Introducing the NVIDIA Control Panel Windows Store App

cageymaru

cageymaru

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I contacted Mr. Bryan Del Rizzo over at NVIDIA and inquired about the new DCH drivers in the latest NVIDIA GeForce Hot Fix driver version 417.21. He was kind enough to send some information over about Universal Windows drivers, the NVIDIA Control Panel app in the Windows Store and instructions for the proper usage of the NVIDIA Control Panel app.

The DCH designation stands for:
Declarative ("D"): Install the driver using only declarative INF directives and do not include any co-installers, RegisterDlls, etc.

Componentized ("C"): Edition-specific, OEM-specific and optional customizations to the driver are separate from the base driver package, so that the base driver, which provides only core device functionality, can be targeted, flighted and serviced independently from the customizations.

Hardware Support Apps ("H"): Any user interface (UI) component associated with a universal driver must be packaged as a Hardware Support App (HSA) or preinstalled on the OEM device. An HSA is an optional device-specific app that is paired with a driver.

For the enthusiasts that peruse Hardocp and Hardforum, the Standard drivers are what we want. If you have a PC that comes with the NVIDIA Control Panel app installed from the Windows Store, then you would want to use the Universal Windows "DCH" drivers. Thank you Mr. Bryan Del Rizzo over at NVIDIA for taking the time to answer my questions.
 
The day I have to have a Windows store account in order to use drivers, I'm just wiping my windows partitions once and for all.

Computers should be local only, not tied to any online accounts.

I want my phone to be more like my computer, NOT my computer to be more like my phone.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
The day I have to have a Windows store account in order to use drivers, I'm just wiping my windows partitions once and for all.

Computers should be local only, not tied to any online accounts.

I want my phone to be more like my computer, NOT my computer to be more like my phone.
Click to expand...

The day people realize you can get stuff from the Microsoft Store without an account, I will be shocked!
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
The day I have to have a Windows store account in order to use drivers, I'm just wiping my windows partitions once and for all.

Computers should be local only, not tied to any online accounts.

I want my phone to be more like my computer, NOT my computer to be more like my phone.
Click to expand...

auntjemima said:
The future is now, old man.
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The future is over-hyped and under-delivers. Even now.
 
So they go to all this trouble, then make a Metro app out of a 10 year old antique, depreciated control panel. You would never know they were a multi billion company with the lack of effort they put in to anything other than their marketing.
 
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ahhh.. Bryan Del Rizzo.. he use to be a writer for boot and early MaximumPC

boot masthead.png
 
Realtek also put their control panel for their audio drivers on the Windows Store and I tried to install it but it keeps failing. Everyday Windows tries to install it and fails, and I have no idea how to stop. Someday with enough determination, Windows will finally install the control panel.
 
It will promote aftermarket installers and the risk of malware should NVidia stop releasing the standard driver package. This looks like a move toward that.
As Z said above, it will be a dark day. Lets hope AMD get back to high end gfx, decent driver stability, and remains consumer friendly.
 
Although the windows store distribution is a little odd, there is a advantage in splitting the components up. Maybe then I won't have to download the control panel that looks like it hasn't been updated in 10 years with every driver package? Maybe with the control panel split out that means there is a (more) public API for interacting with the drivers allowing other control panels to hook in?
 
"For the enthusiasts that peruse Hardocp and Hardforum, the Standard drivers are what we want. If you have a PC that comes with the NVIDIA Control Panel app installed from the Windows Store, then you would want to use the Universal Windows "DCH" drivers. Thank you Mr. Bryan Del Rizzo over at NVIDIA for taking the time to answer my questions."

All I needed to know. Seems stupid to have 2 different sets of drivers, and even more stupid to put drivers in the horrible Windows Store in the 1st place! Makes me glad I went AMD this round.
 
So all I need is the drivers? I don't do the nvidia "experience", rarely use the control panel. If I do need to make changes to the way the driver works for a game, I use nvidia inspector.
 
auntjemima said:
The future is now, old man.
Click to expand...

Windows 10 store's future died when Microsoft killed Windows Mobile. Sorry, sparky. Now that abomination is nothing more than an atrophied appendage of a bygone era.

Any superficial changes to it are busywork because Nadella has already pivoted away from Windows at MS internally, and bet the entire company on Azure.
 
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ManofGod said:
The day people realize you can get stuff from the Microsoft Store without an account, I will be shocked!
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The day there's stuff worth getting from that shitshow in the first place, I will be shocked. That's really its biggest problem. And that will never change because MS leadership no longer cares.
 
Long time lurker few time poster.

In order to use these drivers you need to have Windows 1809 build and probably use ddu to clean out the old ones.

I know you guys hate Microsoft store, but as long as you never log in, it should be fine. The control panel auto installs first time you install the DCH drivers and if you remove it, it won't auto reinstall. You will have to do it manually.

Now I know we are talking about it being future and stupid, but hear me out. This comes from long standing issues of GPU makers not supporting base Directx features or crappy emulation, oems never updating their drivers, and likely windows update driver install issues.

Base drivers are made DCH, with the control panel separate. Oem additions like some stupid power feature button or boost option are a separate module that hopefully doesn't need the whole damn package. This pretty much solves lazy oem drivers.

Windows is pretty much built on 20 years of mess and manufacturers doing whatever they want while companies like Apple reap the benefits of performance on having iron fist systems. Microsoft wants some of that. Now I know they will probably fuck it up, but if it at least allows Ryzen laptops to have newer than 2017 drivers, then I say fanfuckingtastic. I'll be optimistic.
 
Nenu said:
It will promote aftermarket installers and the risk of malware should NVidia stop releasing the standard driver package. This looks like a move toward that.
As Z said above, it will be a dark day. Lets hope AMD get back to high end gfx, decent driver stability, and remains consumer friendly.
Click to expand...


The thing is ,I'm generally supportive of a single "repository of software" approach. This is how most Linux distributions do it, and one of the many reasons Linux can maintain greater security.

Most security flaws on windows platforms come not from Windows itself, but from unpatched software running on windows. Linux avoids many of these problems by having their software updater tool update ALL the installed software on a system, so you never have that one forgotten unpatched tool thays aadecade old and has a ton of vulnerabilities.

The problem is Microsoft is doing it all wrong, linking it to a store and an online cloud account structure. Not only does it give me big brother vibes and completely rub me the wrong way, but most software isn't even touched by it, so it doesn't even accomplish the "everything is up to date" goal. It's a total fail.
 
ShogoXT said:
Long time lurker few time poster.

In order to use these drivers you need to have Windows 1809 build and probably use ddu to clean out the old ones.

I know you guys hate Microsoft store, but as long as you never log in, it should be fine. The control panel auto installs first time you install the DCH drivers and if you remove it, it won't auto reinstall. You will have to do it manually.
Click to expand...

Even if you remove and install the control panel from the MS store, installing the DCH drivers still fails. No, not going to clean out the drivers with DDU, either.
 
DPI said:
The day there's stuff worth getting from that shitshow in the first place, I will be shocked. That's really its biggest problem. And that will never change because MS leadership no longer cares.
Click to expand...

I stated a fact, you stated an opinion. See the difference?
 
What does this control panel do that the default one doesnt already?

I dont get the need.....

Is this for ppl locked into windows express or whatever it is called that cant install real software?
 
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