Overwrite with Intel Chipset

[awkduck]

The "Intel Chipset" is meant to be installed right after a fresh install.

I was looking into the issue of installing the "Intel Chipset", after other drivers have been setup (Windows default and third party).

I haven't tried it myself, yet, but it seems the "-OVER All" flag might do the trick. Example, "Setup.exe -OVER ALL".

This should work with the "infinst_enu.exe" file, but you may have to use the "-A" flag first. Example, "infinst_enu.exe -A -OVER ALL".

Otherwise, you can just use 7zip to extract the contents of the self-extracting executable (infinit_enu.exe), then run Setup.exe directly.

Supposedly, "infinst_enu.exe -A -A (optional -P [output directory])" will self extract without running setup. Without the optional "-P" flag, the contents should extract to "C:\Program Files\Intel\Infinst".

I wonder if this would help with Windows installs ran without the "Setup.exe /p i" switch? Would it correct ACPI issues? As a side curiosity, I have wondered if installing the "Intel Chipset", enumerates pci devices not listed in device manager; on machines where using "Setup.exe /p i" did not do so. I'm sure I will find out soon.

Other drivers might need to be re-installed, to correct issues from the chipset having not been previously installed correctly.

Anyway, a complete list of "Intel Chipset" install flags is located in the "readme.txt", found with the chipset installer (compressed inside infinst_enu.exe).

Anyone have experience with this?

Edited August 4, 2022 by awkduck
correct APCI to ACPI

[pangoomis]

"Intel Chipset driver" isn't a driver, it simply eliminates yellow question marks in Device Manager with "null" INF files that do not do anything besides putting the device in a category like System devices in Device Manager with a name. You can check for yourself by viewing the INF files.

They are not required for Win9x (or any Windows for that matter) to work.

They have been confusing people since 1995 (or at the very least 1998).

[awkduck]

I agree that it is not a driver. I suppose writing "after other drivers" suggested thinking it was.

I have had a video driver not work, until the chipset was installed. Windows would boot to a black screen, unless you installed the chipset before the video driver. While researching the issue today, I found instances similar to my own. Sometimes it was related to APCI problems, rather than video.

I don't know if VIA chipset installations are different. But I have also had the above video driver issue with Via. With this machine, windows assigned the AGP port as a PCI device. The chipset inf files resulted in it being recognized as an Functional AGP port. No actual driver files of any kind where copied over. But for what ever reason, the video driver worked afterwards.

Perhaps there is some brief specification information installed with the chipset? Or associating vendor/hardware IDs with already existing windows drivers, that otherwise may not have been associated?

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by awkduck

[pangoomis]

What I wrote applies to Intel Chipset Drivers, VIA Chipset Drivers (and from other manufacturers) should actually include some drivers like the AGP driver, their INF files also should have more stuff (like Registry/INI values) than just empty sections.

I do not have any experience with VIA chipsets though to encounter/verify such issues.

All I know is that for Intel chipsets, its drivers are not needed. For other chipsets like VIA, SIS, and nForce, most likely they are needed.

[awkduck]

I did notice that some (like 915.inf @ ICH6/win98se) are sparse, like you have said. But others do have registry entries, for configuring drivers (like ich4core.inf @ ICH4/win98se). Some specific windows files are specified for use. But perhaps windows already installed the same. I suspect that is what it ich4core.inf is doing with APM. It removes the driver and only (re)installs it if it is detected/verified.

I would guess that most of these drivers work fine "as is" most of the time. Sometimes, settings other than the default may need to be used. As for when the inf files specifies using certain Windows' drivers, for all I know they are the same that Windows would have specified. It does list files to remove, that it does not reinstall. So in some cases it may be anticipated that incorrect files may have been installed or are not needed.