installing a windows xp driver on windows 7?

[tonypham]

I have the following computer with the necessary drivers included on this site:

Lenovo Support & downloads - Drivers and software - ThinkCentre A51, A51p, M51, S51

However, all the drivers are for Windows XP, and when I try to install them manually Devices Manager I can't even find my audio card.

Anyone have any advice on this matter?

i'm trying to do this because i'm getting a huge headache out of this "no audio output device is installed" message

 

[Lemur]

I'm sorry, but they didn't even have support for Vista audio. You probably will NOT get audio with Win 7.

 

[1Bowtie]

You can try putting them in compatibility mode, sometimes it cheaper and less headaches to buy a new sound card that has Win 7 drivers

 

[tonypham]

what does compatibility mode mean? i'd rather just reinstall windows xp

 

[pebbly]

what does compatibility mode mean? i'd rather just reinstall windows xp

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/316-compatibility-mode.html

 

[DeaconFrost]

Have you tried running Windows Update? Make a list of your hardware that needs drivers, and go the manufacturer for them, for example, if the audio is Realtek, go to their website and look.

 

[tonypham]

wow windows update work. i have no idea why i couldn't do it manually or googled it. it didn't update because i set 7 to only install important updates

 

[DeaconFrost]

Windows Update has always been useless for me, in terms of getting missing drivers, until Windows 7 came along. It found drivers for an old inkjet printer that I could never get working on Vista.

 

[tonypham]

how does that work though? is windows 7 simply making their own drivers to compensate for the apathy on behalf of the original manufacturers

 

[1Bowtie]

Before Win 7 came out Microsoft request hardware manufacturers that wanted to be certified Win 7 to provide drivers to MS then they could make the list. MS is still adding new drivers all the time

 

[DeaconFrost]

how does that work though? is windows 7 simply making their own drivers to compensate for the apathy on behalf of the original manufacturers

Same way it has for a while now...Microsoft stores and offers certified drivers for any hardware that the manufacturers want to provide. It saves them from having to include them all in the OS or on the install media.