Graphics drivers - uninstall before install?

What's the state of graphics cards drivers these days? Is it still recommended to uninstall existing drivers before updating? I'm having a NVIDIA GT 240 installed. Background: Since last update of Photoshop CC, it is occasionally crashing, something I have NEVER experienced with PS before. Uninstalling plugins and updating video driver is what I can think of to help this situation.

 

Greetings, a_hansen.

I think that's a good idea. My procedure is usually:

1. Have the new package downloaded and ready.

2. Uninstall the present driver.

3. Reboot the machine.

4. Install the new driver package.

5. Reboot the machine again.

Might be overkill, but I like the double restarts to get Windows and the graphics software in sync.

 

Hi my fellow , in addition to Caliban way it's a good idea using this tool

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/driver_fusion_(driver_sweeper).html

because some times there is some remnants from the old driver in your system :wave

 

I've typically used Caliban's method because I'm a believer in proper protocol and overkill in general However, I've started using IObit's Driver Booster

http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/iobit_driver_booster.html

to upgrade proprietary drivers and Driver Booster essentially uses MA's method of doing it all in one go. So far, Driver Booster has worked flawlessly on my system, thereby lending support to what MA suggests.

 

Thanks for the kind greetings and replies.

Note that at this stage, I haven't actually updated the graphics drivers. It is the recent update of Photoshop CC that seems to be causing trouble. I don't know if the problem actually involves the graphics drivers. That said, I am still running the same graphics drivers since building the system in 2010. Having a color managed environment for photography including monitor profiling, updating the video drivers always seemed like a potential risk of messing things up.

 

Good morning.

It's been my experience that device drivers are usually updated to address specific problems. You might consider browsing (or even asking questions in) the nVidia or Photoshop forums to see if anything jumps at you about your symptoms.

If it were my machine I'd make sure I had the original nVidia suite on hand for backup and then update the graphics drivers with the newest package. If the problem is corrected, fine - if not, then revert to the older software and move on from there.

 

I would ask, what does your user manual say? Funny thing about RTFM, there is often much to learn about the applicable product - instead of assuming a blanket statement fits all.

I agree with MA - typically (IF ALL IS WELL FROM THE START) when installing new drivers, the old will be uninstalled (or at least removed from the Registry) if need be.

The only time I uninstall old drivers if when all is NOT well from the start. That is, I suspect something with my existing driver is corrupt, or if I am changing GPU brands - that is, removing an AMD/ATI card and replacing it with an NVIDIA. Then I might perform a total uninstall to ensure all hooks are removed.