Drivers and (necessary) Pre-installed Software

[RJ_]

Hello everyone,

I'm going to be installing Windows 10 Professional on a new SSD. This will be the first time I recover, update, or install Windows on an HP system without using the recovery partition or included discs. My worry is that none of the updated drivers will be there. I realize many of them are available from HP's site but the majority of them are the originals and over seven years old. I have updated most of them many times over the years. This PC was also a Configure-to-order machine so certain hardware, like the GPU for example, do not have thier firmware or software on the site.

How will I get all the performance type software that was on the machine orginally as well? Intel's Rapid Storage Technology would be one example. Plus any other programs I'm unaware of. Is there a way to extract these things from the recovery partition and inject them into the bootable USB drive I'll be using? Is there a model specific disc I can buy from HP with all these things?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[mdklassen]

From: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c02532957

your computer was originally factory-loaded with:

:

• Windows 7 Ultimate (64-bit)
• Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)
• Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit)

So, installing Windows 7 should work fine.

The web-page at: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-400-desktop-pc-series/4269972...?

has all the downlable device-drivers that you will need, if you are installing from "retail" Windows 7 Installation Media, i.e., not installing from a HP-customized "System Recovery Set".

Be sure to download "HP Support Assistant" (or "HP Advisor") from the above web-site.

It will find, download, and install any "updated" device-drivers (probably the same ones that are individually accessible on that web-site).

> the majority of them are the originals and over seven years old.

Windows 7 was released in 2010 -- about seven years ago.

My guess is that HP probably stopped development and release of updated device-drivers for Windows 7, about 2013, when Windows 8 first became available.

> I'm going to be installing Windows 10 Professional on a new SSD.

I would expect that all the necessary device-drivers for the HP hardware will be included on the Windows 10 Installation Media.

[RJ_]

  > The web-page at: https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/hp-pavilion-elite-hpe-400-desktop-pc-series/4269972...? 

  > Be sure to download "HP Support Assistant" (or "HP Advisor") from the above web-site.

Windows 10 isn't an available choice. Aside from the ones Windows 10 supplies, does this mean I will have install all other  drivers and hardware mangament programs by hand from each manufacturers site?

[mdklassen · Accepted solution]

> Windows 10 isn't an available choice.

This implies that all the required device-drivers are included with Windows 10, i.e., no need for HP to "supplement" what Microsoft already provides.

If you want the "other" application software that was included with the HP-modified installer for Windows 7, you need to install Windows 7, and then "upgrade" to Windows 10.  The compatible programs will be carried-forward; you will be notified about non-compatible programs that will be removed.

> Aside from the ones Windows 10 supplies, does this mean I will have install all other  drivers and hardware manga-ment programs by hand from each manufacturers site?

Yes, that is the "theory", but I expect that Windows 10 will install all the device-drivers for your hardware.

Maybe, you'll need to run Windows Update to add a device-driver or two.

Experiment: disconnect your computer from the Internet, boot from the Windows 10 installer, and install to your brand-new disk-drive, and then open Device Manager, to see if any device-drivers are "missing".

If the answer is "none", re-install Windows 7, to get all those other HP-added application software, and then upgrade to Windows 10, to retain those programs.

[kingtopcat]

Hi there RJ!: I own a Pavilion Elite HPE 410y which is of the same generation as your 460  while you can follow the same steps my agustly esteemed member provided you'll end up with a machine with stale & moldy drivers you have to go do this download a 3rd party app which shepards all your drivers & then download fresh state-of-the-art editions.

I hope this solves your problem

good luck!

                                                                                                                                 kingtopcat

[RJ_]

Hey kingtopcat! I see you recommending this solution to others driver-less shmucks as well. If we can't afford a driver, we should really get our license's it seems. Oh well, I'll just keep cruising the Internet super-highway atop my trusty, 8 year old 450t.

Can you recommend one of these driver sniffers that you've had success with on your machine?

[kingtopcat]

sure! if the rest of the forum chipheads don't mind me revealing it I used "Driver Booster" from www. Iobit.com

all you need to do once you get there is follow instructions

once part of your computer the app will either notify you of new drivers for you to download or you can scan for them yourself either way it'll scan as well as install them

you can download the free version which gives you 95% of what you need or the Pro version which is even more precise

before I came on line 2 months ago my 2010 Pavilion 410y was geriatric needing a good dose of "Geritol" the only thing I could do was download drivers from my local library but sometimes that screwed my machine even worse because the drivers & other software were off kilter

hope this gets your beloved sipinning like out planet or a top!

again hope this does the trick!

let me know if you need anything else

after all that's what I & the rest of us are here for YOU!

                                                                                                                               kingtopcat

[mdklassen]

I have reservations about the whole class of "Driver Updater" software packages.

Chronologically:

1. the manufacturer of the hardware, e.g,. a network-card, writes a device-driver.

2. a company, say HP or Dell or Lenovo, takes the source-code for the device-driver.

3. that company modifies the device-driver software, either for added functionality, or to interface with the company's software, or to interface with proprietary hardware that is "similar" to the manufacturer's hardware.

4. the manufacturer of the hardware updates the device-driver, and assigns a newer "version-number".

5. the "driver updater" software finds the older version of the software on the HP/Dell/Lenovo system, and recommends the updated software, from the manufacturer, downloads it, and installs it.

6. the user gets reduced functionality, and possible incompatibility.

Ouch!   

My $0.02.