Archiving drivers. The DriverMax driver backup program is a good example of when older versions are better than new ones. Driver program - Auslogics Driver Updater

If you decide to reinstall the operating system on your computer yourself, then do not forget about very important point, driver backup! The installation of Windows must be preceded by some preparation, firstly, this is saving the drivers installed in the system, and the mandatory subsequent transfer of a backup copy with drivers to a CD or flash drive, or to another partition of your hard drive, which will not be affected by re Windows installation . Otherwise, if the driver package remains on the hard drive with the operating system that you are going to reinstall, it will be overwritten along with the files of your old Windows when formatting the disk! This is necessary, first of all, if you have lost or had no installation disks to your components and you don’t have the time to search on the Internet for all the drivers that are necessary for the computer to work. In this regard, I present to you instructions for a program specially created for Reserve copy drivers called.

Download this program you can follow this link -download .

The installation process will not be difficult for you, let’s get straight to the point. Open the program and click on the “Reservation” item.

Driver Genius starts scanning all devices for which drivers have been installed.

In the next window we see all the drivers available in your operating system. I recommend checking all the boxes in this box for your reservation.

Saving drivers

The next step is to select the type of archive you want with your drivers. The program gives us the opportunity to archive in four ways. I will not describe each one in order to save your time. Let's consider a method that involves creating auto-installer archive I’ll write why below. At the same stage, select the location where the archive will be placed, do not forget that you should save the backup copy on a disk that will not be formatted when reinstalling the OS or immediately after creating the archive, you should burn it to a CD or throw it onto a flash drive. After all, it will be very difficult to restore data after formatting a disk or flash drive and get your archive with drivers from there.

And finally we see the message, Reservation completed! The path to the backup copy is also indicated here.

This completes work with the Driver Genius program.
The next action that I will describe, you will have to perform already at reinstalled operating system. It's worth noting that if, for example, you saved drivers on a system with installed Windows XP, and in the future you plan to install Windows 7, then some of the drivers may not be compatible with the new operating system and you will still have to scour the Internet. And one more observation, if I may, when switching to Windows7 it is often impossible to install the system due to the fact that a lot of bad sectors and here a tool for checking and fixing errors on your hard drive will help you.
So let's continue. Since you and I have created an auto-installer archive, after we have reinstalled the system, you will not have to install the Driver Genius program. You simply find the Driver Backup file you created earlier and run it.

This is how it is decided problem with drivers on your computer. I advise you to do backup copy drivers without waiting for problems with your operating system to begin.

"Seven", although it looks quite interesting in terms of design and safety, is still not immune from critical errors, and it often has to be reinstalled from scratch. At the same time, not every user knows how to save drivers before reinstalling Windows 7, for example, when switching from an “expert”, not to mention the situation when a critical failure occurred in Windows 7 itself.

Let's see what can be done in such a situation. In particular, we will consider issues related to the situation when there is no original disc with drivers and Internet connection. The other side will be touched upon separately: when it comes to specialized programs, working either with or without an Internet connection. In the question of how to save drivers on a laptop, for example, no matter how much you might want to, they cannot be discounted. But first things first.

How to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7: general questions

Let's start, perhaps, with the very concept of the technology used to save a backup copy. Indeed, this is precisely a backup copy of installed drivers, which may have a version higher than that contained in the original database of the “seven” itself.

But even here a certain paradox arises. Of course, if you have the appropriate utility or the system’s own tools, you can create a copy of it, but there will be a bunch of unnecessary trash, which takes up quite a lot of space, and the question of how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7, in general, will even be relegated to the background. The system itself, even if restored, installs its own components, as they say, regardless of faces.

Why is this necessary?

This begs another burning question. Many will ask, why do all these operations? As an explanation, we can only cite what was said above: the database of divers of the “seven” itself, even with all its installed update packages, is unable to update or install drivers for specific devices. Yes, she will simply install the most, in her opinion, suitable driver, and will display a message stating that it is the best of all that is available.

But then, when entering the same "Device Manager", the user suddenly sees a yellow background with exclamation point on some device, which will only indicate that it is not working correctly or not working at all. This is where the user will begin to wonder how to save the drivers when reinstalling Windows 7, and until the moment when the process began re-installation(everything worked well before).

