Solved Windows Update overrides the latest Intel Graphics Driver with an older version

d1ggo_ · Jan 23, 2025

So on a fresh install of Windows on my ASUS TUF Gaming F15 (2022) laptop, downloading the latest graphics driver off of Intel's website (32.0.101.6458) and installing it, after restart, Windows Update overrides it with an older driver from 2023.

The CPU in this laptop is a i5-12500H. The driver from ASUS' website doesn't get touched by Windows Update, though, which is weird...

Anyone have a solution or a driver I could download that won't get overridden by Windows Update?

OAT · Jan 23, 2025

d1ggo_ said:
So on a fresh install of Windows on my ASUS TUF Gaming F15 (2022) laptop, downloading the latest graphics driver off of Intel's website (32.0.101.6458) and installing it, after restart, Windows Update overrides it with an older driver from 2023.

The CPU in this laptop is a i5-12500H. The driver from ASUS' website doesn't get touched by Windows Update, though, which is weird...

Anyone have a solution or a driver I could download that won't get overridden by Windows Update?

Your laptop might have specific requirements that prevent the update to the newest Intel Driver resulting in a roll-back.
Newer is not always better on a laptop & I would stick to the manufacturer's recommendation.
I, too, have an Asus TUF Gaming and I do not use the Intel site to update the discrete driver.

d1ggo_ · Jan 23, 2025

OAT said:
Your laptop might have specific requirements that prevent the update to the newest Intel Driver.
Newer is not always better on a laptop & I would stick to the manufacturer's recommendation.
I, too, have an Asus TUF Gaming and I do not use the Intel driver.

Alright, thank you so much!

I was just really confused.

Gonna mark this as resolved, but if anyone else wants to, feel free to chip in.

hsehestedt · Jan 23, 2025

You will note that when you download a driver from Intel, they specifically warn you that it is best to install the driver from the OEM if one is available. In fact, if I recall, they make you check a box that you understand but wish to proceed anyway.

You can experiment if you wish, but a typical sign of a problem is that the laptop has problems coming out of sleep. If you encounter anything like, switch back to the OEM provided driver.

If you do decide to install an Intel driver and Windows update keeps trying to install an older driver, it is possible to deny Windows the ability to update that driver. If you want specifics on this procedure, let me know and I will write it up for you

d1ggo_ · Jan 23, 2025

hsehestedt said:
You will note that when you download a driver from Intel, they specifically warn you that it is best to install the driver from the OEM if one is available. In fact, if I recall, they make you check a box that you understand but wish to proceed anyway.

You can experiment if you wish, but a typical sign of a problem is that the laptop has problems coming out of sleep. If you encounter anything like, switch back to the OEM provided driver.

If you do decide to install an Intel driver and Windows update keeps trying to install an older driver, it is possible to deny Windows the ability to update that driver. If you want specifics on this procedure, let me know and I will write it up for you

Yes, actually, I've had problems before where my laptop would come out of sleep, after 2-3 minutes it'd just restart itself... so that's a DEFINITE sign to switch to the OEM provided driver. Thanks!

hdmi · Jan 25, 2025

After the latest Intel Display driver has been installed and the computer has been restarted to finalize the install, you can run my batchfile below to prevent an outdated Intel Display driver update from showing up in Windows Update.

This will effectively prevent Windows Update from automatically downloading/installing that update (if available).

Batch:

<# ::
@echo off
"%windir%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command ^$fp = '%~dpnx0'; Invoke-Expression ((Get-Content '%~dpnx0') -join [Environment]::NewLine); Elevate
goto :eof
#>
$Command = "`$fp = '$($fp)'; Write-Host 'Processing: ' -ForegroundColor Yellow -NoNewline; Write-Host `$fp; Invoke-Expression ((Get-Content `$fp) -join [Environment]::NewLine); if (`$fp -ne '') { Main }"
function Elevate {
  if (([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator")) {
    Start-Process "$env:windir\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" "-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command `"$Command`""
  } else {
    Start-Process "$env:windir\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" "-NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command `"$Command`"" -Verb RunAs
  }
}
function Main {
  if (([Security.Principal.WindowsPrincipal][Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent()).IsInRole([Security.Principal.WindowsBuiltInRole] "Administrator")) {
    $Updates = (New-object -ComObject Microsoft.Update.Session).CreateUpdateSearcher().Search("IsInstalled=0 and Type='Driver' and IsHidden=0").Updates
    if ($Updates.Count -gt 0) {
      $Found = ($Updates | Where-Object { $_.Title -match '^Intel Corporation - Display - ' })
      if ($Found.Count -gt 0) {
        $Found | ForEach-Object {
          Write-Host "Found update: " -ForegroundColor Yellow -NoNewline
          Write-Host $_.Title
          $_.IsHidden = 1
        }
      } else { Write-Host "No Intel Display driver updates available in Windows Update." -ForegroundColor Yellow }
    } else { Write-Host "No driver updates available in Windows Update." -ForegroundColor Yellow }
  } else { Write-Host "Couldn't elevate the script." -ForegroundColor Yellow }
  pause
}

SlicEnDicE · Jan 25, 2025

Your laptop manufacturer driver version is probably higher than the latest Intel provided driver. And that is why it gets installed. Also the driver is manufacturer verified and provided for MS to distribute. It's a custom driver that may contain features that the generic Intel provided one doesn't have. Keep in mind that latest driver is not always the greatest.

