Stop Vista auto installing driver

Is there a way to stop Vista from automatically installing a previous driver? I am trying to update my ATI graphics drivers, but if I install over the other drivers I am having some problems with powerDvd. If I remove the older drivers then reboot, Vista keeps auto installing the old drivers. I really need to install standard vga drivers first but cant see any way of doing it.
I have tried ticking the 'Never check for drivers when I connect a device' box in the advanced system settings but that doesnt work.

 

Can you "Update driver" then go physically change the name of the old driver such that the system can find no older driver when rebooting ?

I have the opposite problem: sometimes I want to know if a new driver is available, but I don't want to install it until I have researched its compatability. But if I check "update driver over internet" it downloads and installs it with a message "this operation cannot be cancelled". It won't tell me the version number or anything, it just goes directly to installing.

Of course I can then "rollback driver", but it is inconvenient.

 

Remove the driver in Device Manager and check the "Delete the driver software for this device" box.

 

Not sure on Vista as I use it as little as possible, but in xp what I would do is open device manager, look at the drivers for a device such as a video card. Take a screenshot or write down all it lists for drivers. Then uninstall software, no reboot. Remove device (using device manager), no reboot. Then navigate to sys32\drivers and remove the items that were in the list.

What happens is if you remove software for say vga board, and then reboot, drivers are many times left (not the software, like control panels etc, but the actual driver files) in the drivers folder, and xp, being the dutiful os that it is, will find your device, look for drivers, find them, and then help you out by installing it for you. By removing them this way, you are almost ensured to always have os come up and say 'I found this card thingee, vga adapter, and, um, I need a driver'. lol. This gives you control to insert newer or older driver, or even, very nice method to change brands of vga. There are also tools out there that do this for you. Still can be useful to know the manual way though.

Sul.