Ozzuneoj wrote:

I'm looking for a complete list of drivers included with different versions of Windows. For example, I can drop a Riva 128 into […]
Show full quote

I'm looking for a complete list of drivers included with different versions of Windows. For example, I can drop a Riva 128 into a 98SE system and it will generally install the driver without any hassle, where as I'd need to supply a driver for a TNT.

Does such a thing exist online? How about a list for 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP?

I know, if a system is being put together for long term use, a downloaded driver package is usually best, but for quick testing it'd be nice to know which cards will just work. And I know this information can be found by going through the lists in the hardware wizard, but one large list available online would be more convenient.

Is it possible to add a large quantity of drivers all at once to Windows so that more devices will install automatically later?

http://www.vogonsdrivers.com is a site on here that has the drivers (not all of them, unfortunately), but do a Google search for the appropriate driver.

Ozzuneoj wrote:

I'm looking for a complete list of drivers included with different versions of Windows. For example, I can drop a Riva 128 into a 98SE system and it will generally install the driver without any hassle, where as I'd need to supply a driver for a TNT.

Bad idea. Drivers included in Windows work, but they usually won't offer all the capabilities the device includes.

I'm looking for a complete list of drivers included with different versions of Windows.

I don't know if this useful to you, but for Windows up to ca. 98SE or 2000
Microsoft did publish a so-called Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).

If I remember correctly, it was included on the Win98 CD, as well (as a *.hlp or *.chm file ?).
That list contained computers or hardware in general that was known to be supported by Windows (out-of-box).

Zup wrote:

Ozzuneoj wrote:

I'm looking for a complete list of drivers included with different versions of Windows. For example, I can drop a Riva 128 into a 98SE system and it will generally install the driver without any hassle, where as I'd need to supply a driver for a TNT.

Bad idea. Drivers included in Windows work, but they usually won't offer all the capabilities the device includes.

What is a bad idea? As mentioned, I'm doing this for testing. I would download a full driver package for a system I was planning to use.

If I have a box full of old parts to test through, it'd be nice if I could identify which cards I needed to download drivers for and which ones I didn't. I have a basic idea, but an actual list would be nice. I would even be tempted to use Windows ME because I know it has a lot more late-90s drivers built in, due to being a little newer.

Zup wrote:

Bad idea. Drivers included in Windows work, but they usually won't offer all the capabilities the device includes.

While in most cases, yes, but there are some exceptions.

For example, under XP, only the Windows-provided drivers could enable FM Synth on YMF7x4 sound cards whereas official Yamaha drivers could not, although it doesn't appear to support extra features of those chips, so apparently in this case, the driver included in Windows provided features that official drivers did not.

Ozzuneoj wrote:

Is it possible to add a large quantity of drivers all at once to Windows so that more devices will install automatically later?

Yes and no. The resource kit offers this functionality to add additional drivers to a Win98 setup directory. Many drivers will conflict their filenames (i.e. any 3dfx Voodoo driver vs any other 3dfx Voodoo driver) and this tool won't resolve those.

And can't we remove the least good ones ?