How ANAL should I be about drivers?

[undertheradar]

Okay, current GPU = 7900GTX OC 512

Just bought: 2x 8800 GTS OC 512's

Both nVidia, but since the 8's release, there is no longer a 'one for all' driver approach by nVidia. Now, in the past, if switching from nVidia to nVidia, it was a straight swap... but now??? Am I going to have to get all ANAL and do a driver clean or something, or can I just download the 8's drivers and install right over the current ones?

Also, if it comes down to it, how good is the driver cleaner? Would it just be better fo F-disk and redo the entire drive? I can do that pretty easily if need be...

 

[Zinn]

I've been swapping cards and drivers for years, and I've never had any problems simply uninstalling the driver, swapping cards, and then reinstalling the new drivers. I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless something goes wrong. Then you can pay $10 for Driver Cleaner.

 

[kllrnohj]

Theoretically you can just install the new ones over the old ones - I do all the time and its been fine.

However, you *may* encounter problems doing that. If so, a driver uninstall, driver cleaner, followed by driver re-install usually works.

Since you are switching series, I personally would go the "safe" route and at least uninstall the old drivers first

 

[Chombo]

Its never given me any problems, even switching between ATI and nVidia.

 

[iTYPE]

I usually just install over the previous ones as long as the heading # is the same. Otherwise I just uninstall and reinstall in safe mode, no problems to date that I know of. That's how I was taught.

 

[samNOISE]

Been there - done that - lots!

Visit the card manufacturer’s www site and download – but don’t install – the new drivers. Go into the control panel and remove the video card from the SYSTEM / DEVICE MANAGER; then visit the Control Panels' ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS icon and remove any software that pertains to your old video card.

Power-down & unplug the PC and swap in the new card. Boot the system and use the freshly downloaded drivers that you saved from the earlier download… don’t bother with the drivers on the CD which came with the video card – 9 times outta’ 10 they are already several revisions old…

Andrew D.
www.cdnav.com