Windows 7 - Ctrl Panel-Devices & Printers-Device Inst.:Difference between settings

Windows 7's Windows Update device driver update settings can be configured in Control Panel - Devices and Printers - Device installation settings:



What is the difference between the first two 'No, let me choose what to do' options: 'Always install the best driver software from Windows Update' and 'Install driver from Windows Update if it is not found in my computer.'? Will both settings install drivers from Windows Update, if Windows Update has a more updated version than the one found in the computer?

as far as i know in the first case, the system will first look for the relivent driver in the microsoft's driver databae and then compare it to the one on your system(if any present) and install the same. While in the later case, the system will look for drivers online only if it can't find any on the net.
I would personally recommend you to set to the later option cause it wastes a lot of time serching the net for drivers when set to always. Besides, if there is a newer version of the driver it is automatically added to the optional updates in "Windows update".

Hope it helps you out

Yes and no. The first will always install an updated driver if it has been added to the WU database, where the second will only install a driver from WU if,

a. Windows actually knows what the device is. It will not install the proper driver if the device is using a generic driver/name; "standard VGA adapter" and "high definition audio device" are a couple of examples, and require you to install the proper driver for it because Windows doesn't know what it actually is beyond a video card or audio device.

b. Windows does identify what it is but there is no driver for the device included in Windows DriverStore.

There is no searching of the net, the only searching WU does is of the WU catalogue.

Does a.) also apply for 'No... > Always install the best driver software from Windows Update'? If not, how does it differ? What about the ''Yes, do this automatically'' option?