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  • Basic drivers question

    Explanation needed.
    I really should know this, but for some reason have never had to do it and unsure exactly how. Exactly being the operative word.
    Situation:
    I have just built a z77 based system on a Gigabyte board.boots and runs fine on a new ssd. What I want to do is install the 2 x ssd from my existing Gigabyte AMD machine onto the new build. If I put them in and boots, it goes to desktop then , no USB keyboard or mouse found, screen fills with boxes for various drivers not found.......To be expected, but the drives and Win 7 installation are recognised fine. Just obviously needs appropriate drivers.
    In an ideal world, if I had an optical driver disc and the motherboard drivers CD it would be straightforward, but I have neither.
    Situations like this invariably get the response, " Simple, the drivers are on the Gigabyte website, and so they are. t how do I go about getting them on to my machine via USB stick? It is the exact sequence of events that has me stumped.
    If I go to support/drivers, there they are. but then what? no way of just downloading them as they are to USB, I can only send them to my downloads ( this is on my old machine of course) then unpack them..Is that what I do? unpack them to usb? Then put the usb in the new build, boot, and expect it to find them? I really don`t want to just guess my way through, and any help via an explanation gratefully received.
    PS both units run Win7 pro 64 bit, 2 different keycodes
    AS Rock H97M-ITX/AC, BIOS vers 1.8 Pentium G3258K CPU Alpenfrohn Silvretta CPU Cooler , 250GB Samsung EVO Boot . Toshiba 2.5" HDD 1TB data. Pico 160XT power module
    , Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 4GB x2, , . Win7 Pro 64 bit, Logitech k360 keyboard and Logitech M185 mouse. Realan W80 ITX case.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    AS Rock AB350 Fatal1ty-Gaming-ITX, BIOS 3.1, Ryzen3-1200, Samsung 960M.2 NVME 256GB boot, Firecuda 1TB Data, G-Unique 300watt power module, Crucial Ballistix Sport 2400 x2 (16GB), XFX R7-240 2 GB GPU, Lian-Li PC-Q21B ITX case.

  • #2
    Re: Basic drivers question

    All the driver files that you can download from your board's website page are not simply driver files. They are programs that install the drivers automatically when you run them.

    The download files are really driver installation programs, that work in the same way as any software installation program you run to install a game, web browser, etc. If you've ever installed a game on your PC, you can install a driver from a driver installation program. The driver installer will likely be simpler and faster to install than a game.

    Drivers files that are not contained within an installation program exist, but they are rare. I'm sure that all the "drivers" on your board's download page are really driver installation programs, except for the Intel SATA Preinstall driver (For AHCI / RAID Mode), which is just a folder of several driver files. You likely don't need to install that driver manually anyway.

    The "drivers" on your board's CD are also really driver installation programs, the same ones in general that you can download individually from your board's download page. The only difference would be the version number of the driver installation program, since manufactures may update the download page with newer versions. When you put the CD in the optical drive, and it displays an Install Drivers option that you click, all it does is run the driver installation programs one after another until they are done.

    Installing the drivers... or I should say, running the driver installation programs stored on a USB flash drive is easy.

    Download the driver installation files to your old machine, and copy them to your USB flash drive. If some are compressed zip files, just copy the zip file to the USB flash drive, no need to unpack/extract the contents yet.

    When ready to install the drivers, connect the flash drive to the new PC, and copy (drag and drop) them all to a folder on the C: drive, such as the Downloads folder. It's easier to have all the driver installation files in one or two folders on the flash drive, you only need to drag and drop the folders from the flash drive to the Downloads folder.

    Then unpack/extract any zip files, which will be faster than doing that on the USB flash drive. It is also better to run the driver installation programs from the C: drive, it will be faster and some driver installation programs don't work correctly if they are not run on the C: drive. The best way to run them is to right click on the file and select Run as administrator. You may be prompted once or twice for input during the installation, otherwise just sit back and watch it install. You may be asked to reboot the PC after an installer runs, you must do that to complete the process.

    You can see if a "driver" file download is an installation program by right clicking on the file and choosing Properties. The Type of file will be Application (.exe, an executable program). You must extract zip files before doing that, of course. True driver files will have a type of .sys, and other types, but will not be .exe files.

    Frankly, you would need to search quite a bit to find stand alone driver files that are not part of a driver installation program, and some you would never find. The majority of "drivers" are driver installation programs, with the actual driver stored within the installer. The terminology is poor and sloppy, which in part is what confuses you.

