Installing USB-Blaster Dev. Boards drivers manually

[Altera_Forum]

Hi guys. I have a Quartus Prime(17.1) newb question - I'm looking for a way to install USB-Blaster II drivers manually on Windows 10, rather than letting windows10 auto install. 

I see there is a application called 'Device Installer', but I'm thinking this doesn't apply to device drivers. I'm not finding much on the boards. Thanks.

[Altera_Forum]

--- Quote Start ---  Hi guys. I have a Quartus Prime(17.1) newb question - I'm looking for a way to install USB-Blaster II drivers manually on Windows 10, rather than letting windows10 auto install. I see there is a application called 'Device Installer', but I'm thinking this doesn't apply to device drivers. I'm not finding much on the boards. Thanks.  --- Quote End ---    Is it possible install USB-Blaster drivers by running an .exe ? If so, I may be able to try something else.    I have been able to remove the bad drivers but not been able to get the 'new hardware found' state to ever return. I have been on the line with Microsoft support and we eventually found out that my new windows 10 PC may be bricked with regards to this development board, unless I restore, an interesting feature of win10, and as my restore point size was set too low at factory to have a restore point before I first connected the hardware, apparently the next step is to mess with the registry. I have identified the culprit drivers. I'd rather not switch PCs, so i'm wondering if a professional could remove the related registry entries to stop the bad drivers, and allow new hardware to be found again?  Also, I have heard that one needs to install Quatrus Prime 17.1 explicitly 'as administrator' in order for USB-Blaster II drivers to work, is this correct? I am not sure which I did. Thanks.  Cheers, Bob   

[Altera_Forum]

The "new hardware found" doesn't come up if Windows still installs a driver automatically. The device will show then in the device manager, possibly with a fault mark. The simple way is to update the driver to the correct one in the driver tab of the device properties.

[Altera_Forum]

Thanks, FvM. I have tried easy ways to update driver. Safe mode, after removal it comes back as soon as I connect the board, no prompt. Something deeper in Win10 is 'acting up'. A Microsoft tech assistant informed me that once 'hardware is found' for a device, that prompt can never again happen for that device, no matter how deep you remove the errant drivers for that device. I am still hoping he meant notwithstanding messing with registry. My restore points are too recent.  

 So for now I have ordered another Max10 50 dev. board - the Intel DK-DEV-10M50-A. BUT, I just realized an important question - will my pc connect this new board to errant drivers, without prompt just like the neek board now does? :eek: Both boards use USB-Blaster II .