Installing an Inbox Driver or a Preinstalled Driver

If there is an inbox driver or a preinstalled driver that matches a device, Windows automatically installs the driver package that has the best match to the device. Windows will not prompt the user to insert a distribution medium. In addition, Windows generally will not attempt to access Windows Update immediately to determine whether there is a Windows Update driver that is a better match than the drivers that are already installed on the computer. However, Windows or the user could initiate a search for a better matching driver package on Windows Update at a later time.

For more information about how driver packages are located during a hardware-first installation, see Where Windows Searches for Drivers.

For information about how Windows selects the driver that has the best match to a device, see How Windows Selects Drivers.