the best way to go about updating a Graphics Card? If
something goes wrong, how would I fix it or restore XP?

Also, since the updated Realtek driver is recommended, what would you
suggest I do, besides leaving it alone?

Actually, I *do* suggest leaving your drivers alone. With drivers, as
with most computer-related things, "if it ain't broke don't fix it".
The only reasons to update your drivers are 1) to fix a known issue; 2)
to take advantage of new hardware's capabilities. The latter is most
usual in higher-end graphics cards and done by hardcore gamers to
squeeze every bit of performance out of the card. You have a low-end
graphics card so you can't be a gamer. Therefore you should leave well
enough alone.

I would never use a program to tell you to update drivers.

To answer your question though, follow installation instructions on the
driver download site. Usually you would uninstall the old driver and
then install the new one, but the procedure varies with the hardware
mftr. You can always create a System Restore point before you mess
around.

But be wise - don't mess around with your drivers unless you need the
newer ones for a specific purpose.

Malke

 

[Chris]

I disagree with Malke. It is good to update your drivers because they
may enhance performance or fix problems that you are not noticing. When
you download it, download it from the company. Make sure that it will
upgrade your driver from the right version and that it is for the right
product. To restore XP, follow http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449/.

 

[JS]

It best to get (download) your driver updates from the manufacture's site
and not Windows Update if you were using it to get driver updates.

JS

 

[myPC]

I disagree with Malke. It is good to update your drivers because they
may enhance performance or fix problems that you are not noticing. When
you download it, download it from the company. Make sure that it will
upgrade your driver from the right version and that it is for the right
product. To restore XP, follow http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304449/.

"Fix problems that you are not noticing"? Wow, never heard that pile of
shit before. Any good tech will tell you to leave the drivers alone unless
there is a problem!

 

[MAP]

"Fix problems that you are not noticing"? Wow, never heard that pile
of shit before. Any good tech will tell you to leave the drivers
alone unless there is a problem!

LOL
I agree!

 

[Bob I]

Or create problems you didn't have.

 

[R. McCarty]

Two schools of thought there. The first, get it working and avoid
all updates/patches. The 2nd, moves everything forward - and as
you say introduces new issues. However, a PC ( & OS/Apps) is
an evolving thing. Having a Personal Computer is like a Jigsaw
puzzle that everyday has new pieces in the box to add. You can
not just pick & choose updates/patches - things are dependant
on other things, so you have to keep drivers, OS updates and the
apps up to date. If you image the PC, then any of those items that
misfire can be backed out with little effort. Usually, when updates
introduce new issues it's from lack of testing. Actually, it's pretty
amazing how well things work together on the PC when you take
into account the # of 3rd-Party apps + hardware used.

 

[Martin C]

I totally agree with JS. Reading the Windows Update newsgroup has seen
countless numbers of problems when MS Updates for drivers have been
installed rather than getting the updates from the manufacturers websites
directly. I have been burned once with such a driver update from MS and have
vowed never to get one again. Notice: This is for DRIVER updates only.

One of the MVPs (cannot remember which) once stated that the driver updates
are actually given to MS by the hardware manufacturers themselves, but they
are subtely modified for MS authentication or approval (or something like
that!). Whatever they do must have some affect on it. This is purely a guess
though - so don't have a go at me!

In summary, check the MS blurb for why the driver update is required first.
If you feel that you REALLY do need it, then go to the manufacturer's web
site and download and install from there. Make sure that you download the
correct driver for the OS that you are using.

Martin

 

[Pflueger]

The thing is, I had a suggestion on this board to look into updating my
Graphics Card from a problem I was having with desktop/taskbar.

I looked at the S3 Pro Savage manufacturers website and it said there was an
update available. Then in checking my system with a Drivers Management
Program called Driver Genius Pro, it was also indicated that my driver
needed (?) updating. I never checked with MS at all.

So I was going to install the one from the manufacturer (although I believe
the Driver Genius download is the same one). The problem is there are no
instructions there.

Having had a bad experience updating a Sound Card recently, I wanted to
check and find out what would be the best process to use in updating, out of
concern that if I messed it up or it wasn't kosher vis a vis my system, the
Graphics Card might be especially problematic if it caused the screen to go
blank -- as in how could I restore if nothing appeared on the screen?

I think I got an answer from the MS link Chris provided, about restoring in
Safemode with Command Prompt. I am still a little unclear, but according to
the support article, Safemode boots with Vga.sys, which I am guessing
bypasses the Graphics Card for the operation of a visible Command Prompt. If
this is the case I feel a little more confident about the updating. Could
someone tell me if this reasoning is correct?

