Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (
More info?)
Okay, the system changed and that changed the system environment. It's not
unusual for things that had worked before to stop working when you do an
update, especially one as extensive as SP2. If you note responses to most
posts from people who say things were fine, then they installed SP2 and this
device or that device not longer functions, you'll find most advice
including from me recommends checking the device manufacturer's website for
the latest XP compatible drivers for that device and if that doesn't resolve
it to check with the manufacturer to see if they are supporting the device
in SP2.
In your case, going to the device manufacturer or the PC manufacturer
apparently didn't work. As I said, digital signing is nothing more than a
means of showing through a digital signature that drivers have been tested
and approved my Microsoft. Normally, the fact they aren't signed, doesn't
make a difference as long as the drivers are from the manufacturer. It
appears, it just so happened in your case, the system found a driver that
was compatible with your device and it happened to be digitally signed. The
digital signature is not a magic elixir, it is simply an assurance to the
user. And, because drivers change so rapidly for some devices, most
notably, graphics card and soundcard, it's no assurance of continued
functionality as the system is updated. In fact, if users were to wait for
such drivers to appear, they'd often end up without the use of the device
assuming they were seeking updates because the device stopped functioning
after installing SP2 or some other system update.
Further, the digitally signed drivers usually found at Windows Update are
not only outdated by they are available to most users, they are minimalist
in the features they support. In other words, they usually only support
basic functions, more advanced functions require the drivers directly from
the manufacturer, a notation of which most users will find at Windows update
when using it to update drivers.
--
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
<billurie@nospam.org> wrote in message
news:%234BXTiYCFHA.904@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> No, Michael. The history is that my system came with pre-SP1 XP,
> and the Conexant modem, and I installed and used HotFax.
>
> Then I installed SP1, no problem. Then last autumn, I
> installed SP2 and spend several months trying to get
> HotFax to work again. It was suspected for awhile that
> upgrading NSW2004 to NSW 2005 may have been the
> cause, but cleaning all Norton off the machine didn't
> help. Likewise SP2 Firewall. It wasn't any matter of my
> selecting an incorrect driver, as the sequence I outlined
> corroborates.
>
> Their driver was fine until the system in which it had
> to operate changed, and then I had to find a driver that worked.
> Trying to get it from Conexant or eMachines didn't work.
>
> I still don't know what "digital signing" is a code word
> for, nor been told whether actually SP1 doesn't care but
> SP2 does.....but it would make me feel that the loop has been
> closed if that was the single reason for the incompatibility.
>
> Thanks, and kind regards, Michael.
>
> Bill Lurie
>
> Michael Solomon (MS-MVP) wrote:
>> Usually, insofar as the system is concerned, digital signing is
>> irrelevant. It is simply a notice to the user that drivers they are
>> trying to install have not been tested by Microsoft. I doubt seriously
>> you could find a system out there that does not have at least some
>> drivers that were not digitally signed. Most drivers you download from
>> manufacturer's websites were not digitally signed as they were either not
>> submitted to Microsoft for testing or the drivers are still being tested.
>>
>> In the larger scheme of things, it generally doesn't make much difference
>> as long as the manufacturer has tested and updated the drivers. I have
>> seen a few instances of people reporting they could not install various
>> drivers because they were not digitally signed but this is anecdotal at
>> best. It's essentially nothing more than a notification to the user.
>>
>> Conexant modem chipsets have been problematic for quite some time. They
>> can be finicky about firmware, they can be finicky about drivers, it's
>> possible you were simply selecting an incorrect driver and when you let
>> the system search it simply found the appropriate driver that just
>> happened to be digitally signed.
>>
>
>
> --
> William B. Lurie
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