Yeah, most things in Windows don't require a reboot...they do need a log in/log out cycle to read the registry entries they just added (and why the hell can't Windows refresh the registry on the fly? WHY?!), but graphics drivers hook in the kernel at a stupidly low level, which is why NT4 (NT 3.51 and earlier, the graphics drivers were in user space...this was great for stability, but slowed down rendering operations) was so damn fragile. Win2k and XP were better, but a flaky graphics driver could still screw you so badly you were in reinstall land as your only recourse. The only way this works is if MS have moved the drivers further out from the core, which is no longer a huge deal, considering how stupidly fast modern hardware is.
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Date: 2007-10-31 03:55 pm (UTC)