Belicose

I want to update my N-force 4 chipset drivers, problem is I can't find them.
All the tutorials I've read, state for this particular chipset, the old drivers should be uninstalled first as opposed to being overwritten. These same tutorials say this can be done using the Add/Remove programs utility, but they're not there. Only my display adaptor drivers exist there.
My mobo is A8N32-SLI Deluxe, OS is XP. Can anyone tell me where they might be?

Done_Fishin

you may well be using Microsofts generic drivers so you'd need to check inside the hardware manager to find what drivers are being used

Belicose

In device manager, if I expand "system devices" I see some "nforce" entries, and all the drivers are from nvidia. However I'm not sure if I'm looking in the right place. I must admit I'm somewhat of a noob at this.

Done_Fishin

been thinking about this and it may well be that you will need to enter safe mode so that drivers aren't loaded then install the new drivers from there.

Back up all your data before trying to mess with your PC .. Clone it to a new drive or make an image and burn it to CD/DVD media so that you'll be able to recover if anything goes wrong.

Belicose

First off, I want to thank you for taking the time to help me with this, I appreciate it. Back to the thread - If there two driver versions installed, might that create a conflict when no longer in safe mode?

Done_Fishin

if you go into safe mode and install new drivers then the new drivers will replace the old ones. If there are any files being transferred that are older then your existing drivers you will be told and asked if you really want to replace the newer file with the older one. There is no chance that two sets of drivers can run concurrently.

you're welcome to whatever help I can give .. it's enough that I know what you need to know and have the time to explain

mattlock

Typically, if you go into Add/Remove programs, you'll only see "Nvidia Drivers". Once you click "Change/Remove" then a window will popup with the options to:

"Remove all Nvidia drivers including Display"
"Remove all Nvidia drivers except Display"
"Remove only the following"

Choose the 2nd option.

Belicose

Thank you, Done_Fishin & mattlock138 for the help. I feel reasonably confident to attempt this now. I'll post back and let you know how it went.
One final question, and perhaps I've got this backwards, but is updating the chipset drivers a good idea? There is currently nothing wrong with my system, I've just heard and read that it should be done every 6 months or so. Or should I stick with the "if it ain't broke" theory?

(is "reasonably confident" an oxymoron?)

mattlock

You're Welcome!

I'm a firm believer in "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

IMHO,there's no need to update them if not having any problems.

Have a good one, and remember we are always here and Happy to help.

Done_Fishin

I agree .. frequently more harm is done than good when you don't need the update .. update software to get more facilities and update drivers when your devices don't work properly or are conflicting with another device.
hardware driver updates usually add extra options that apply to newer hardware and might fix a problem to an older board but unless its advised by the manufacturer for your specific application .. leave alone.