Windows 10 + basic video driver: options for video playback?

[VJ]

Hello,

I've tried upgrading my old Fujitsu Siemens P1510 to Windows 10. It is an old Intel Mobile Celeron 1.2 GHz with 1 GB ram. The main reason to try it, is that it has a touch screen, and I wanted to see how Windows 10 behaves on it. Everything works quite ok, not faster than on Windows 7 but at first feeling also not slower. Except for one thing...

Intel has not released a Windows 10 (or even Windows 8) driver for the Mobile 915GM graphics chipset. The result is that I'm stuck with the Microsoft Basic Video driver. It supports the resolution of the display (1024x600) and even rotation to switch it to tablet mode, so for most usage it suffices - it is not that I can use the laptop for gaming anyway. But video playback seems affected; I tried playing back some mov files using MPC-HC (video trailers in 480P and 720P), and it was really stuttering to the point it was unwatchable. I still use the laptop for going to conferences and the ability to play back a video is nice (e.g. on the plane).

What are my options if I decide to stick with 10?

I don't care which playback software I use, so is there software or some codec that would work better with the Microsoft Basic Video driver?
Or are there file formats that should play back easier (e.g. simple MPG files or so)?

Thanks!


Jörg

[dZeus]

Hello,

I've tried upgrading my old Fujitsu Siemens P1510 to Windows 10. It is an old Intel Mobile Celeron 1.2 GHz with 1 GB ram. The main reason to try it, is that it has a touch screen, and I wanted to see how Windows 10 behaves on it. Everything works quite ok, not faster than on Windows 7 but at first feeling also not slower. Except for one thing...

Intel has not released a Windows 10 (or even Windows 8) driver for the Mobile 915GM graphics chipset. The result is that I'm stuck with the Microsoft Basic Video driver. It supports the resolution of the display (1024x600) and even rotation to switch it to tablet mode, so for most usage it suffices - it is not that I can use the laptop for gaming anyway. But video playback seems affected; I tried playing back some mov files using MPC-HC (video trailers in 480P and 720P), and it was really stuttering to the point it was unwatchable. I still use the laptop for going to conferences and the ability to play back a video is nice (e.g. on the plane).

What are my options if I decide to stick with 10?

I don't care which playback software I use, so is there software or some codec that would work better with the Microsoft Basic Video driver?
Or are there file formats that should play back easier (e.g. simple MPG files or so)?

Thanks!


Jörg

Don't use the basic video driver, it is unlikely to give you any support for hardware video surfaces. Also you will lack support for S3 standby.

On Windows 8.1 you can install Vista video drivers (may need to run the driver installer in compatibility mode). Windows 10 will probably accept those same drivers too.

[UtwigMU]

You can also edit the inf to install older driver (7 or Vista). I remember I had a Toshiba C2D laptop with 915 and I installed Win 8 when soon after it launched. I recall editing inf files to allow driver installation on version higher than 6.1 (windows 7).

[VJ]

Don't use the basic video driver, it is unlikely to give you any support for hardware video surfaces. Also you will lack support for S3 standby.

On Windows 8.1 you can install Vista video drivers (may need to run the driver installer in compatibility mode). Windows 10 will probably accept those same drivers too.

There are no Vista / Windows 7 drivers either for this chipset:

https://downloadcenter.intel.com/product/81510/Graphics-Drivers-for-Mobile-Intel-915GM-GMS-910GML-Express-Chipset-Family

but on those I can install the XPDM drivers. On Windows 10, I fail to install them in compatibility mode. The explanation I found was that in Windows 7, the XPDM drivers still work, but from Windows 8, the WDDM drivers are mandatory. There are no WDDM drivers for the Mobile 915GM chipset...

I thought for a moment of dual booting with some lightweight linux os or media oriented os (even thought of Android x86), but it is messy to do this (the laptop does not boot from USB stick or my USB drive (it should, but doesn't), so I have to boot via PXE to install anything). Would not be that convenient to completely not have video in Windows and loosing S3 might be annoying... I think I do not really use S3 though, rather hibernate...

I've reinstalled 7 (which took about a week: it takes forever to install the updates for this computer) and there video plays back smoothly. Perhaps it means back to Windows 7 for me then...

You can also edit the inf to install older driver (7 or Vista). I remember I had a Toshiba C2D laptop with 915 and I installed Win 8 when soon after it launched. I recall editing inf files to allow driver installation on version higher than 6.1 (windows 7).

Are you sure about this? I cannot find anything online about people who got it to work... The oldest Intel Graphics chipset that seems to have drivers for Windows 7 / Vista is 945 (the next generation after 915), which may be the one in the Toshiba ... Core2 Duo is a bit more recent than the Mobile Celeron in the laptop...

[VJ]

No further success in finding perhaps some OEM (e.g. Toshiba) that may have released drivers... So it seems it is back to Windows 7...

Stupid thing is that I lost the Intel Graphics menu when you right click on the desktop in my new Windows 7 installation, and that one was really convenient... I tried installing the driver from the Intel website and it installs nicely, just does not add the right click menu... Any thoughts?


Jörg