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New Norton Driver Updater Utility
XPS 8940
XPS8940 running Windows 10 Pro (64)
I was torn between posting this in the XPS Community boards or here...so it appears I chose here.
Norton (Symantec or whatever they're calling themselves these days) has a new utility called Norton Driver Updater, which is supposed to scan your PC and produce a list of drivers that need updated and then install them for you. Norton is currently advertising that utility by including part of it in the Norton 360 "Smart Scan" and inserted below is a jpg of a screen capture that everyone can see that shows the recommended drivers that Norton says need to be updated on my XPS 8940.
Does anyone know if these drivers are even compatible with the XPS 8940? Dell's Support Assist hasn't recommended any of them to be installed. I also run Intel's Driver and Support Assistant and it isn't recommending any of the Intel updates listed (and the Intel Management Engine Interface driver Norton is recommending doesn't even appear on the Intel website, but there is a newer version than what is installed on my PC there).
Opinions? Thoughts?
lmacri
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July 29th, 2023 06:00
Hi sewing1243:
The Norton Driver Updater (rel. 12-Jul-2023) sounds like it should still be in BETA. If you search the Norton forum you'll find multiple threads from users who couldn't boot up their computer after allowing this utility to install drivers on their machine - see Jon3148's 25-Jul-2023 Norton Driver Updater - New Product for one example.
I run the occasional scan with KC Software's free DUMo (Drivers Update Monitor) utility if I suspect I have a problem with a driver (see my 13-Dec-2021 post in SoulAsylums' Overnight Push Update from Intel in the Norton Tech Outpost board for one example) but I would never allow DUMo, or any other driver updater utility, to actually install drivers on my system.
I can't speak to your XPS 8940, but I've had problems in the past where my Inspiron 5584 became very unstable after I installed a hardware driver from a source other than Dell (i.e, Windows Update or the original manufacturer's website), so I am now only using drivers recommended on my Inspiron 5584 support page that are certified to work with my Dell BIOS firmware. I have a Win 10 Pro OS and have also used my Local Group Policy Editor (Computer Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components| Windows Update | Do Not Include Drivers With Windows Updates | ENABLED) to prevent Windows Update from installing hardware drivers.
The Intel support article Intel Products That Aren’t Supported by Intel Driver & Support Assistant (Intel DSA) notes that this utility does not check for chipset drivers. The Intel Management Engine Components Installer v2141.15.0.2511 (Intel-Management-Engine-Components-Installer_MPGT1_WIN_2141.15.0.2511_A00.EXE, rel. 13-Jan-2022) recommended on the support page <here> for your XPS 8940 is categorized as a chipset update so that might explain why the Intel Management Engine Interface driver that Norton Driver Updater is recommending isn't detected by the Intel Driver & Support Assistant.
I've also noticed that Dell is notoriously slow when it comes to certifying hardware drivers and tends to release new drivers that have a bug fix for a security vulnerability but may skip a hardware driver that only offers a new feature, so that might be why Norton Driver Updater is recommending newer driver updates for your system. However, unless you're a gamer that requires the latest and greatest graphics drivers that probably won't be a problem for you.
The only updates the Intel Driver & Support Assistant has ever found for my Dell Inspiron 5584 are for the graphics drivers for my Intel UHD Graphics 620 GPU. The Intel Driver & Support Assistant is currently recommending the v31.0.101.2125 driver but warns that "Installing this graphics driver from Intel will remove customizations from your computer manufacturer (OEM)" so for now I'm still using the older driver recommended on the support page <here> for my Inspiron 5584. At some point I'm sure Dell will stop releasing customized drivers for my Intel graphics chip, or I'll run into some problem that requires a newer graphics driver, and when that happens I'll try the graphics driver recommended by the Intel Driver & Support Assistant.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3208 * Firefox v115.0.3 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23050.9-1.1.23060.1005 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.33.272-1.0.2069 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.9.0 * My Dell v2.2.4.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.22.1 * Intel Driver & Support Assistant v23.3.25.6 * DUMo Free Portable v2.25.4.125
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620
GK Project
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September 26th, 2023 12:17
Yes I have had the same concerns. I spoke to Dell Support and they said to stick to the Dell-authorised driver updates. I will ignore Norton Driver and their £49 a year subscription for it.