Drivers Which Didn't Work With Vista

[Guest Reimar]

For those of you who want to upgrade, better check the driver compatibility before to do so!

Here Are the Drivers That Don't Play Well with Vista SP1 RTM

Windows Vista Service Pack 1 was released to manufacturing on February 4, 2008. But end users had to exercise their patience another month and a half before they could get their hands on Vista SP1 RTM.

As of March 18, 2008, the Redmond company has made Vista SP1 available via Windows Update and the Microsoft download center. The reason for the postponing of the general availability was faulty driver integration. Together with opening up Vista SP1 RTM for download to the general public, Microsoft has also come up with a list of the device drives that weren't playing well with the service pack. The list is integrated in full at the bottom of this article.

"I've received a lot of requests for more detail about the driver situation this last month, so I want to share some more information. We spent the last couple of months looking closely at reports of driver problems on pre-release builds and, to be safe, we held the public availability until March," revealed Nick White, Windows Vista Product Manager.

The vast majority of the driver problems have been fixed, as Vista SP1 was moving from Release Candidate stage to RTM. But at the same time, there are drivers that will prevent users of the Vista operating system from deploying SP1. White stated that Microsoft was working with hardware manufacturers in order to make available functional drivers for the remaining devices. Windows Update will not offer SP1 to the users whose systems contain components with the problematic drivers.

"We identified a small number of device drivers that may be problematic after an update from Windows Vista to Windows Vista SP1. As a result, we spent the past month or so working with our partners on driver updates for these issues. Of these drivers, most already have updated versions on Windows Update and are available for download now as optional updates. In a few weeks, we'll start to deliver these updated drivers to PCs automatically via Windows Update," White added.

Updating the drivers to the correct versions that gully support, Vista SP1 is the only way to access the service pack via WU. "Windows Update will recognize PCs with drivers that may be problematic and postpone offering SP1 to those PCs until it has installed corrected drivers or other applicable updates. Either way, Windows Update works to detect whether or not your system is ready for SP1 and not offer it to you until the time is right. Those of you who find that SP1 isn't offered over Windows Update even after updating all your drivers, but would still like to download it can access our 'standalone installer' from the Microsoft Download Center," White said. Windows Vista SP1 is available HERE.

Audio drivers

Realtek AC'97

• For x86-based computers: Alcxwdm.sys - version 6.0.1.6242 or earlier

• For x64-based computers: Alcwdm64.sys - version 6.0.1.6242 or earlier

SigmaTel

• For x86-based computers: Sthda.sys - version 5.10.5762.0 or earlier

• For x64-based computers: Sthda64.sys - version 5.10.5762.0 or earlier

SigmaTel

• For x86-based computers: Stwrt.sys - version 6.10.5511.0 or earlier

• For x64-based computers: Stwrt64.sys - version 6.10.5511.0 or earlier

Creative Audigy

• For x86-based and x64-based computers: Ctaud2k.sys - version 6.0.1.1242 or earlier

• For x86-based computers: P17.sys – all versions (This was originally a Windows XP-based driver.)

Conexant HD Audio

• For x86-based computers: Chdart.sys - version 4.32.0.0 or earlier

• For x64-based computers: Chdart64.sys - version 4.32.0.0 or earlier

Biometric (Fingerprint) Sensors

• AuthenTec Fingerprint Sensor with the Atswpdrv.sys driver file – version 7.7.1.7 or earlier

• UPEK Fingerprint Sensor with the Tcusb.sys driver file – version 1.9.2.99 or earlier

Display drivers

Intel Display

• For x86-based computers: Igdkmd32.sys – versions between and including driver 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403

• For x64-based computers: Igdkmd64.sys – versions between and including driver 7.14.10.1322 and 7.14.10.1403

Other drivers

• Texas Instruments Smart Card Controller with the GTIPCI21.sys driver file – version 1.0.1.19 or earlier

• Sierra Wireless AirCard 580 with the Watcher.exe application – version 3.4.0.9 or earlier (This application is located in the AirCard 580 Program Files folder.)

Symantec software driver for Symantec Endpoint Protection and for Symantec Network Access Control clients

• For x86-based computers: Wgx.sys – versions 11.0.1000.1091 or earlier

• For x64-based computers: Wgx64.sys – versions 11.0.1000.1091 or earlier

This is a list from Microsoft which will be not the final but a beginning!

