If you frequently check for Windows 10/11 updates, then you may have noticed that some of the drivers provided by the optional update are outdated or invalid. In the past few years, the driver update received by users was listed as INTEL-System. Although it was delivered after the upgrade to Windows 11, its date dates back to 1968.
Due to strange specifications, most of these drivers look very problematic. In a new blog post, Microsoft has explained why and how to trace these drivers on Windows. Currently, there are three sources of drivers released on the Windows platform. One is released by Windows/Microsoft, the other is released by companies such as Intel/NVIDIA, and the other is customized drivers released by PC manufacturers.
Microsoft stated that the date of all Windows drivers is set to June 21, 2006, to reduce compatibility issues. Windows Update ranks drivers based on various factors including the date. For example, if a driver in Microsoft’s driver library exactly matches the hardware ID of the device, then it will become the most important candidate and users will be able to download it.
However, if there is more than one driver matching the hardware ID, the driver with the latest timestamp will be automatically selected. If in this case there is a tie between multiple drivers, Microsoft will look at the highest file version number that matches the build release date.
But there is a problem- when you install a new version of Windows, the Windows driver will automatically have a newer timestamp than the timestamp provided by the manufacturer. Therefore, your manufacturer’s driver will be replaced by a Windows driver, which may break certain functions on your device. The Windows driver was obviously traced back to avoid the situation highlighted above.
By tracing Windows drivers, Microsoft allows manufacturers’ drivers to retain a higher priority than Windows-provided drivers. In another document, Microsoft stated that Intel’s drivers were dated back to 1968 (the year Intel was founded) for the same reason— when the manufacturer’s drivers were available, lower Intel’s driver’s Level.
Intel stated in a now-deleted blog post: This is necessary because it is a supporting tool and should not overwrite any other drivers. Updating the Intel(R) chipset device software is not required- -If you don’t have the latest version, don’t worry.