Microsoft extends Graphics Driver evaluations (to improve driver quality)
Graphics drivers are a common cause for crashes and other issues on Windows systems. Microsoft uses a system that evaluates graphics drivers, e.g. by measuring crashes and hangs in games, to determine whether the driver should be rejected or pulled.
Microsoft uses the data to determine whether a system should be offered a new feature update version of Windows 10, among other things. The issues list of the recently released Windows 10 version 2004 version of Windows 10 has two driver related issues, one of which blocks the update from being offered on the device.
Microsoft's Windows graphics team has developed three new measures that will be integrated in the evaluation of graphics drivers from June 29, 2020 on. Two of the measures look at crashes in hangs in applications, and the third one at rollbacks of drivers,
The first one analyses the number of user mode crashes in the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser. It measures how often Microsoft Edge crashes because of the graphics driver and puts this in relation to all devices with that particular driver.
Microsoft looks at seven day periods and a minimum population of 30,000 hours of Microsoft Edge Chromium runtime. The calculation is: Crashes in Edge Chromium Normalized by Usage=Total Edge Chromium Crashes / Runtime in Years. The driver fails the test if that result exceeds 1.
The second measure uses a similar method as the first but instead of looking at Microsoft Edge crashes, it is looking at crashes in communication and collaboration applications.
Microsoft uses the following applications for the measure:
- MICROSOFT.SKYPEAPP
- DISCORD.EXE
- SKYPE.EXE
- TEAMVIEWER.EXE
- LYNC.EXE
- WECHAT.EXE
- QQ.EXE
- SLACK.EXE
- KAKAOTALK.EXE
- ZOOM.EXE
- ZOOM
- WHATSAPP.EXE
- LINE.EXE
- YOUCAMSERVICE.EXE
- TELEGRAM.EXE
- VIBER.EXE
- MICROSOFT.SKYPEROOMSYSTEM
Minimum population is set to 10,000 hours of Communication and Collaboration Application runtime and the period is set to seven days again. The final calculation is Crashes in Communication and Collaboration Applications normalized by usage in years=Total Crashes in Communication and Collaboration Applications / Runtime in Years. The driver fails the test if the result exceeds 1.
The third and final measure analyzes driver rollbacks or re-installation in the first two days of installation. The minimum population is set to 5,000 devices and a seven day period. The driver fails the test if there are more than 10 rollbacks per 10,000 devices with the driver.
Closing Words
Microsoft started to work on improving drivers on the company's Windows operating system in recent time and the new graphics drivers measures extend that further (it claimed in 2018 that graphics driver quality was better than ever). The company introduced an option for its hardware partners recently that allows them to request Windows Update blocks for certain drivers.
Now You: How is your recent experience with drivers on Windows?
Pretty cool to get some insight about how evaluation works.
“The first one analyses the number of user mode crashes in the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser. It measures how often Microsoft Edge crashes because of the graphics driver and puts this in relation to all devices with that particular driver.”
If no one is using Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser what good it does to decide the value of graphic drivers based on Edge for Hundred of millions of users ?
This is just stupid.
If you asked yourself wtf those “comunications app” have to do with Graphics drivers?
Notice how a good chunk of those of that list use Electron aka lazy dev bundles Chorme with his “webapp” as a desktop program.
The more they “collect” infromation the worst damn windows seem to get.
MS strikes again! If crashes occur in a non-edge browser, they’re ignored? Or is edge so crash prone compared to other browsers that monitoring them is irrelevant? Only browsers matter, not programs? Seems chredge may not be working so well after all (surprise!)
I don’t recall ever rolling back a driver but I also don’t update to newer drivers until they’ve been out a while.
Neither Nvidia nor Intel graphics drivers are Windows drivers; Windows just hijacks the GUI so it can only come from the MS Store. Shame on Nvidia and Intel for falling for this.
I get drivers directly from the source, no way is MS going to wreck my chipset drivers, e.g., with some five year old version they pulled out of the OEM partition.
The minor lack of features in Linux (I use Ubuntu and Manjaro) is moot compared to MS’s Gordian Knot of Nonsense OS loaded with buggy stuff no one would ever miss.