[onethailand]

Allow me to add to this after 24 hours of frustration... some drivers will halt the update completely... in my case it was the Nokia drivers. An uninstall solved this problem but it took me nearly 24 hours to figure out what was causing the problem in the first place.

My Thinkpad also had the UPEK Fingerprint driver and the Intel graphics drivers that are on this initial list, both of which Lenovo and Windows Update refused to update. So I simply went to the UPEK and Intel sites and got their latest drivers and forcibly installed them. But at least those problems were quickly discovered...

[RKASA]

I don't know windows is getting way to geeky for me I am going to stay with Linux 

[Ian_B]

What a farce! Cannot believe SP1 not being compatible with ALL fingerprint readers when many laptop users use this as their login!

Just got myself a Sony Penryn laptop today from Centralworld and was happy to see it came with a CD of Win XP Pro

Once I've made the system recovery DVD etc I'll be downgrading to XP ASAP (or should that be upgrading!)

[Richard-BKK]

Add to the list almost all 3th party security and Firewall software which will not work after SP1....

[Guest Reimar]

OK, it's a shame what's going on here! But who is to blame? Microsoft or the Manufacturer of that hardware which isn't work because of lacking drivers? Could it be that the Hardware producers didn't giving the required data to MS? or are NOT willing to start to make the new required drivers because they want to sell their new products?

I think there a lot open questions about that and MS is hardly to blame for even just the half of the relevant problems!

Cheers.

[onethailand]

What a farce! Cannot believe SP1 not being compatible with ALL fingerprint readers when many laptop users use this as their login!

Just got myself a Sony Penryn laptop today from Centralworld and was happy to see it came with a CD of Win XP Pro

Once I've made the system recovery DVD etc I'll be downgrading to XP ASAP (or should that be upgrading!)

It is compatible with the fingerprint reader itself - and in fact worked fine with my notebook when I was using the beta version - but M$ has taken it upon themselves to declare that certain drivers MAY cause problems and if these drivers are detected, the upgrade process will be terminated.

BTW my fingerprint reader works fine with the upgraded drivers - and my video driver resolved some problems that existed - but neither Vista nor Lenovo offer the upgraded drivers, which is kind of irritating.

Ian, I'd suggest playing with Vista for a bit. Might be fun if you don't need to use the computer for anything else.

As for the virus/firewall stuff - actually, I suspect that SP1 is detecting and disabling them so that the upgrade process will go smoothly. I'm not so sure that they're incompatible with SP1.

Reimar - so far Microsoft is to blame. At the very least they should allow you to proceed with the SP1 upgrade instead of terminating with a cryptic error. There is nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista RTM and there should obviously be nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista SP1 RTM.

Edited March 21, 2008 by onethailand

[Guest Reimar]

Reimar - so far Microsoft is to blame. At the very least they should allow you to proceed with the SP1 upgrade instead of terminating with a cryptic error. There is nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista RTM and there should obviously be nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista SP1 RTM.

I don't second that! Or better, I do believe that both is to blame MS and the Hardware manufacturers. Take Lexmark for examples: Lexmark hasn't supplied MS with the infos for to produce a working driver for some of the Lexmark Printer Models, which includes the x215 which was produced til beginning of the last year, a time Vista already was out. And same is happens for some or even many other products as well.

Even MS relays on the information about the adon hardware and if the manufacturer didn't supply them, MS can't produce the inHouse drivers.

Cheers.

[onethailand]

Reimar - so far Microsoft is to blame. At the very least they should allow you to proceed with the SP1 upgrade instead of terminating with a cryptic error. There is nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista RTM and there should obviously be nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista SP1 RTM.

I don't second that! Or better, I do believe that both is to blame MS and the Hardware manufacturers. Take Lexmark for examples: Lexmark hasn't supplied MS with the infos for to produce a working driver for some of the Lexmark Printer Models, which includes the x215 which was produced til beginning of the last year, a time Vista already was out. And same is happens for some or even many other products as well.

Even MS relays on the information about the adon hardware and if the manufacturer didn't supply them, MS can't produce the inHouse drivers.

Cheers.

I think you've forgotten something. If it *already* works with Vista, and already has Vista-certified drivers, why should it NOT work with Vista SP1? Hardly the manufacturer's fault if they've already supplied Vista-compatible drivers.

As I said before, There is nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista RTM and there should obviously be nothing wrong with the equipment on Vista SP1 RTM..