Does it really matter which HD I download software/updates/fixes to?

[burnselk]

My computer came with one hard drive, but I added a second drive because the primary is nearly full. I use the second HD for my videos for the most part.

My operating system (Windows XP Hom Edition) and and everything else is on the original (primary) “C” drive.

Today I downloaded an updated driver for my graphics card. Instead of downloading it to my C drive, I "saved" it to my large slave (jumper is set to CS per WD) drive.

I have not attempted to install this updated driver yet because I started thinking maybe I should have downloaded it to my primary C drive. I began to wonder if the driver will install properly from drive F, or if the hardware (graphics card) will operate properly if the updated driver is installed this way.

Does it really matter which hard drive "updates" or other "software"are downloaded to before they're installed?

I don't understand the relationship between two different hard drives, the hardware (in this case the graphics card), and the software (updated driver in this case). Could someone explain how the software gets installed in the hardware? Or does it really get installed on the hardware? As you can see, I'm a novice and need your help to learn this process.

When I install the updated driver, will the install work just good as if it had been downloaded to the C drive?

Your guidance would be greatly appreciated.

[CWR03]

It is actually better to "save" a file of that sort to your storage drive, mainly because when you install a file to the source drive of the file it has to read from and write to the same drive at once, slowing the process. Otherwise there's no difference at all.

The drivers are not installed on the hardware (unless you're talking about firmware updates). It is simply unpacked into the Windows directory, then the registry is edited to point to the new drivers, which will usually not take effect until the PC is rebooted.

[burnselk]

The drivers are not installed on the hardware (unless you're talking about firmware updates).

The driver update is firmware....from the nVIDIA webpage.....I downloaded version 71.89 which says it supports (among many others) my particular graphics card.

It's for my "nVIDIA RIVA TNT2 model 64(hp)" graphics card that came installed in my HP Pavilion 7955 that I bought in Oct. 2001.

Since it's working now (with the original driver)......how will the driver update change it?

[mod]

The drive where you save your downloads makes no difference at all, also if you install firmware. Just to be clear: I have 2 drives + 1 ext, 4 partitions at all. On C: I keep the OS + installed software, on the D: (logical) all my installers, on E: the compiler and on I: the video stuff..

[CWR03]

The driver update is firmware....from the nVIDIA webpage.....I downloaded version 71.89 which says it supports (among many others) my particular graphics card.
Drivers and firmware are completely different. The 71.89 is not a firmware update, it's a driver which allows Windows and your PC to interact with it. Firmware updates are flashed to the BIOS of the device and are prone to problems if something goes wrong during the flashing process, such as a power failure. A failed install of a driver will usually just make the device act up or default to an older version, which can be fixed easily by another attempt to install the driver.

As far as how your card will behave with the new driver, if you're concerned you might make sure the old version is available to you before you install the newer version. You can usually, but not always, roll back a device driver. Changes may only be in the controls or additional settings to the device, and may or may not affect the performance.