# Does "Intel INF" ever really install anything?



## McQueen (Oct 10, 2012)

I'm trying to find out if I have the latest chipset drivers. I'm more stubborn than skilled, I hope someone here knows more about how drivers work.

Take first, as a simpler and more straight-forward example of how I thought it always worked, the most common Realtek LAN driver. In the downloaded package, in the same folder as the .inf file (rt64win7.inf), there also is a .sys file (rt64win7.sys) which I assume is the driver, and there also are 2 DLL files (RtNicprop64.DLL and RTNUninst64.dll) and I can guess they are used for viewing properties and uninstall. If I look at my NIC in the Device Manager, under Drivers / More Info, these 3 are listed as the driver files. Also, if I look in rt64win7.inf, there are references to all 3 mentioned .sys and .dll files (e g under heading [SourceDisksFiles]). So it all makes sense.

There are 2 chipset drivers. The ME driver seems understandable. But when it comes to Intel INF installer, there are several things that to me look like they are never used:

    The downloaded package consists of only .inf and .cat files, no related code (as in .sys or .dll files).
    If I run pnputil.exe -e, make a list of all oemXX.inf files that say "Intel", and open these in C:\Windows\Inf, then I can see the files from Intel that are actually being used, including the original file names (before Windows renamed them to oemXX.inf). And from that I can see that the .inf files in use never are the ones that came with the Intel Inf package (the used drivers I guess are something Microsoft found)
    If I compare all .inf files in the downloaded Intel INF package with all .inf files in C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository, only 3 are in common: cougcore.inf, cougsmb.inf and SNB2009.inf. But in these, there are no references to any .sys or .dll file, and under the heading [SourceDisksFiles] it is just blank.
    Looking closer at what driver is used for the SM Bus: In Device Manager I see that it uses intelsmb.sys (and intelsmb.inf, via Info / INF name), and that the device's ID is 1C22. I think the Intel INF installer is supposed to match that ID to what devices the .inf files list that they support. Now, with the Intel INF package there came a newer driver for the SM Bus, cougsmb.inf. Both cougsmb.inf and intelsmb.inf are in the FileRepository directory, so it looks like the system has tried to install them at some point. And in both these .inf files, 1C22 is listed under "supported devices". The cougsmb.inf is newer, and it is specifically for Cougar Point chipsets, which is what is on the H67 chipset boards like mine. Still the system uses intelsmb.inf.

So it looks like my system uses old chipset drivers (probably whatever Microsoft found at the original install), and that the files that should install new drivers are empty.

Am I missing something?

PS Running Win7 64bit with i3-2100 and H67 chipset.


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## Jack1n (Oct 10, 2012)

Usually Windows 7 does not require you to install any chipset drivers,but it would help if we knew what motherboard you have.


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## McQueen (Oct 10, 2012)

Just follow the provided link to Gigabyte above. 

(And I also tested most of this with an Asrock B75M-ITX as well.)

Why would they provide an INF installer if it isn't necessary? Both Gigabyte and Asrock do. And it sure does put some entries in the registry at least.

Intel themselves also provide what looks like the same utility here (except the latest I find is 1019 and I have 1021 already from Gigabyte). In general Intel (and AMD) seem to encourage that you take MB drivers from the MB site. But probably both work just as good (or bad).

When I read the info at Intel's site now, it seems to say that all it does it let Device Manager show the right info but doesn't affect drivers. Too bad Gigabyte and Asrock don't mention this. But how does the chipset get its drivers then? Haven't seen such things mentioned in win update - where else then?


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## TheMailMan78 (Oct 10, 2012)

Jack1n said:


> Usually Windows 7 does not require you to install any chipset drivers,but it would help if we knew what motherboard you have.



Um........ YES YOU DO NEED TO INSTALL CHIPSET DRIVERS.


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## Jack1n (Oct 10, 2012)

Win 7 comes with most motherboard drivers already installed on it,if not update to SP1.
you dont seem to have any issues with you system tought? so you just want the latest drivers installed?


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## TheMailMan78 (Oct 10, 2012)

Jack1n said:


> Win 7 comes with most motherboard drivers already installed on it,if not update to SP1.
> you dont seem to have any issues with you system tought? so you just want the latest drivers installed?



Chipset drivers can be specific to the mobo. This is why you gotta install the drivers that are from the mfg. They tweak them sometimes. DO NOT rely on windows.


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## TheoneandonlyMrK (Oct 10, 2012)

I used to roll with an abit mobo, and due to lack of support i used intels chipset updates, and your right it often leaves the driver as is, if windows thinks the old one matches better, i dont know how it decides but i often downloaded the zip'd version and manually installed the latest drivers (using have disk method)for all relevant entries ie smbus ,pciex lanes and everything, it took some time and be sure to turn auto updates off(on hardware)


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## McQueen (Oct 10, 2012)

I think you have to separate updates of "Intel INF installer" from actual updates of chipset drivers. When you run the INF installer, it writes version of INF installer to HKLM\SOFTWARE\Intel\Infinst. Like when I tried to run intel's (see above) which is v1019 and already have 1021 from Gigabyte, it said "do you really want to run it - it is older than your present one" just because of that reg entry probably. But each specific actual chipset driver also has a version (SM Bus, SATA AHCI, PCIe and whatnot).

I'm thinking now that the "intel INF installers" (which you find at the MoBo manufacturer's site under headline "chipset drivers") never updates any chipset drivers, they are just supposed to make sure Device Manager show correct info (and I'm not sure even that works, since it doesn't affect which .inf and .sys that is used). As I found out a couple of hours ago (see above) Intel does explain this, only problem with that explanation is that you are supposed to get these things from the MoBo site and they forgot explain it. 

And that you have to do like theoneandonlymrk says and dowload & install them all manually. But from where? Obviously, if you do a manual install of unzipped .inf files that you get from the "Intel INF installer" (which is all that is easily available) then you don't update any drivers, just the info. no difference from just running the INF installer. The drivers are .sys files and I wouldn't feel sure any chipset driver is updated without checking the .sys file version before & after update attempt.

So if my conclusions are correct then all Intel users have very old chipset drivers and nobody has any control over what they have. Can it be as bad as that really?!


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## cadaveca (Oct 10, 2012)

I think perhaps you are over-analyzing things.


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## 95Viper (Oct 14, 2012)

McQueen said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Some info for those who wonder --> What is the Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility?

Quote from Intel's website page ^in the link above^



Spoiler






> What is the Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility?
> 
> The Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility automatically tells you if you need to update your chipset INF files and prompts you to install the files.
> 
> ...






Basically you are right.
The Intel INF utility tells Windows what you got, where to add it to the system, device manager, etc. then Windows tries to find the driver; but, that may not always happen. 
You probably will get the drivers installed by Windows for most devices; however, if it is something Microsoft has not included in the updates, OS install, or it is something totally new... then, you would get the drivers from the manufacturer, vendor, or other source.


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