Windows 8 How to install an older device driver

g2c · Jul 14, 2014

Hello,
I am trying to install an Intel wifi driver whose version is older than that installed and am getting "installation blocked - a newer product version is already installed".

If i say in device manager that i want to upgrade and manually point it to an older driver folder it says "The best driver software for your device is already installed Windows has determined that the driver software for your device is up to date."

If i uninstall the driver and ask it to be deleted, upon restart it will load the old driver then, few minutes later, it will automatically change to the newer and pop up a window asking me to restart. I don't know if it did actually change to the newer before i restart(?!) yet, in the device manager as well as in the network adapter properties- configure - driver, the new one becomes listed

Is there a way to force it to install the driver i want?

Thanks in advance for your time

kemical · Jul 14, 2014

Hi,
try this: Go to Search and type in sysdm.cpl and press Enter. Look across the top for Hardware and click that. Now click 'Device installation settings'. Set the checkbox for'Do you want windows to download driver software and realistic icons for your devices' to 'No, let me choose what to do'. Also make sure 'Never install driver software from windows update' is also checked. The last check box about getting info on the devices can be checked. Click save changes and now you should be able to uninstall the driver without it being re-installed on next reboot.
Post back if this doesn't help.

kemical · Jul 14, 2014

Hi,
try this: Go to Search and type in sysdm.cpl and press Enter. Look across the top for Hardware and click that. Now click 'Device installation settings'. Set the checkbox for'Do you want windows to download driver software and realistic icons for your devices' to 'No, let me choose what to do'. Also make sure 'Never install driver software from windows update' is also checked. The last check box about getting info on the devices can be checked. Click save changes and now you should be able to uninstall the driver without it being re-installed on next reboot.
Post back if this doesn't help.

g2c · Jul 14, 2014

Yes! it did it!. You are a virtuoso and this forum is a blessing.
What i think that happened is that it did not let me "update" to the oldest BUT when i uninstalled and deleted the newer, after reboot it installed the older and guess what? it really deleted the newer from FileRepository!

Now, with the setting that you recommended will it stop updating all device drivers? Can't i selectively, per driver, decide what updating scheme i want to adopt?

Another question: since retro updating seems to be simply based on having in the drivers store repo the driver we want with no newer ones, isn't there a way to delete items from the repo (or cut and paste to my own repo)? When i tried to cut and paste it copied pasted(!)
Thanks

kemical · Jul 14, 2014

Windows carries the basic drivers for many devices but they can only be updated via Windows update (not good) or by yourself (that is good). Don't trust driver update utilities of any type.
Windows update doesn't always apply the best driver so it's always better to source drivers yourself, plus you get to know your system much better too.

MrM · Sep 19, 2021

NO SOLUTION! My WWAN card driver. A driver cannot be paired with a device until the device is recognized by Win10. Once my device is recognized, Win10 applies the MS generic driver. All attempts to change results in "Best driver already installed..." Tried manual install/update (mistakenly called "Forced" by some), Safe-Mode, have disabled "driver signature" requirement, used .exe version and .inf version. Typical MS BS!

Windows 8 How to install an older device driver

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