I've had many laptops with this same driver update "issue". But since the one that Windows/manufacturer provides, had no issues, I stuck with the one they want me to use.

Don't fix something that ain't broken, unless you actually have had issues with the MS provided driver.

hdmi · Jan 25, 2025

I have had no problems using the latest generic driver from Intel on my Asus TUF Gaming F16 (2024). AFAIK Asus does not customize this driver in any way. Rather, Asus just keeps testing the driver to make 201% sure that it works on their systems without a hitch. That's why their version of the driver lags behind the generic one from Intel. But the fact that their version lags behind also means that it doesn't have the latest improvements from Intel. Even though it is true that Intel's reputation recently got a dent, I still trust them enough to install their driver on my laptop. My laptop hasn't exploded yet. (If I am still alive after it explodes I will make a new thread about it.)

SlicEnDicE · Jan 26, 2025

hdmi said:
I have had no problems using the latest generic driver from Intel on my Asus TUF Gaming F16 (2024). AFAIK Asus does not customize this driver in any way. Rather, Asus just keeps testing the driver to make 201% sure that it works on their systems without a hitch. That's why their version of the driver lags behind the generic one from Intel.

The driver version differences are very minimal. The newer Intel generic driver may have so little changes that the Laptop in question benefits in no way, and in worst case the driver includes something that may screw up things on this particular model. When it comes to graphics drivers in general, only thing new updates include are very often just certain game optimizations that prioritize latest titles but may reduce performance on other older ones. This same goes for any GPU driver, being it Intel, nVidia or AMD.

None of this means there will be any problems though. There may though...like with latest Generic AMD Radeon drivers for my laptop iGPU, where I had to go through about 100 driver versions before I found one that works as intended on my device, while the OEM one worked flawlessly, except that it lacked the Radeon software support (which was the reason I tried out the generic drivers in the first place, because the software has settings that one can not change by any other means).

hdmi · Jan 26, 2025

According to their description on their download page, the latest one from Asus is a critical one, which clearly suggests that their previous one must have had some kind of critical flaw. Where this gets the most interesting IMO is, there was a four month gap between these two. Which left plenty of opportunity for Intel to fix the problem a lot sooner than Asus has done. Looking at the release dates does reveal that Intel must have had the fix at least eight days earlier, possibly even several months earlier than Asus. Intel also confirms that OEM (Asus in this case) drivers may be lacking some of the latest bug fixes. See the first paragraph under Detailed Description on their page: Intel® Arc™ & Iris® Xe Graphics - Windows*
Also refer to the link at the end of that same paragraph.

SlicEnDicE · Jan 26, 2025

hdmi said:
Intel also confirms that OEM (Asus in this case) drivers may be lacking some of the latest bug fixes.

With the emphasis on MAY BE LACKING. It is not a guarantee though as the newer driver may also introduce far worse bugs. They also continue by stating that the hand picked OEM driver may contain customizations the generic one may not contain.

hdmi · Jan 26, 2025

The chance that the latest driver from Asus lacks bug fixes that the latest WHQL certified generic driver from Intel does not lack is bigger than the chance that the newer driver introduces far worse bugs, IMO and IME. That plus the fact that I can still always go back to the latest driver from Asus when necessary. But I have had no problems like I said. So, it hasn't been necessary. Again, the Asus driver does not contain any customizations AFAIK, and, even if it turned out that it does, you could still always refer to the link at the end of that same paragraph.

SlicEnDicE · Jan 26, 2025

Ok, back to the point of this thread. @hdmi have you had any issues with the Asus provided driver?

If not, then the OP shouldn't need to worry too much if Windows reverts to the defaults. If on the other hand, you have experienced bugs, please share what the issue was and with which driver and which driver solved the problem.

hdmi · Jan 27, 2025

SlicEnDicE said:
Ok, back to the point of this thread. @hdmi have you had any issues with the Asus provided driver?

If not, then the OP shouldn't need to worry too much if Windows reverts to the defaults. If on the other hand, you have experienced bugs, please share what the issue was and with which driver and which driver solved the problem.

Yes. I already explained the problem. It took Asus from August till December to release a critical driver update. Maybe critical problems are not important to you, and that's fine I guess. Whereas I am in the club of those who prefer not to take such added risks when there is no compelling reason to do so.

Helmut · Jan 27, 2025

You do not have any problem with the Graphics driver, other than your desire to have the "latest".
The 2023 driver is correct and would have come via Windows updates.

