MS optional 'hardware' update breaks the thing it's updating

[stuck]

As part of my MCE update I was offered:
IDT - Audio - IDT High Definition Audio CODEC
Date last published: 5/9/2008
as an optional update. Reasonable, my mobo has Intel sound. Trouble was on the inevitable reboot I got "Sonic Focus Drivers must be loaded for this app to work" Google revealed lots of other people finding that this 'update' was less than helpful and the Intel Audio Studio Controller no longer worked.

I simply reinstalled my audio drivers and all is well again, except that MS Update is once again offering me the IDT update.

I thinl I'll pass this time

Ken

[JoeP]

With every version before Windows 7 I never updated a driver using Windows Update. Often the drivers offered were substantially older than what I had installed. Things are somewhat different with Windows7. However, updating drivers should always be done with care.

Joe

[DaveA]

The ONLY time I use ANY hardware updates from Microsoft Update is during beta of a OS.

[HansV]

I agree with the previous replies. When I had XP, Microsoft Update always offered an older driver for my NVidia video card than the one I had, so I hid this update.

As Joe mentions, Windows 7 appears to have a better track record up to now, but of course it hasn't been out all that long, so we'll have to see.