How do I keep Windows from automatically installing drivers?

I'm sure this is relatively easy to do but I haven't stumbled upon the answer yet.

I want to keep Windows from automatically installing hardware, like my ethernet adapter.

Thanks,

Andrew

 

Do you mean the 'New Hardware Found' Wizard? If so, just say NO.

 

The 'New Hardware" Wizard isn't coming up asking whether I want to install the ethernet...it is doing it automatically.

An example of this is...I go to the ethernet adapter properties, click on 'Configure' and then on 'Driver' and then on 'Uninstall.' This removes the adapter successfully, but the next time I turn the computer on XP will automatically install this device without asking whether I want to do that. It will show a balloon saying 'Found New Hardware' and then install the adapter.

 

Hi SoFloAcer,

Then disable it. Don't uninstall it. It will dissapear from the system and in Device manager will be only a little red x.

Rightclick on my computer - properties - hardware tab - device manager
-find your network card under network adapters
-right click - properties
-at the bottom - choose "Do not use this device (disable).

That is it. It will not bother you anymore.

Cheers,

 

Yeah, well that's the whole reason I was searching for a way to not have Windows install it....because I don't want to see a little red x in the system tray. For some reason it just annoys me to see the the red x network adapter that I don't use amongst all of the programs I do use.

 

Ha! Then I guess you also don't have the BIOS option for turning off the network card?

Well of course you can find the inf file with the information about your card in the hidden inf folder in Windows folder and delete it. Next time you will get the window saying that it would like to install the card. Say no and choose to never ask you again.

You may try with the hardware profile.
Uninstall the card. Save the hardware profile and then restart. Load that profile. I have never tried it though.

Cheers,

Edit: Ups you said

- but with the disabled network adapter there will be no icon in THE SYSTEM TRAY. It will be in the device manager! You will not see it anywhere else!

Edit2: If it is only the icon with the red x in the system tray that is giving you problems, then you can hide it. Rightclick inside the area between the small icons around the clock. Choose Properties. In the window that shows in the bottom right corner click "adjust" or something (I have croatian windows). In the new window find the networking icon and choose always hide. Try that and see if it works.

 

Well, the method ikovac suggested should have removed the "x" icon from the system tray. You can also try to disable it by right clicking on the ethernet connection and clicking disable in your Network Connections folder.

 

Thanks for the help guys, I'll dig around in the Bios first and if I don't see anything for turning off the adapter there, then try deleting the inf file.

Thanks again.

 

If all you want is to avoid seeing the icon, you should be able to do it from here:

 

Instead of uninstall it I would hide it.
Assuming you have WinXp
Right click on the taskbar. Choose properties. Click Customize. Scroll until you see the icon you want to hide, select it, it will become a drop down menue. Choose always hide

 

Windows automatically installs drivers. Sounds like you have Windows XP Pro SP1, SP2 asks you if you want drivers installed.

Upgrade to SP2.

 

I have XP Pro with SP2 installed, and it still installs everything automatically. Many have already given good advice for how to work around Windows installing unwanted hardware...but you think there would be a simple setting where one could disable Windows from doing this.

Oh well....there's always Vista

 

Does it install it through the Automatic Update? Turn it off and Windows won't do any driver-installs. I find it unacceptable for Windows to do such things without asking...

 

No, it's not installing anything automatically through Automatic Update...I have this set to "notify me but don't automatically download or install them."

One update to this already too long thread, is that I (again) went into the Taskbar and Start Menu properties, clicked on "hide inactive icons" and then selected the network adapter that I don't want to see and chose the "always hide" option. This made the icon disappear...although the next time I turned my machine off and then started it up again, this setting was reset and the network adapter was again being displayed with a red x. I went into the properties again and the setting had reverted to "hide when inactive" instead of the setting I gave it. I'm not sure why this would change because my account has admin rights and thus any changes I make should stick, but that's not the case I guess.

 

The reason you are getting this is because the driver still exists on the system. When you turn on the system, the IRQ/PORTS/etc.. are quickly checked to see if any new hardware has been installed. If it has it will tell you it has found new hardware and then does a quick check in your driver folder to see if you have a corresponding driver. If it then finds one (and it wont always pickup the correct one) that it thinks is a match you will get the auto install and then the 'your device is ready' promt. What you need to do is examine the item in question in the device manager and locate the driver. Once you are 100% certain you have found the driver, uninstall the item in question. Once uninstalled, delete the driver from the system. Next time you reboot the machine, it will announce that it has detected new hardware. Go thru the dialogues and eventually you will come accross one that says 'NEVER ASK ME ABOUT THIS AGAIN'. From then on its is straight forward. It will remain in your device manager but will not function.

Hope this helps.

 

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