Fresh Start with XP and new MB

[Gadget123]

I am upgrading to :
MB- Asus NForce2 A7N8X-E Deluxe Audio/LAN/IEE
CPU- AMD Athlon XP 2600+ Barton Core
Memory:- DDR (333) 2700 - 1 GB (2 pcs 512) Corsair
PSU- Enermax Whisper EG465P-VE(FC) (No Knob)
Western Digital 120GB SATA 8 MB Cache 7200 RPM
MSI FX5200 TV128 Video Card

From an ABIT KT7-Raid, AMD 850 Thunderbird & 512 ram using 2 40G WD 7200 HD's.

My plan is to clean install XP Home upgrade (using 98SE to verify previous version).

Although I have used XP for about a year, I am not sure that the drivers XP uses for various hardware and peripherals allows for the same interface that the same included software provides.
Example, XP finds the driver for my Canon BJC6000 USB supported printer, but when printing, 98SE showed a better interface while XP shows a simpler interface. When loading peripheral software, the working drivers as well as the supported interface to use it are on the accompanying CD. But, when it is plugged into a USB...XP finds the drivers before I can load them. OK, that can be good, but when trying to make sure the hardware works the way it was designed, it would seem that I should load the accompanying drivers/software and then go to the Web and update them.

My biggest concern is when XP sees my video card. The TV tuner isn't working now because I loaded it over VooDoo drivers of my previouis card (I read the FX5200 doesn't do well on a system that had a previous VooDoo card in this forum). Now I can't load any of the associated drivers or I get a BSOD. I have just been canceling out and not loading them until I complete this upgrade.

How can I make sure my hardware drivers on the clean install of XP will work properly and not conflict with the XP when I install drivers/software included with the hardware (Drivers are older etc.)? If I allow XP to find drivers, I may not get the interface to use the hardware. So...is it better to override XP's attempt to load hardware drivers by using the accompanying CD and downloading updated drivers?

Thanks
Bob

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

I don't think there is a 100% sure way of making sure XP drivers will work properly, but you should be able to use hardware's own installers, just reply "Yes" if it asks to overwrite a newer driver file.

 

[Gadget123]

Yes, but sometimes when XP finds new hardware it doesn't give you that oportunity. Either you click yes and XP finds the drivers or cancel. This is the problem with some Nvida drivers I have now. If I click yes, it loads them..then I get the BSOD. Click cancel and it just waits til the next time I boot.

 

[Liquidlen]

Have you tried the update driver wizard ,it has worked for me many times. especially if you uninstall a peice of hardware first and reinstall before booting ,(although the latter is not always allowed in XP)

 

[StormBringer]

if it isn't giving you the chance to decide whether or not to install newer drivers then you need to change your Windows Update settings.

Also, you should never install video drivers over top of existing ones. That is likely your problem. remove the old ones before installing the new ones.