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    • #3
      Re: Basic drivers question

      Thank you for a lucid and eloquent reply This is a tremendous help. I owe you a good lunch sometime.
      AS Rock H97M-ITX/AC, BIOS vers 1.8 Pentium G3258K CPU Alpenfrohn Silvretta CPU Cooler , 250GB Samsung EVO Boot . Toshiba 2.5" HDD 1TB data. Pico 160XT power module
      , Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 4GB x2, , . Win7 Pro 64 bit, Logitech k360 keyboard and Logitech M185 mouse. Realan W80 ITX case.
      -----------------------------------------------------------------------
      AS Rock AB350 Fatal1ty-Gaming-ITX, BIOS 3.1, Ryzen3-1200, Samsung 960M.2 NVME 256GB boot, Firecuda 1TB Data, G-Unique 300watt power module, Crucial Ballistix Sport 2400 x2 (16GB), XFX R7-240 2 GB GPU, Lian-Li PC-Q21B ITX case.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Basic drivers question

        Thank you, it is to be good to be considered lucid and eloquent at times...

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Basic drivers question

          I have the budget versions of your PC builds...............

          Stree`s PC Specs
          Motherboard ASR H97M-ITX/ac-Gigabyte Z77X-D3H
          Motherboard BIOS version 1.0.- 1.1
          Processor Intel i5-3570K. Pentium G3258
          Memory AMD Gaming 1333 8MB--G.Skill Ripjaws 1333 8MB
          Video Card #1 Intel HD Graphics-- Intel HD4000
          Hard Drive #1 Samsung EVO 128GB--Samsung 840Pro 128GB+Samsung EVO 250GB --
          Optical Drive None
          Case Antec Solo MK1, iWill mini-sys S197-H80
          Cooler To be decided--Arctic Freezer -Pro -Rev2
          Keyboard Silicone mini roll up--Enermax Aurora Aluminium
          Mouse Generic mini Optical B`tooth Microsoft Mobile 3000 B`tooth
          Power Supply Seasonic M12II Bronze 520W 80Plus . Seasonic X400 Gold.
          Pico 160W 24 pin
          Monitor to be decided for ITX- LG IPS 23EA63
          Operating System Windows 7 Pro 64bit X2
          AS Rock H97M-ITX/AC, BIOS vers 1.8 Pentium G3258K CPU Alpenfrohn Silvretta CPU Cooler , 250GB Samsung EVO Boot . Toshiba 2.5" HDD 1TB data. Pico 160XT power module
          , Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 4GB x2, , . Win7 Pro 64 bit, Logitech k360 keyboard and Logitech M185 mouse. Realan W80 ITX case.
          -----------------------------------------------------------------------
          AS Rock AB350 Fatal1ty-Gaming-ITX, BIOS 3.1, Ryzen3-1200, Samsung 960M.2 NVME 256GB boot, Firecuda 1TB Data, G-Unique 300watt power module, Crucial Ballistix Sport 2400 x2 (16GB), XFX R7-240 2 GB GPU, Lian-Li PC-Q21B ITX case.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Basic drivers question

            I see what you mean, but believe me, there are many PCs that are much more "budget" than yours. Plus the performance difference in actual use between our PCs is zero in most aspects.

            But you're mixing me up, your G3258 must be on the H97 board, I was expecting some order in your list of components! The AMD Gaming memory works in which system?

            Of course I should talk, my systems change constantly, I only recently updated the PC specs.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Basic drivers question

              Yes the Pentium is for the H97, just getting components together, build not begun. Decided on the cpu cooler, "PC Cooler S85" little known but 28dBA up to 95W TDP and only 27mm high.
              Not sure which way round the RAM is going, it in the Phenom955BE which is the machine I am currently using and upgrading from, just want a change.
              The fanless Seasonic is going in the Lian Li tower with the Gigabye board and the Pico is for the ITX......Semi fanless Seasonic will be a spare.
              These are budget biolds inasmuch that every part of the Lian Li Gigabyte i53570K is either a gift, second hand nearly new or Bgrade open box.....
              The ITX is a shoestring budget as well, case, cooler, power brick & Pico were £80 posted, all new, CPU 2nd hand formerly in unclocked HTPC 3 months.
              Should all be more than I need.
              AS Rock H97M-ITX/AC, BIOS vers 1.8 Pentium G3258K CPU Alpenfrohn Silvretta CPU Cooler , 250GB Samsung EVO Boot . Toshiba 2.5" HDD 1TB data. Pico 160XT power module
              , Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3 4GB x2, , . Win7 Pro 64 bit, Logitech k360 keyboard and Logitech M185 mouse. Realan W80 ITX case.
              -----------------------------------------------------------------------
              AS Rock AB350 Fatal1ty-Gaming-ITX, BIOS 3.1, Ryzen3-1200, Samsung 960M.2 NVME 256GB boot, Firecuda 1TB Data, G-Unique 300watt power module, Crucial Ballistix Sport 2400 x2 (16GB), XFX R7-240 2 GB GPU, Lian-Li PC-Q21B ITX case.

              Comment

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