Mar 8th Update and ATI Radeon HD 4200 Driver Update

[Buddahfan]

Yesterday when I went to install the Windows 7 patches the Windows 7 update module listed an optional driver update for the ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics chip on the motherboard.

I downloaded and applied the update no problem.

My question is.

Does anyone know what the update to the ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics chip was for?

Thanks in advance

 

[scrooge]

Graphics Card ATI Radeon 4200

 

[Buddahfan]

Graphics Card ATI Radeon 4200

Thanks but I have no graphics card

The driver update for for the ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics chip.

I guess my question wasn't clear.

Does anyone know what changes were in the new driver update?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Judesman]

Hi Buddahfan. I downloaded this optional update for my ATI 4600 series card. It messed up the Catalyst Control Centre where the "Creating and Arranging Desktops" facility was no longer available. I went to the ATI site and downloaded the latest driver (version 11.2). This also included some unwanted programme that allowed me to create code for the GPU (I think that's right), I have now removed that programme but the CCC has a completely new interface. but all seems to be working well.

My advice is don't download this update.

If anyone thinks I am wrong on this one please correct me.

 

[Buddahfan]

Thanks for the response.

I never really use CCC except when I add a display so I don't recall the specifics of what it contained before the driver update. That is why I started the thread.

I noticed that you referred to driver version 11.2.

The Windows Device Manager indicates that the driver version for display adapter is 8.821.0.0 dated 1/26/11.

The difference between the two drivers is probably due to the difference in the graphics hardware. Yours being ATI 4600 series card and mine being ATI Radeon HD 4200 graphics chip.

Digital Signer is MSFT Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher.

My displays appear to be working as before so I will leave the current driver version in place.

Thanks for your response. Good luck with solving the problem that you are having with driver 11.2

 

[Judesman]

Hi Buddahfan. Like you I have no idea what the update was supposed to do. My Windows Device Manager reads the same as yours. I now think V11.2 refers to the CCC version. For clarity here is a snip of the new CCC software section. All seems to be working as it should so I will leave well alone.

 

[Darician]

If you're interested in the incremental changes to version 11.2 of the ATI Catalyst drivers, you can check the release notes on the AMD website: AMD Catalyst. And on this page: Previous Catalyst, you can find previous driver releases and look at the release notes of each one if you would like to know the incremental changes as they only list incremental changes between their driver releases. With 11.1, they redesigned the Catalyst Control Center and I believe 10.12 added WMV/VC-1 Hardware Acceleration support.

 

[Judesman]

Thank you for the links Darican that's interesting. What intirigues us is what the Microsoft update was all about because it messed up my Catalyst Control Centre although Buddahfan has not reported any problems.

Another thing that interests me is when I downloaded the new CCC and drivers from the Sapphire site (I have a Sapphire card) I ended up with an AMD CCC. I thought Sapphire and AMD are seperate manufacturers using ATI technology, so why didn't I get a Sapphire CCC?

Thanks for your input Darican.

 

[stormy13]

What intirigues us is what the Microsoft update was all about because it messed up my Catalyst Control Centre although Buddahfan has not reported any problems.

Because the one through Windows Update is nothing but the driver, it does not contain any of the other bits and pieces you get from the full Catalyst suite. As a result there are times like this one where it can mess a current install of CCC or any of the other bits if you use the regular suite from AMD..

Another thing that interests me is when I downloaded the new CCC and drivers from the Sapphire site (I have a Sapphire card) I ended up with an AMD CCC. I thought Sapphire and AMD are seperate manufacturers using ATI technology, so why didn't I get a Sapphire CCC?

Sapphire may have made the card, but AMD makes the chips and writes the drivers. Doesn't matter who you get your card from, the drivers all come from AMD. As a result there is no need to ever go to the card manufacturer for the driver, just go straight to AMD (exact same thing applies to Nvidia cards as well).

The gist of the whole thing is that even with the improvements made with regards to drivers and Windows Update, the old tried and true still applies with regards to drivers for major components; do not get the drivers for them through Windows Update, always get them from the hardware manufacturer.

 

[fireberd]

Because of Microsoft's certification program, generally vendor drivers are not the current version offered directly from the Vendor. In some cases, such as Integrated audio on Dell's, they can actually cause the device to malfunction (I used the Dell audio drivers as an example as non-Dell Integrated audio drivers will either not work or not work correctly in most cases).

I'm still using an old version (8.712) on my ATI HD4850, as Soldier of Fortune will not run with later Video drivers.

 

[Judesman]

Thanks Stormy 13 and Fireberd. That seems to answer that then, many thanks.

 

[HammerHead]

WU

As general rule I decline hardware updates from Win Update. I prefer to seek out the latest drivers for my hardware from the mfg.

