Do you install drivers or software/drivers?


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Hello,

Today configuring a PC, I installed all the drivers simply scanning the DVD. Should I install the software (which installs the drivers) as well?

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It depends on what it is, I think. Sometimes software can give you more control over something such as with my laptop I have a few utilities which are specific to my hardware which wouldn't function without the software.

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It depends on what it is, I think. Sometimes software can give you more control over something such as with my laptop I have a few utilities which are specific to my hardware which wouldn't function without the software.

 

The few weird utilities that came with the Lenovo laptop that I have require drivers AND software. The software is such crap that the laptop is much better off without it. I'm much better of without it also as I would've probably smashed the thing trying to use that crap!

 

Stuff like printers though, I DO NOT install the software that comes with them. Nothing but bloat!

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Samsung makes laptops for which you can't download any driver from their website and are forced to install their garbage software to download any driver, a software that pesters you with notifications 24/7 if you don't have the same exact matching driver versions (even a newer driver could trigger the warnings every couple of hours). What a nightmare.

 

Also all custom bluetooth software loading hundreds of megabytes of background services every damn boot must die a wired, horrible death.

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I install drivers for some things, but a lot of drivers and the software they come with are poorly coded and they crash a lot. If Windows can already do everything, I just send the crashing drivers back to DUI school.

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Also all custom bluetooth software loading hundreds of megabytes of background services every damn boot must die a wired, horrible death.

Anything that can't use the Windows Bluetooth stack is not worth having, i would sooner just not install it.

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Except Nvidia/AMD drivers, I do not install any driver which I perceive to be a bloat. I don't even install Realtek audio drivers. I feel the default Microsoft sound drivers for it do much better job.

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Except Nvidia/AMD drivers, I do not install any driver which I perceive to be a bloat. I don't even install Realtek audio drivers. I feel the default Microsoft sound drivers for it do much better job.

You've been lucky then, there are plenty of motherboards or laptops where the manufacturer didn't bother configuring the input/outputs properly and chose to rely only on customized drivers that will never be further updated again.

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Hello,

Today configuring a PC, I installed all the drivers simply scanning the DVD. Should I install the software (which installs the drivers) as well?

Yup, it depends whats bundled with the software, If I can easily find the required *.inf in the bundle that's all I use, unless of course the full software is required for the device to work.

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If I can just point Device Manager at the folder containing the INF for the device, that's what I stick with--absolute minimal setup.

 

Most of the rest of the bundled crapware is just that, crap, that insists on starting automatically, constantly looking for updates, constantly nagging you, adding system tray icons that are useless, chewing RAM and CPU cycles for services that don't do anything useful, leave poorly written apps running all the time that present security holes, etc.

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I usually install Intel drivers for network stuff since you actually gain a lot of configuration possibilities. And on my Sony laptop there are a few utilities you need to control the backlight, WiFi/Bt/3G switches, ... But they work quite well, hardly take any resources and actually look good so I don't mind.

 

For example, Sony's connectivity switching app:

JqzDyGf.png

 

All the actual connecting is done through the Windows tools by default, but this offers a few device-specific configuration options (like 2.4Ghz/5Ghz/dual modes for WiFi).

 

And Vaio Control Center has some pretty cool stuff too and runs nothing in the background:

NYv6blL.png

 

Only background service I have is the one that monitors the hotkeys and displays the OSD, and compared to the atrocities I've seen on Asus/Acer/Samsung laptops it's really not bad:

 

scbEcrg.png

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I prefer to install network driver only to get connected to the net.

Then I let windows update install as many hardware driver's as possible.

Then I will got to OEM site, or get reference driver's (especially video cards) from the manufacturer.

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Yeah, i would say it depends on what it is you are installing. Certain things like a web cam or keyboard and mouse might need special software to fully configure then whereas a standard printer that just prints, there software will probably just junk up your computer (im looking at you HP, and Epson)

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I never install all that junk that come with drivers. Before it was sorta required for Brightness, Bluetooth and even Fingerprint readers but now that's basically all built into the OS so i don't bother with it. I don't need OSD stuff or stupid hovering on the top of the display all the time thing.

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I don't really care either way for additional software. Sometimes it adds useful features. For example, the network printer/scanner/fax we have at my work has remote scanning features if you have the additional software installed, otherwise you have to hook a USB thumb drive into it and scan and save that way.

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Only drivers I installed on Win7, were the SATA (I updated them, after Win7 was installed), /chipset drivers, the wireless drivers (since Win7 doesnt install them, when  I do a clean install). And I did install the Nvidia Gfx drivers. And the webcam drivers from Windowupdate.

 

I use the default Windows sound/network/LAN drivers. And use the tuner drivers from Windowsupdate. They seem to work ok,and haven't caused any probs

 

On Win8, the only drivers I installed were the SATA/chipset drivers., webcam, and Nvidia drivers. It installed everything else, inc the wireless and the tuner drivers. And they work fine.

 

I could use driver magician which can back up the drivers. And it'll save time next time when / if I do a clean install. Just run a file, it'll reinstall the drivers

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hello,

 

Generally speaking, just the drivers, unless the management application which goes with the drivers does something Windows does (or a better job than Windows built-in management tools for the driver).

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky

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