Windows drivers have been really been hit or miss. Sometimes you get a driver package that works really well, sometimes not. You may find yourself trying multiple versions of the same driver, sometimes going with an older version because the newer version introduced a bug or a feature you didn't like.
Microsoft tried to fix a lot of driver issues by having the WHQL Certified driver system, "Driver Signing", or "Windows Logo testing". Microsoft says "Driver Signing lets you make sure that installed drivers are compatible with Windows." and "Installing device drivers that have not been digitally-signed by Microsoft may disable the system, allow viruses onto your computer, or otherwise impair the correct operation of your computer either immediately or in the future.".
What a bunch of shit. I've been building systems for 10 years now, and some of the best drivers I've used were not signed, and some of the absolute worst drivers I've used were digitally signed, Windows logo certified. A few years back, I purchased two different Diamond Multimedia video cards (Stealth II S220 and Monster Fusion). Diamond MM provided some signed drivers from Microsoft, and those drivers introduced some of the worst stability problems to my system, and besides that, they were terribly out dated compared to the unsigned, reference drivers, and lacked features of those drivers. Any company that pays Microsoft some money can get shitty drivers signed and Windows Logo certified. When I used reference drivers (drivers provided by the chipset manufacturer, and not the video card maker), or 3rd party or 'hacked' drivers, the video cards suddenly worked better, system stability improved, and I gained better support for games. Of course each time I went to install the drivers, Windows warned me that the drivers weren't signed, and "may cause issues" with how Windows worked. It was the total opposite of the way things really worked.
Microsoft may have a new way of letting people know which drivers to use, and they are letting the people decide themselves to help others out. It won't eliminate driver problems, but it will help a lot of people out in the long run, and allow the end users themselves tell Microsoft which signed drivers should lose their certification because they SUCK.
I just read this on Slashdot:
"Ars Technica is reporting that Microsoft is finally trying to do something about PC driver problems. A new crash-report-driven Driver Quality Rating system will be used in Windows Vista to rate drivers. Drivers that rate poorly in real world use by users will lose their logo certification status, which would be bad news for OEMs and the device manufacturers themselves. Maybe now submitting crash reports will feel more useful? This is long overdue."
The article can be found at arstechnica.com.