Re: Rolling back Computer device in device manager (hal.dll) after installing SP2 gives BSOD after restarting?

<cuentanewslabogel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:unKRTQJVFHA.3532@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Yes, in part I agree with you, we've allways done that with Intel Chipsets, in similar models.

You're walking on thin ice. Similar models means what? Same chipset *and* rev *and* BIOS level, or just a chipset that happens to be from the same vendor and it's 'close enough' because it's of the same generation and has the same feature set, approximately?


I'd never do that from VIA Chipsets to Intel, or viceversa without a repair CD...

And the reasons why you do repair installs in that instance is the same reason why you do a repair when swapping between Intel chipsets that support SMP/HT/APIC and those that don't. The fact that you're not changing vendor does not make it safe.



You want pre-SP2 kernel code to run with SP2 code. Why do you think that should be possible?

Then why is it possible to rollback the driver in Windows XP SP2 GUI? I'm doing something unsupported via the XP GUI? If it is unsupported, then gray it out in device manager!!


*Some* drivers are the same, especially peripherals and/or 3rd party. MS has to draw the line somewhere and assume at least a modicum of intelligence on the part of someone messing around with drivers. The sole intent of driver roll back is if something goes splat immediately after installing a driver (or shortly there after). If you've been running a driver for more than a few days, rolling it back, *might* become problematic depending on what else has been updated in the interim.

There are also reason why it can be necessary to change the HAL sans setup. For example, remotely troubleshooting a suspected failing processor on an headless SMP server. In this instance there is no change in the chipset or enumeration; you're simply disabling one of the processors. However switching between an ACPI HAL and a standard HAL is dangerous.

Playing with drivers is a crap shoot. Always has been and always will be. Playing with drivers at the abstraction layer is a real crap shoot especially if you're trying to cross service pack levels.

--
Walter Clayton
Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.


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