New Windows Inbox INF detection prevents accidental downgrades
Enhanced user guidance when Windows Update provides newer drivers
Summary:
v2026.02.0008 enhances Windows Inbox INF detection to prevent accidental downgrades when Windows Update provides newer driver versions than Intel packages.
The update improves version comparison logic, adds clearer status messages, and maintains all hardware-accurate platform detection features from previous releases.
Technical Deep Dive: Installation Order Fix
Problem: When Intel removes specific HWIDs from newer installer packages, but your hardware still needs those drivers:
Example: Package v1.0 has HWID1, HWID2, HWID3
Package v1.1 only has HWID2, HWID3 (Intel deprecated HWID1)
Installing v1.1 first, then v1.0 would downgrade HWID2 and HWID3
Solution: Sort packages by version (oldest → newest) before installation:
v1.0 installs first → HWID1, HWID2, HWID3 all installed
v1.1 installs second → HWID2 and HWID3 upgraded, HWID1 unchanged
Result: All drivers at their maximum available version, no downgrades
Code Change (line ~1714 in PowerShell script):
Code:
# Sort packages by version (oldest first) to prevent downgrade when installing missing HWIDs
$sortedPackages = $uniquePackages.GetEnumerator() | Sort-Object {
$versionString = $_.Key -replace '-.*$', ''
try { [version]$versionString } catch { $versionString }
}
foreach ($entry in $sortedPackages) {
# Installation logic...
}
This ensures legacy platforms receive optimal driver coverage without sacrificing newer updates for actively supported HWIDs.
Topic Author
