Soldato
- Joined
- 19 Feb 2007
- Posts
- 15,303
- Location
- London
Why is it important to uninstall a graphics driver before installing the new one, surely it doesnt make that much of a difference.
-
Competitor rules
Please remember that any mention of competitors, hinting at competitors or offering to provide details of competitors will result in an account suspension. The full rules can be found under the 'Terms and Rules' link in the bottom right corner of your screen. Just don't mention competitors in any way, shape or form and you'll be OK.
driver installation question
- Thread starter Dicehunter
- Start date
Sometimes it is more important than others. So best to err on side of "garenteed best install" from a clean base of Standard VGA driver.. 
Things that can trip up an install:
The main reason this is suggested is so that when things go wrong, it is much easier to diagnose the problems. Otherwise you don't know if your problem is from the new driver, or a clash with the old driver.
Some people will swear by programs like Detonator Destroyer, etc which scrubs ALL traces of old drivers from the system before upgrading to new. Really, tools like this are only needed when there have been a lot of driver changes - or things start going wrong.
Personally - I usually just whack the new install on top and "hope for the best". But then, I am a tech who can untangle the mess when it goes wrong. Have been working with these graphics card thingys since the days of the nVidia Rvia-128.
Things that can trip up an install:
- Downgrading versions of drivers can leave remnants of the new drivers in place
- Not all installers have good clean-up routines for the old drivers. And usually only handle the previous driver. Have seen instances of multiple control panels or task tray tools left hooked into the OS.
- Changing GPU chipset manufacturer will cause havoc (i.e. from Ati to nVidia you MUST clear the old stuff out first)
The main reason this is suggested is so that when things go wrong, it is much easier to diagnose the problems. Otherwise you don't know if your problem is from the new driver, or a clash with the old driver.
Some people will swear by programs like Detonator Destroyer, etc which scrubs ALL traces of old drivers from the system before upgrading to new. Really, tools like this are only needed when there have been a lot of driver changes - or things start going wrong.
Personally - I usually just whack the new install on top and "hope for the best". But then, I am a tech who can untangle the mess when it goes wrong. Have been working with these graphics card thingys since the days of the nVidia Rvia-128.