 

[Judesman]

HammerHead, I've learnt my lesson.

 

[Buddahfan]

Thank you for the links Darican that's interesting. What intirigues us is what the Microsoft update was all about because it messed up my Catalyst Control Centre although Buddahfan has not reported any problems.

Another thing that interests me is when I downloaded the new CCC and drivers from the Sapphire site (I have a Sapphire card) I ended up with an AMD CCC. I thought Sapphire and AMD are seperate manufacturers using ATI technology, so why didn't I get a Sapphire CCC?

Thanks for your input Darican.

The MSFT update had nothing to do with the ATI 11.x driver.

I know that because I applied the update and it is 8.821.0.0

The drivers are for different products.

The 8.x driver is for a ATI graphics chip that is on the motherboard and comes pre-installed with Windows 7 HP from Dell when you buy a Dell computer or at least the model that I did.

My guess is the driver was included in the Windows Update program because the driver's "Digital Signer" is listed as "Microsoft Windows Hardware Compatibility Publisher"

 

[Buddahfan]

As general rule I decline hardware updates from Win Update. I prefer to seek out the latest drivers for my hardware from the mfg.

I have been using the Windows Update feature for years maybe even a decade or more if it has been around that long.

Anyway I have had very few bad updates over that time. To my recollection the few bad ones that there were were later fixed and included in a future update.

That has been my experience.

 

[Buddahfan]

What intirigues us is what the Microsoft update was all about because it messed up my Catalyst Control Centre although Buddahfan has not reported any problems.

Because the one through Windows Update is nothing but the driver, it does not contain any of the other bits and pieces you get from the full Catalyst suite. As a result there are times like this one where it can mess a current install of CCC or any of the other bits if you use the regular suite from AMD..

Another thing that interests me is when I downloaded the new CCC and drivers from the Sapphire site (I have a Sapphire card) I ended up with an AMD CCC. I thought Sapphire and AMD are seperate manufacturers using ATI technology, so why didn't I get a Sapphire CCC?

Sapphire may have made the card, but AMD makes the chips and writes the drivers. Doesn't matter who you get your card from, the drivers all come from AMD. As a result there is no need to ever go to the card manufacturer for the driver, just go straight to AMD (exact same thing applies to Nvidia cards as well).

The gist of the whole thing is that even with the improvements made with regards to drivers and Windows Update, the old tried and true still applies with regards to drivers for major components; do not get the drivers for them through Windows Update, always get them from the hardware manufacturer.

I always keep my drivers current and rely on Windows when they offer it.

If the driver had not been digitally signed I would have rolled it back. However, it is by MSFT so I am keeping it.

Getting driver updates from manufacturers is a pain in the butt unless they come as part of the software program update. I have 190 drivers on the computer that I am typing this on so my experience that constantly checking vendors websites to see if they have driver updates is a pain and causes a lot more problems than it solves.

For example Dell has a website where you type in your computer's Service Tag # and Dell will take you to a page that lists all the driver updates for your computer since the date that it was manufactured. The problem is that when a computer like mine has had different build configurations then you get all kinds of drivers listed there that are not applicable to your specific build. So you have to spend time researching each driver update to see if it applies to your own computer.

Going to the website of each manufacturer to find the find driver updates is even worse because that means you have to know the manufacturer of every piece of hardware on your computer and in the case of Dell as I wrote above that did not work very well. I have had the same experience with the ATI website in the past.

I use two sources for my driver updates.

1. Windows Update
2. DriverMax

I have rarely ever had a problem updating drivers this way when the drivers are digitally signed.

Bottom line: Each to their own. You have your method and it works for you. I have my method and it has worked for me for years.

P.S. of course I always try and be careful in downloading and installing drivers and rarely have ever had to roll any back.

 

[stormy13]

The MSFT update had nothing to do with the ATI 11.x driver.

I know that because I applied the update and it is 8.821.0.0

Where do you think Microsoft gets the drivers from that get put up on Windows Update (here's a hint, Microsoft didn't write them)? Also the aforementioned 8.821.00 is the Catalyst 11.2,

http://www.sevenforums.com/graphic-cards/1810-latest-ati-catalyst-driver-windows-7-a.html



which is also a WHQL driver, as are all of AMD's monthly driver updates. You may get your video card driver through Windows Update but most of us would rather have full control of our video cards, which the driver through WU does not provide.

P.S. With your Dell having an AMD chipset in it (785G most likely based on the HD 4200 integrated video), you can bypass Dell and those driver update programs and just get the video and chipset drivers directly from AMD.

 

[seth500]

I wish ATI would take a little more care though with their drivers and compatibility with windows 7 I have a HD5670 and I don't install the catalyst control and all the extra's just the driver for the display itself and that's it, if I do install the whole package then here come the BSOD's like a bat out of hell!~