PC help: update which first?

[StereoInstaller1]

Hey guys...on a fresh install of Windows XP which do you recommend, updating the Microshaft stuff or drivers first?

Seems to me drivers first makes more sense.

LMK, OK?

Luke

[AndrewBird]

If you go to www.windowsupdate.com, they will usually have driver updates for you to install, so I would go there first. Then, anything they don't have, go and find from the vendor. You might also want to check that everything windows gives you is the most current.

However, if a drive is working correctly, I have read that you never want to update. Kind of one of those if it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of things. New drivers can mess things up.

[Jand3rson]

If you go to www.windowsupdate.com, they will usually have driver updates for you to install, so I would go there first. Then, anything they don't have, go and find from the vendor. You might also want to check that everything windows gives you is the most current.

However, if a drive is working correctly, I have read that you never want to update. Kind of one of those if it ain't broke, don't fix it kind of things. New drivers can mess things up.

Werd. One of the great things about XP is that it's already got 99.9% of the driver's you'll need.

[92 mtechnic cabrio]

Just make sure you have the proper video card driver installed. That kind of stuff can make your computer run twice as quick

[george graves]

Word. Install XP first, then go to windowsupdate site and update till it won't update no more. Then go on to worry about other software. (that's the way I do it)

,,,

[WlknGenius]

It really doesn't matter. I try to do as much as I can at once. That is download updates while installing drivers and vice versa. Windows update will take the longest by far.

[StereoInstaller1]

Yeah, especially since this copy of XP is not even SP1...YUK!

[doucy2]

Solution to your problem, sell or give away your PC and get a mac.

[Eric Giles]

Generally, I will install XP and as soon as it is completed, I will install the latest vendor supplied drivers-motherboard/chipset, video, ethernet, etc. After that is done, then I will install all of the Windows updates. I have built hundred's of PC's using this method, but honestly either method will work.

Since I try to use the latest vendor supplied drivers after the initial install, I won't install the drivers supplied via Windows Update as they can be an older version that might not include the features/bugfixes of the ones currently installed.

[Acidblast]

ya i suggest installing the drivers from the vendors and not the ones from windows update.

[ivo316]

If you have the vendors disk, use it, if it's too old (let's say 3 months) download this program:

www.fws.cl/aida32.exe

What this will do is check your system and give you a complete report of all your hardware, chip manufacturers, and brands, that makes searching for drivers a lot easier.

Then go to the vendor's website and download the drivers for your hardware.

If you can't find a driver, try:

www.driverguide.com

[StereoInstaller1]

Thanks for the advice. I generally use SANDRA to test and identify all parts. I generally do use the freshest drivers from the manufacturer of whatever chipset it is. I actually go and check stuff like firmware updates, BIOS updates, all of that crap. I have never had to go backwards!

Thanks for all the help and suggestions, guys!

Oh, except for the token mac comment. You guys never give up, do you?

Luke