Windows 10 won't allow reinstallation of Boot Camp drivers

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Level 1

11 points

Windows 10 won't allow reinstallation of Boot Camp drivers

About 6 months ago, I was acutely aware that Microsoft was not providing any more security updates for my build of Windows 10 (1511). I bit the bullet and consented to the forced update to build 1803. Windows ran OK afterwards, except that I lost the ability to change screen brightness on the display - I can't do it with F1 and F2, I can't do it in Windows settings for Displays, I can't do it in Windows power settings. Adaptive brightness is turned off. When I press fn-F1 and F2, an on-screen indicator shows "brightness" being adjusted, but nothing actually changes. So, I decided to follow these Apple Support instructions.

After a slow download and install to a USB 2 flash drive, I backed up my partition with Winclone, set a restore point in Windows, and ran Setup.exe on the flash drive. Received a notification that I already had a newer version of Boot Camp installed, and the the installation could not proceed. Opened Bootcamp.xml on the flash drive with a text editor and saw this:

<ProductManufacturer>Apple Inc.</ProductManufacturer>

All files on the flash drive are dated Jan. 31, 2014!

My MacBook Pro is a Unibody, mid-2012, 15" (non-Retina), running OS X El Capitan. Windows, as above - Windows 10, build 1803.

Does Apple never update what you receive when you run Boot Camp Assistant? If they do not, how I am I supposed to reinstall Boot Camp drivers that are not obsolete? Thanks for reading.

MacBook Pro 15", 10.11

Posted on Jan 27, 2019 9:50 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 28, 2019 5:11 AM in response to gh1852

Your macOS version El Capitan (10.11.6) has an older version of BC Assistant.

Under Sierra,

you can see...

If you do not want to upgrade to Sierra, your second option is using Brigadier (https://github.com/timsutton/brigadier) and getting the latest drivers for your Mac year/model. See the attached text for the command to be used.

Brigadier Log

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Answer 2

Loner T

Level 9

59,471 points

Jan 28, 2019 1:53 AM in response to gh1852

So, I decided to follow these Apple Support instructions.

Assuming you followed If some Mac features don't work when running Windows in Boot Camp - Apple Support, my assumption is that you followed step 3 of Download the support software for Windows 10 section.

After a slow download and install to a USB 2 flash drive, I backed up my partition with Winclone, set a restore point in Windows, and ran Setup.exe on the flash drive. Received a notification that I already had a newer version of Boot Camp installed, and the the installation could not proceed. Opened Bootcamp.xml on the flash drive with a text editor and saw this:

<BuildInfo BuildNumber="5621" ProductName="Boot Camp">

<MsiInfo>

<ProductManufacturer>Apple Inc.</ProductManufacturer>

<ProductVersion>5.1.5621</ProductVersion>

All files on the flash drive are dated Jan. 31, 2014!

W10 does not work with BC 5.x drivers. The correct steps to get BC6.x drivers are

In the Boot Camp Assistant window, look for a checkbox to download the latest Windows support software from Apple.

If you see the checkbox, make sure that it’s selected. Then deselect all other checkboxes and click Continue.

If you don’t see the checkbox, choose Action > Download Windows Support Software from the menu bar.

Does Apple never update what you receive when you run Boot Camp Assistant? If they do not, how I am I supposed to reinstall Boot Camp drivers that are not obsolete?

They are updated for

any new MAC Model,
any post-release updates, which are available by running Apple Software Update in Windows.

The second part does not switch you from BC5.x to BC6.x drivers.

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Answer 3

gh1852 Author

Level 1

11 points

Jan 28, 2019 4:43 AM in response to Loner T

Yes, in Bootcamp Assistant, I clicked only one checkbox of the 3, specifically "Download the Latest Windows Support Software From Apple". I did NOT check either of the other 2 boxes. In other words, the FAT32 USB drive did NOT also contain an ISO for any version of Windows. Could it be possible that the only way to obtain BC 6.x drivers is to "force the issue" by having a Windows 10 ISO on the Flash Drive? I have a copy of the Microsoft ISO I used when I originally installed Win 10 stored on an external hard drive. It's build 1511 from 2016, but it is definitely Windows 10. I would even be willing to download build 1803 as an ISO if I thought it would improve my odds of getting appropriate drivers. Parenthetically speaking, I am pretty annoyed that following Apple's https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204923 article to the letter got me 5 year old drivers. Thanks for your assistance.

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