Microsoft: Spring cleaning for Windows Update drivers

“To minimize security and compatibility risks, Microsoft has taken the strategic initiative to clean up outdated drivers on Windows Update,” Microsoft is currently addressing Windows hardware program partners. This is intended to provide an optimal set of drivers on Windows Update to support a wide range of hardware devices across the Windows ecosystem, while ensuring that Windows security is not compromised.

Microsoft writes this on a blog post on the Hardware Center blog of Microsoft's tech community. “The initiative includes regular driver cleanup actions on Windows Update, resulting in some drivers not being offered to a single system in the Windows ecosystem,” the developers explain. In the first phase, Microsoft is targeting drivers for which newer versions are already available on Windows Update.

Driver cleanup procedure

Cleanup is a process in which drivers expire so that they are no longer associated with a target group in Windows Update, meaning that they are no longer offered on any system. “Technically, this means that all target groups in the Hardware Development Center are removed from an expired driver, which means that Windows Update no longer offers these drivers,” explains the Redmond company. However, partners can re-release drivers that have fallen victim to the expiration process. However, Microsoft reserves the right to request a business justification as to why a re-release is necessary.

After a wave of cleanup, Microsoft plans to publish a blog post naming the expiring drivers. If manufacturers have concerns, they can raise them within a 6-month window. If no action is taken, Microsoft will then permanently remove the drivers from Windows Update.

After the first cleaning wave of drivers for which newer versions are already available, Microsoft intends to carry out regular cleaning campaigns. These will then also extend to other driver categories, which the company has not yet specified.

Drivers have been increasingly occupying Microsoft developers for some time now. At the beginning of April, the company suspended a planned change for Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) for an indefinite period, as a result of which the distribution of new drivers via this update service remains available. It is currently unclear whether and when support for Driver Update Synchronization in WSUS will be discontinued.

(dmk)