Figure 1. Windows Logo certification warning dialog
To solve this problem, locate and download a Windows-certified driver
from the vendor's web site, assuming one is
available. The risk of not doing so is minimal, but using a certified
driver removes an element of potential surprise and disaster that may
appear later on. Certified drivers will often be flagged with the
words "WHQL Certified," as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. nVidia's driver feature web page listing WHQL certification
The warning dialog appears because the driver installation package
did not come with a digital certificate that matches the one in
Windows to let the installation process know the file was tested by a
Microsoft-approved lab.
The intention is good: vendors have someone who knows the Windows
environment very well review their drivers to ensure they are not
consuming all the memory, stealing resources, or overwriting
operating system files or other applications' files,
and then they assure the public that things are OK. Then the vendor
can deliver the assurance that all is well with the program or driver
in the form of a digital certificate that matches the one Microsoft
provided in the operating system. This is
Microsoft's answer to the many cases of driver and
program conflicts we all faced under Windows 95 and 98, when the
Windows market was still relatively young and programmers ran wild
trying to get cool new products into users' hands.
The scare tactic has some legitimate basis, especially if
you're Microsoft and want hundreds of vendors to
spend thousands of dollars on week-long visits to testing labs to get
their wares certified as "not harmful to
Windows." However, most companies can barely afford
to do some of this Windows compliance testing in their own labs, much
less risk the time and money sending their products to a distant lab
hoping everything will pass with flying colors. Most products do not
pass Windows Logo certification the first time and may not pass at
all by the strict rules of the program. Passing the certification
often requires the developer to plead their case and show the testing
lab how their product really does comply with sound Windows
programming and operation, despite Microsoft's rules
and limitations, and ultimately get an approval by conditional and
careful exemption.
TIP
Microsoft certifications or compliance with their Authenticode
program are intended to ensure applications or drivers are secure by
protecting the files against tampering. However, the lack of these
stamps of approval does not necessarily mean that the application or
driver might carry a virus, is carelessly written, or is otherwise
harmful; but it also means that no one but the original vendor or
their developer has reviewed and tested them.
If you have a choice, locate, download, and install certified
drivers. If you do not, be prepared to remove the driver and device,
and possibly even boot into Safe Mode or use System Restore to
extract the offending code.
You can access System Restore through StartAll
ProgramsAccessoriesSystem Tools.
Today programmers have to try really hard to screw up Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003—and certainly some of them do—but a
clear majority of them, especially easily recognized brand name
vendors, do not. Microsoft is a little better about documenting the
tools and resources developers use, and developers are more mature
and their employers are much more concerned about excessive support
costs and product returns than making a quick buck.
You may see the compatibility testing warning dialog during one or
two of approximately 20 installations of new hardware or programs,
and only in one or two out of 100 cases will there ever be a problem.
Fortunately, when you continue the installation, Windows Me and XP
create a System Restore Point, saving the current, working
preinstallation configuration that you can go back to if something
does not work correctly. If your new hardware or software is from a
reputable source, go ahead and select Continue Anyway: you have
Windows System Restore and likely the vendor to help get you back to
good working condition.
