Microsoft explains why Windows sometimes automatically download Intel drivers from 1968

If you often check the update option of Windows 10 and Windows 11, you should notice that some drivers in the drivers are released very early. For example, the Intel drivers from 1968 have appeared before. The Intel-System driver may be repeatedly installed by the system. The occurrence of this kind of situation is not accidental and is not considered an error, because Microsoft is setting it based on compatibility considerations, although it may cause confusion for users. A few days ago, Microsoft released a note explaining why the system will install the old and outdated driver drivers. In short, Microsoft will automatically match the drivers according to the hardware situation.

Note: Intel(R) Chipset Device Software uses an unusual date for the devices it is targeting. The date 07/18/1968 is symbolic – Intel was founded that day. The reason this date is used is to lower the rank of Intel(R) Chipset Device Software.

This is necessary because it’s a supporting utility that should not overwrite any other drivers. Updating Intel(R) Chipset Device Software is not needed – do not worry if you don’t have the latest version.

The current common drivers in the Window Update option are released by hardware manufacturers, and drivers released by computer manufacturers. Among them, the drivers released by hardware manufacturers mainly refer to companies such as Intel and Nvidia, which provide new functions and features through new drivers. The drivers released by computer manufacturers usually have a specific purpose. For example, some drivers released by Lenovo will contain updates to the pre-installed software components of the system. The timestamp of the drivers released by Microsoft is June 21, 2006, based on compatibility considerations. This does not mean that the driver is the version released in 2006. Microsoft deliberately set an older date to prevent compatibility issues with some hardware, so when you open the Device Manager, you will find that many drivers are many years ago.