Cannot Install Windows 95 Drivers

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

After you install an OEM driver (such as a printer or display driver), you cannot later update the OEM driver with the Windows 95 version of the same driver if you reinstall Windows 95. You cannot therefore revert back to the original Windows 95 driver.

CAUSE

Windows 95 cannot load a Windows 95 driver over an OEM driver of the same name.

RESOLUTION

Manually extract the Windows 95 version of the driver from the Windows 95 disks or CD-ROM and copy it over the OEM driver of the same name. For information about extracting files, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q129605
   TITLE     : How to Extract Original Compressed Windows Files

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Windows 95. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

This problem does not occur if the OEM driver does not have exactly the same name as the Windows 95 driver it replaces.