[German]Intel released version 26.20.100.8141 of its DCH graphics driver for Windows 10 without the OEM binding. The drivers can therefore be used on devices with corresponding INTEL-GPUs.
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What does OEM-binding mean?
Intel graphics chips are part of CPUs and chipsets on millions of notebooks and computers. If Intel releases a graphics driver with OEM binding for Windows, it can only be installed on the specified devices.
Users were dependent on the OEM manufacturer releasing the Intel graphics driver for the machine in question. Or they had to install the Intel generic graphics driver, but this meant that special adaptations were missing.
Unlocked Intel graphics driver
Now Intel has probably found a solution for the problem of graphics driver updates without OEM binding. In the release notes Intel says:
Unlocked Driver* 2 : We heard how much our users want the freedom to upgrade their systems to our regularly released generic graphics drivers and enable our latest game optimizations, feature updates and fixes. Well, as of this release, Intel Graphics DCH drivers are now unlocked to upgrade freely between Computer Manufacturer (OEM) drivers and the Intel Generic graphics drivers on Download Center. Simply use the exe and enjoy the update on your 6th Generation Intel Processor platform or higher, and don't worry about your OEM customizations, they remain intact with each upgrade and the OEMs can maintain customizations separately via Microsoft* Windows Update. Intel Drivers and Support Assistant will also be unlocked starting April 28th , 2020.
Starting with version 26.20.100.8141 the Intel Graphics DCH drivers are 'unlocked', i.e. the graphics drivers are now unlocked to allow a free upgrade between the computer manufacturers' (OEM) drivers and the generic Intel graphics drivers in the Download Center. According to Intel, this applies from the 6th CPU generation onwards, whereby an upgrade should be possible simply by executing the exe file. Compared to the generic drivers, the DCH drivers contain the latest game optimizations, feature updates and corrections.
Note: Intel considers the unlocked drive to be 'experimental'. The approach: With the unlocked generic graphics driver, users can test new features, see if game improvements work and bugs are fixed. Afterwards, Intel recommends reinstalling the OEM driver.
Please refer to the Release Notes for details about fixes and changes in the Intel Graphics DCH driver version 26.20.100.8141 for Windows 10. The drivers are available for Windows 10 from version 1709 up to version 1909. The driver can be obtained from this download link. However, Intel warns that installing this generic Intel graphics driver will overwrite the computer manufacturer's (OEM) custom driver. As a result, the adjustments and validations that the manufacturer makes to the OEM driver to solve platform-specific problems, enable features and enhancements, and improve system stability may not be present in the Intel DCH driver.
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Not all OEM machines are unlocked!
German blog reader 1ST1 points out in a comment that the new driver cannot be installed on his Dell Latitude. In this Polish portal I also read a user comment that the driver installation on a HP 840 G5 is denied.
I myself cannot test anything at the moment. Ad hoc there would be the explanation that the OEM drivers (because of compatibility problems) can set a lock to block the installation of the Intel DCH graphics drivers. I found also this quote at reddit.com (that's based on footnote 2, Intel has posted within the release notes):
The installer will continue to restrict OEM non-DCH to Intel Generic non-DCH upgrades as well as OEM non-DCH to Intel Generic DCH driver upgrades. End-users will continue to be referred to OEM websites.
- [X] OEM legacy -> Intel legacy
- [X] OEM legacy -> Intel DCH
- [X] OEM DCH -> Intel legacy
- [✔] OEM DCH -> Intel DCH
So in case of install issues, check, if the OEM issued an OEM DCH graphics driver for Windows 10. If that's not the case, an auto upgrade isn't supported. Within the Polish portal there is another hint:
First, uninstall the OEM driver using the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). Then Intel will be installed without problems.
The person concerned recommends installation without Internet access, because Windows 10 Home pulls the OEM driver immediately after restarting over the Internet and then installs the 'old' driver.
The person concerned in the Polish forum writes that after waiting a while he was shown the option to overwrite the HP driver in the Intel® Driver & Support Assistant. However, the installer then triggered a similar error. It may also help to extract the driver files from the .exe file with a tool and then update the Intel DCH driver via Device Manager. Maybe this will help.
It does not seem to be a general problem. On reddit.com there is this thread where the Unlocked DCH driver from Intel is presented. There a user confirms that the update on an Acer notebook worked without problems.
Auf reddit.com gibt es diesen Thread, wo der Unlocked DCH-Treiber von Intel vorgestellt wird. Dort bestätigt ein Nutzer, dass bei ihm das Update auf einem Acer-Notbook problemlos geklappt habe.
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