About driver installation without system restart

Good day, I couldn't google an explanation for that, but for some time now, driver installation process ends without a restart prompt, the driver is being switched in real-time apparently (even a chrome's tab frame just goes to black and then it's back online, no need to relaunch the browser). Does someone know since when it is the case, and why it is possible now, technically speaking? Is that just a win 10 thing, because of wddm 2.1?
Thanks.

 

It's usually fine to upgrade drivers without restarting, but you should always do a reboot if downgrading.

 

Sometimes it asks you to restart to finish the installation, sometimes it doesn't.
Probably the restart it's only needed when some important core file need to be replaced offline(as in not in windows)

 

Since WDDM introduction in Windows Vista.

 

I find things like FF are laggy if I don't reboot after a driver update even though there is no reboot prompt

 

Yup, I agree with you there, with FF.

 

I always manually reboot after every driver install. Old school habits :3eyes:

 

Reboots happen with the blink of an eye nowdays anyways ^^

 

when you have been installing drivers as long as I have rebooting is second nature

 

Restart FF and it will run fine. I do reboot after a driver install before plying anything though.

 

Yea with SSD it only takes a few seconds to reboot anyway, force of habit and not a bad one tbh

 

Thanks, I've done more googling and found this one msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa480220.aspx?f=255&MSPPError=-2147217396

 

AMD still requires you to reboot. I just reboot anyway. Feels wrong not to.

 

Since windows Vista, devices can be "enabled" and "disabled" to install new drivers, so it doensn't require you to restart the PC all times.

But I do it anyway, even if installation doesn't ask for it. Sometimes I've seen unstabilities when I don't.

 

Me too. Also it is good practice to use DDU when upgrading drivers.

 

Also using DDU in safe mode and reboot when bench-marking drivers..

 

I use DDU only when I have some driver install fail or when downgrading drivers.

Otherwise, the 'clean install' from nvidia does fine for me.

 

AMD driver install was broken until later R9 releases... I had to use DDU all the time when I had my R9 290. Three reboots just to update some driver (and a 500mb+ download).

Glad I got back to nVidia... One reboot and good to go! :nerd:

 

Yet to see any of my builds working flawless without reboots after each driver install.
For later updates only if it prompts me, and most software will do without, but still do it after updating things like mouse/keyboard stuff.

This way i can exclude "didn't reboot after installing" as a cause if i experience any issues after updates.

 

Never have this issue and still have my 290 wife uses it. I use both, but I have issues on both sides with something here and there, so I just report they appear and go.

As far as installing drivers 90% of the time I've had no issue with the upgrade method on both sides, but from time to time I have run into an issue where my start menu will flicker like crazy and I can't interact with it which forces me to restart, but I tend to even if the drivers don't ask me to, to restart anyways.

I also find that both sides clean install works well, but I still use DDU as that is much easier and cleans up a lot more than their own tools.