Should i install this without formatting.

IDF

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 27, 2004
Messages
202
I use windows xp pro.

My motheboard chipset driver is an older one. I have not checked in months to see if theres a newer one.

All the sudden i see a newer chipset driver for my intel875p chipset.

Usually from what i recall it is good, atleast i thought that you should install chipset drivers first, then graphics, sound, ethernt, then service packs.

Dont know if i should bother with new chipset and dont know what improvements if any it will make without atleast reformatting which i dont want to do at the time.

What do ya think ? :D
 
Personally, whenever I re-install, I install any updated drivers weather they are better or not. As long as it's not a step back, I'd do it. Good luck. :)

*EDIT*

If I'm not reformatting, then I just run the standard setup and update. Works fine.
 
Update the chipset driver like any other driver. No need to format to update it.
 
I update my Intel chipset drivers just by running the setup for the latest ones. No problems.
 
If you meant formatting for reinstalling the operating system, there is no need to format first if you don't want to. If you manually delete all the relevant XP files and directories, it accomplishes the same thing as formatting as far as the OS is concerned; the rest of the data on there like MP3s and such just sits there and is unaffected. I usually boot to a command prompt with a boot disk to take care of the remnants that you can't delete from within Windows. After rebooting, you'll get a "Non System Disk" or the like message from the hard drive, but all the data is still there, and you can boot from the XP cd and reinstall. I rename Program Files to something like ProgBack and copy the old directories of certain programs back AFTER reinstalling them first to register DLLs and such. This is useful if the old installed version of the program was heavily customized or had a lot of changes and extra files in it.

That answers your question regarding reformatting. But as the others said, there's no need to reinstall the operating system either....unless it's been a long time and XP is running like molasses.
 
I suggest boot windows into safe mode and run the intel chipset setup, then reboot normally and let windows update the necessary drivers according to the new .inf files.

oldmx
 
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