Should I install an unsigned driver?
My Velleman PCSGU250 USB-PC oscilloscope has not worked since upgrading to Windows 10, due to driver incompatibility. A web search suggests the Windows 7 driver will work, but one must first disable driver-signatureverification. Is this safe? If so, can this step be reversed after installing the Windows 7 driver without it retrospectively disabling the PCSGU250 driver?
John B Clarke
Almost by definition, an unsigned driver cannot be said to be safe – because only drivers verified by Microsoft as legitimate are issued with a digital signature.
However, in this case we think it’s likely to be fine. The manufacturer of your product is legitimate, as is the original driver. It’s just that the product is old, and the manufacturer hasn’t made a new driver for Windows 10. The old driver might well work with Windows 10, as other users of the product have found, but obviously we can offer no guarantees.
To do this, first click Start followed by the Settings cog, then ‘Update & Security’ followed by Recovery. Then, under ‘Advanced start-up’, click ‘Restart now’ followed by Troubleshoot. Now just click ‘Advanced options’, then ‘Start-up Settings’ followed by Restart.
Your PC will restart and then display a Startup Settings screen. Here, choose ‘7) Disable driver signature enforcement’ (see screenshot below) by pressing 7 on your keyboard. When Windows 10 restarts, install the old Windows 7 driver. Finally, just restart Windows 10. This will prevent future unsigned drivers from being installed.