USB device driver installation

Windows 10 pro, 1903, 18362.418

I cannot find a way to install older-than-current drivers.
I am trying to change into older drivers for a USB device; a Asus USB-AC68 wifi adapter.
1st try:
I uninstall the device and then install the Asus provided installation package. Still I end up with the latest driver version (as it seems that it is contained in the windows inbox collection).
Seems that as soon as the usb device is detected, Windows installs whatever is in the driver repository. And since this is newer, it stays there.
2nd try:
Enable the "Local Group Policy" named "Prevent installation of devices not described by other policy settings".
Now the USB device gets automatically (unsuccessfully) installed under "Other devices" (as 802.11 ac NIC). And that is, although I get a notification "The installation of this device is forbidden by system policy...".
Any further attempt to use the driver installation package does nothing, although reports successful installation (and nothing is added to Network adapters).

Either a windows bug, or I am missing something.
!!! HELP !!! please.

Did you tru Asus win 10 driver?

https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/w..._v.2.1.4.7.zip

My issue here is that I cannot find a way to install any older driver, but the latest (which is the one you link to).
When I try to install an older one, I always end up with the latest (1st try above) or none (2nd try above).

The problem here could be re-phrased as:
"How can you install older-than-inbox drivers for a USB device?".

Start Device Manager, right-click the USB device, select "Update driver", then "Browse my computer for driver software, "Let me pick from a list of available driver on my computer" and see if the one you want is listed.

Ben

Ben Myers said:

Start Device Manager, right-click the USB device, select "Update driver", then "Browse my computer for driver software, "Let me pick from a list of available driver on my computer" and see if the one you want is listed.

Ben

This worked fine, and managed to load the older drivers !!!
But how?? I believe this method provides only inbox windows drivers. So how on earth I found all of them (almost) listed there?

When Windows updates a driver, it doesn't usually delete the old one, but finding them can be a little tricky.

Ben

Ben Myers said:

When Windows updates a driver, it doesn't usually delete the old one, but finding them can be a little tricky.

Ben

So the only option is to have used in the past the older driver?
What happens if you want to use an older one, which was never used on this machine?

The first step is to try to install it. If it fails to install, right-click the executable and select "Troubleshoot compatibility". Sometimes, the driver installs and works, but is quickly replaced by Windows Update. When this happens, you can try disabling driver updates or using the"Show/Hide" tool to hide the problem update.

Ben

I already had (and still have) a group policy set to stop windows update updating drivers.
So, seems the whole thing has nothing to do with downloaded drivers, but the ones already in windows repository.
If there is some newer there (than the one you try to install), it gets used. And this happens at the moment of actual installation process; not later through a w10 update.
That is at least for USB device.

Only solution so far was your original advice.
But from what I understand, it depends on having actually used in the past the older drivers, so they got stored in windows repository.
This sound somewhat awkward from w10 side (or maybe something not well written in driver installer?).

PS: during my first efforts (before following your advice), I had tried also activating the policy “Prevent Installation of Devices not described by other policy settings” with no success.

The setting "No" in [Device Installation Settings] seems not working. It also appears to reset to "yes" on its own, at some point.
Complaints on the web are lying around for years, but no solution.
Lost hope by Microsoft?