The manufacturer may also supply that driver but they tend to stop supplying them after a while on their support website.

Laptops like the one you have use Optimus and have all the hardware on the MOBO, not like in a separate Desktop PCI-E Graphics Card.

You have a Desktop as well so that must be pretty obvious.

I have a very similar Laptop from a different manufacturer, plus an older 11 year old Optimus Laptop. So a long experience of such Laptops.
In that time have never seen any significant change in graphics performance either from the Intel iGPU or the Nvidia dGPU.

Security considerations are an impossibly complex scenario for users even more so with an Optimus Laptop. You will never know if the driver is "lacking".

Same things can be said for your Audio on another thread.

The fact is that such Laptops can be kept running well with a minimum of effort.

SlicEnDicE · Jan 27, 2025

hdmi said:
Yes. I already explained the problem. It took Asus from August till December to release a critical driver update. Maybe critical problems are not important to you, and that's fine I guess. Whereas I am in the club of those who prefer not to take such added risks when there is no compelling reason to do so.

So what was the exact problem you had with the older driver?

If a manufacturer marks a driver update as critical, doesn't mean squat. I've seen plenty of those, and most of these so called critical updates didn't do anything for me. Some had very important security updates though where I was affected directly.

d1ggo_ · Jan 27, 2025

SlicEnDicE said:
Your laptop manufacturer driver version is probably higher than the latest Intel provided driver. And that is why it gets installed. Also the driver is manufacturer verified and provided for MS to distribute. It's a custom driver that may contain features that the generic Intel provided one doesn't have. Keep in mind that latest driver is not always the greatest.

I've had many laptops with this same driver update "issue". But since the one that Windows/manufacturer provides, had no issues, I stuck with the one they want me to use.

Don't fix something that ain't broken, unless you actually have had issues with the MS provided driver.

The thing is, it isn't, haha.

There are 3 variations for this driver:
- The MS Update catalog one, the oldest, which is from 2023
- The OEM (ASUS) provided one, which is from December of 2024
- The generic Intel driver, the newest, from Jan of this year

d1ggo_ · Jan 27, 2025

Helmut said:
You do not have any problem with the Graphics driver, other than your desire to have the "latest".
The 2023 driver is correct and would have come via Windows updates.

The manufacturer may also supply that driver but they tend to stop supplying them after a while on their support website.

Laptops like the one you have use Optimus and have all the hardware on the MOBO, not like in a separate Desktop PCI-E Graphics Card.

You have a Desktop as well so that must be pretty obvious.

I have a very similar Laptop from a different manufacturer, plus an older 11 year old Optimus Laptop. So a long experience of such Laptops.
In that time have never seen any significant change in graphics performance either from the Intel iGPU or the Nvidia dGPU.

Security considerations are an impossibly complex scenario for users even more so with an Optimus Laptop. You will never know if the driver is "lacking".

Same things can be said for your Audio on another thread.

The fact is that such Laptops can be kept running well with a minimum of effort.

Makes sense, striving for the latest drivers is really tough, especially in this environment.

I've already stuck with using the Intel graphic driver provided from ASUS themselves.

The only "generic" ones I use are the Realtek LAN driver, Intel Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and nVIDIA driver.

d1ggo_ · Jan 27, 2025

hsehestedt said:
If you do decide to install an Intel driver and Windows update keeps trying to install an older driver, it is possible to deny Windows the ability to update that driver. If you want specifics on this procedure, let me know and I will write it up for you

I am curious now... is @hdmi's batchfile said way or did you have another solution?

hdmi · Jan 27, 2025

SlicEnDicE said:
So what was the exact problem you had with the older driver?

If a manufacturer marks a driver update as critical, doesn't mean squat. I've seen plenty of those, and most of these so called critical updates didn't do anything for me. Some had very important security updates though where I was affected directly.

I already explained it twice. Also, when it comes to the (off topic) debate of keeping drivers always up-to-date, the typical-old "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" is just another myth. Worse, it's one of the most common rookie mistakes. Frequently updating drivers is a good practice because it improves performance, stability, compatibility and security. To you, it might mean squat. But personally, I, am still in the club of those who prefer not to take these added risks when there is no compelling reason to do so.

The pros of frequently updating drivers far outweigh the cons, as the risk of an update causing issues is small, these instances are rare and usually due to:

installing the wrong driver (e.g., if the right one is the one that has customizations from the manufacturer, but I will repeat myself saying for the third time that Asus does not customize this driver AFAIK...) or
a faulty update (the risk of which can be mitigated further, i.e. by waiting for Intel to release a new WHQL certified generic one some time after they have released a new non-WHQL certified generic one).

Again, if an update does cause issues, it can be rolled back. Like I also already said (in my post #8), I haven't had any problems using the latest generic one from Intel.

Solved Windows Update overrides the latest Intel Graphics Driver with an older version

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