Over the life of a notebook system, the need to install system software or drivers may become necessary. Installing new operating systems or troubleshooting system problems are common reasons to install or update system software.

When possible, system software should be obtained from the original manufacturer of the notebook system. Notebook hardware and software is customized and validated to work with a specific model of notebook. For this reason, only the original manufacturer can provide all the required software for the system.

Intel® Software and Drivers
If software or driver updates are not available from the original manufacturer of the notebook, Intel reference drivers may be used. Reference drivers are tested on generic Intel hardware only and have not been confirmed to work on specific notebook models and configurations from system manufacturers. Operating system updates may also be required to ensure the Intel reference drivers install successfully.

If you wish to use Intel reference drivers and software to update your system, the following installation order should be followed.

Detailed Driver Descriptions

• Operating System Service Packs
  Intel software and drivers have been validated and are only fully supported on operating systems updated with the required service packs.

• Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility
  The Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility enables features of the chipset that are built into the motherboard. This utility must be installed FIRST in order for the operating system to accurately use the features built into the chipset. If this utility is not installed, the operating system may not know what chipset is being used and may not run to full potential.

  The Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility installs Windows* INF files to the target system. These files outline to the operating system how to configure the Intel® chipset components in order to ensure that the following features function properly:

Core PCI and ISAPNP Services

PCIe Support

IDE/ATA33/ATA66/ATA100 Storage Support

SATA Storage Support

USB Support

Identification of Intel Chipset Components in the Device Manager

Many operating systems will already contain the information necessary to recognize Intel chipsets and therefore this update is not necessary. Refer to the Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility Support web site to determine whether the utility is required for your specific chipset and operating system combination.

• DirectX 9 (or newer)
  DirectX 9 supports hardware acceleration features such as Pixel Shader 2.0, Volumetric Textures, Shadow Maps, Slope Scale Depth Bias, and Two-Sided Stencil. Neglecting to update DirectX can reduce your system performance. Refer to the DirectX* Information and Downloads* area on Microsoft's web site.

• Intel® Extreme Graphics Driver
  The Intel Extreme Graphics Driver supports Intel's next generation integrated graphics architecture. This driver is required for systems based on the Intel 855GM chipset. For additional information or to download the latest driver, refer to Intel® Extreme Graphics Driver Support.

• Intel Graphics Media Accelerator Driver
  The Intel Graphics Media Accelerator river supports Intel's next generation integrated graphics architecture. This driver is required for systems based on the Mobile Intel 915 Express Chipset family and Mobile Intel 945 Express Chipset family. For additional information or to download the latest driver, refer to Intel® Graphics Media Accelerator Driver Support.

• Intel® PROSet/Wireless Software (version 10.1 or later)
  The Intel PROSet/Wireless software includes drivers and utilities that allow configuration and monitoring of your Intel® PRO/Wireless Network Connection. Advanced features of the adapters are supported. For additional information, refer to support.intel.com for your particular adapter

Note: Some links above point to resources outside of Intel's web sites. Intel does not control the information contained on other company's web sites.

This applies to:

Intel® Centrino® 2 Processor Technology Intel® Centrino® 2 with vPro™ Technology Intel® Centrino® Processor Technology Intel® Centrino® with vPro™ Technology