Thanks, Pflu

 

[kurttrail]

A program said I had six drivers that had updates available. The two
updates I was most interested in were the Realtek Sound Card driver
and the S3 Pro Savage Graphics card driver. I DLed and installed the
new Realtek sound card driver (17+MBs), tried to Restart and my PC
went nuts! Luckily I got it booted with Last known Good Config, then
restored it and it is OK now.

I have known the S3 Pro Savage Graphics Card has an update available
for awhile but wanted to research it first. Now I have it DLed but not
installed. After what happened with the Realtek Sound Card I have
worries, because if this one makes my PC crazy it may be in a way
that makes the screen unusable (a valid concern?).

What is the best way to go about updating a Graphics Card? If
something goes wrong, how would I fix it or restore XP?

Also, since the updated Realtek driver is recommended, what would you
suggest I do, besides leaving it alone?

Thanks, Pflu

P.S.
The magazine PC Advisor (UK) is giving away free Driver Genius Pro
(the full featured, not the limited) downloads to no-cost registered
(not subscribers) online folks. I don't know if that includes new
registers, but it's worth a try if you're interested. They say they
have 20,000 drivers in their database.

If you are looking for free advise, try:

http://advisor.microscum.com

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."

 

[JS]

I would not use any third part tool (Driver Genius). I typically go to the
Mfgr's site, download the driver (in most cases an executable file) to my
hard drive, then I make a backup of my windows partition, install one driver
at a time and test for problems.

JS

 

[Pflueger]

The use of Driver Genius to confirm what the manufacturers website says and
what the "experts" suggest seems prudent to me. I already said I wanted to
use the manufacturers DL.

I am asking "How?". If you backed up your windows partition like you say,
then installed a new Graphics Card driver and it failed, how would you be
able to see on the screen how to restore your backup? Would you boot in
Safemode with Command Prompt so that it would use the Vga.sys to bypass the
problematic Graphics Driver installation? In other words will the Vga.sys
allow me to see the Command Prompt on the screen in order to boot to system
restore even though the Graphics Card driver is bad?

That's what I am asking. Pflu

 

[Pflueger]

You don't even know how to spell --quit wasting my time. Pflu

 

[kurttrail]

You don't even know how to spell --quit wasting my time. Pflu

A spell-laming moron wastes his own time, by replying.

And at least I don't need some program to tell me when to update my
drivers, nor do I need to beg people to tell me how to update my drivers
properly, when most computer component manufacturers give instructions
on how to do just that.

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."

 

[Pflueger]

Chris,

RE: the MS Support article you gave the link to:
That, and a further link to a description of Safemode says that when you
boot to Safemode w/ Command Prompt, it uses Vga.sys. Does that mean it
bypasses the Graphics Card driver and uses the system's Vga.sys to show the
command prompt on the screen?

At this point that is what I need to know -- that I would be able to see
something on the screen should something go wrong with the Graphics Card
updating.

Thanks, Pflu

 

[JS]

OK,

I use Symantec's Ghost, which makes a complete image backup of any
drive/partition I choose, in this case it's the C drive.
When do I make backups: before installing any of the Microsoft security
updates, new software, new drivers, etc.
Have I ever needed to recover using Ghost, yes on several occasions
including a hard drive failure.
Ghost uses a recovery CD which you boot from and then restore using the
backup file you created and store either on another partition or second hard
drive.

JS

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

Martin;
That sounds similar to what I have stated.
The drivers are submitted to Microsoft by the hardware manufacturer for
testing.
The manufacturer pays the appropriate fees for testing etc and once approved
the driver is posted by Microsoft.
The manufacturer may need to remove features to comply with Microsoft's
standards before the drive can be posted by Microsoft.
No changes are made to the driver by Microsoft.

Generally it is best to get the driver directly from the hardware
manufacturer and not Microsoft since the manufacturer will have the latest
driver and the driver Microsoft has may or may not be the latest.

 

[icono]

A spell-laming moron wastes his own time, by replying.

And at least I don't need some program to tell me when to update my
drivers, nor do I need to beg people to tell me how to update my drivers
properly, when most computer component manufacturers give instructions on
how to do just that.

You are just biased because the free mental care didn't work.

 

[kurttrail]

You are just biased because the free mental care didn't work.

LOL! Sure it did. Much better to find your own answers, than pay
someone with an expensive piece of paper tell you all the answer you
found are wrong.

--
Peace!
Kurt Kirsch
Self-anointed Moderator
http://microscum.com
"It'll soon shake your Windows
And rattle your walls
For the times they are a-changin'."