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Old January 26th 15, 05:45 AM posted to alt.comp.os.windows-8
Paul
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Posts: 18,275
Default "Inventec-LAN,other hardware-Inventec PCIe GBE Family Controller."- What is it about?

Yes wrote:
I got a message of an optional update for "Inventec-LAN,other
hardware-Inventec PCIe GBE Family Controller." I run Window 8.1 Pro
64-bit. AFAIK, I do not have any Inventec equipment. A Google search
led to a page at Microsoft Community
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/i...intp-insider_d
evices/just-got-an-update-for-inventec-lan-driver-for-win/516f4f25-931c-
4f1d-aa87-74ce7220ab4b?page=1 with numerous replies, all of which seems
to boil down to no one really knows. Some advocate blind trust of
Microsoft, one or two note that there may be some relationship between
RealTek and Inventec but are not sure.

Has anyone seen any current info about it? FWIW, I'll be relegating it
to a do not install status, but it's troubling for an update to be
pushed down when even Microsoft's "More Information" and "Support
Information" links either report "The More information feature is not
available yet" or lead to a search page that's useless because I don't
even know what the product is that the update is supposed to be for!

John


In the example here, Inventec uses a bog-standard RealTek chip
on their add-on card. The manufacturer code 10EC, belongs to
RealTek.

http://www.driveridentifier.com/scan...170%26REV_ 01

I look up the manufacturer here, via the VEN/DEV.

http://pciids.sourceforge.net/pci.ids

When coding a driver, you have to be especially careful, not to
make the matching logic too generic. If they include

PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8168&SUBSYS_00401170

as the only matching identifier, only Inventec customers get
the update. The SUBSYS allows companies like Inventec, to
identify their specific card. On the eight hex digit SUBSYS,
four digits are reserved for a manufacturer_ID. The other four
digits are the instance. It would allow Inventec to make two
NIC cards with RealTek chips if they wanted.

If instead, they use these in the INF file

PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_8168

PCI\VEN_10EC&CC_020000
PCI\VEN_10EC&CC_0200

then everybody with that RealTek NIC chip on their
motherboard or an add-on card, gets offered the driver.
Without a SUBSYS value, all the NIC chips of that type
will match.

My guess is, this is a mistake on the part of Inventec,
for not editing the INF and making the driver specific
to their own instance.

You could well have a valid RealTek driver in the queue as well,
if that's why Inventec is issuing this driver. RealTek is very
generous with drivers, and you can get the latest
RealTek driver direct from the RealTek site, if
you feel you have some NIC bug that needs fixing.

(Example of Realtek generosity...)
http://www.realtek.com.tw/downloads/...&GetDown=false

I would hide the Inventec one, or hold off using it, until it
disappears. You probably just have a RealTek NIC chip on the
motherboard, and that's what Windows Update has triggered on.

Best guess,
Paul
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