How can I forcibly install an older driver on Windows 7?
I'm trying to downgrade my Realtek High Definition Audio driver, currently
It's not as simple as clicking "Update Driver..." because here's what happens:
So, naturally, I tried uninstalling the driver. But, then, I cannot install the new driver without restarting my computer. And when I restart my computer, the default driver is already halfway through installation by the time I get back to the Device Manager dialog, putting me back to square one.
Is there a way to get around the "The best driver software for your device is already installed [...] Windows has determined the driver software for your device is up to date" prompt and force installation of an older driver?
I think you just have to persistently tell it no, and a force manual installation.
Follow these steps:
- Locate manually
- Let Me pick from the list
- Have disk
- Browse, find the INF and whatever other persistent manual is necessary.
With enough persistence you can even install a completely wrong driver into a driver slot, very rarely you could even cause a no-boot situation. Hopefully you know what it is and what belongs there for sure before forcing it in.