How to restore from a copy

Now a little about what you can do with the created copy (we’ll talk about it a little later and in more detail). In principle, when certain settings it can be easily saved in the system partition (in the same original location ( Drivers folder System 32 directories root directory Windows) or in another logical volume, or even write it to a regular flash drive or optical disk- it’s just how you like it.

The copy itself looks like some kind of archive or image, unpacking which you can integrate previously installed drivers into the system. Let's see now how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 on a USB flash drive, any other media, or on a hard drive. Restoration is performed by simply specifying the location where the copy is saved, rather than the system's own database directory.

Many, however, argue that it is impossible to do this using the system’s own means, but will have to use a bunch of special programs. We beg to differ.

How to save drivers when installing Windows 7 without the Internet: basic methods

Of course, if you have an Internet connection, the question of saving copies of drivers disappears by itself, because there is nothing easier than just downloading updated programs from the manufacturer's or developer's website. But what to do when the connection is broken for some reason or simply doesn’t work? This is where knowledge of how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 without the Internet comes to the rescue. Let's see how to do this using the simplest methods.

Method for saving copies of drivers using native Windows 7 tools

So, we have come close to solving the pressing problem of how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 without programs. To do this you should use universal module(service) Power Shell.

To get started, you can use the search system, where you just need to enter the name of the service and then click on the result. You must run it as an administrator, even if you are the administrator on your computer or laptop. Not about that now.

Next in the line you need to enter the command Export-WindowsDriver -Online -Destination “drive letter”:\DriverBackup (for disks and system partitions the letter is indicated without quotation marks). Thus, you can specify saving copies of drivers in virtual partition hard drive, which has nothing in common with the system one. Roughly speaking, if Windows is installed on drive C, but there is partition D, simply indicate it. If the destination directory is missing, it will be created automatically during the copying process.

Yes, please immediately note that copies of drivers will not be saved in their original form, but in the form of files like oemNN.inf (.inf is an extension of the standard installation file driver). What’s most interesting is that not only will they be copied system files and programs, but also accompanying them dynamic libraries DLL format. So, if you see them appear during the copying process, do not be surprised.

What programs may be needed?

Today there are quite a lot of programs for creating copies. However, among all this diversity, it is worth mentioning such utilities as Slim Drivers, Double Driver, Driver Checker and the like. Copies of all installed drivers are created automatically, and in the settings you can specify the destination folder (even removable media).

What is the best medium to use?

As for this issue, here the right of choice remains with the user. True, in the light latest trends Not recommended for use as they are subject to too rapid physical wear. And here external USB drives, even ordinary flash drives, even hard drives, even memory cards, are much better suited for this.

Here the question will mainly depend on how to restore the drivers from a copy. And not everyone knows that when exhibiting USB devices priority for booting (if it is used as a recovery tool, for example) it must be inserted into the slot or port before turning it on computer terminal or laptop (otherwise it simply won’t be detected, and the system will say that there is no disk to boot (or it will simply load regular Windows). Of course, you can use such copying, but it is better to copy the drivers to the system boot disk or other device, and when the system begins to suggest the installation of divers, indicate their location exactly on removable media(if the drivers were originally saved there or simply copied from the main location).

Is it possible not to make a copy?

It goes without saying that the processes of creating copies of drivers are quite labor-intensive. On the other hand, you can create a copy once, twice, etc. But not every time we do such things?

But here, if there are programs like Driver Booster And active connection to the Internet, it is better not to make copies at all. When installed utility works even in background, it automatically determines whether there is a new version drivers, or maybe some driver is simply missing. The installation will be completed entirely in automatic mode, and specifically from the equipment manufacturer’s website.

Instead of an afterword

As you can see, everything is not as complicated as it might seem at first glance. As for choosing a solution, it is better to use third party utilities, since the system’s own tools, although they look attractive, sometimes refuse to work, especially if the computer is infected with viruses. However, everyone chooses for themselves which solution to apply.

To protect yourself from equipment incompatibility after Windows reinstallation , must be done in advance make a backup copy of drivers. Drivers- these are, relatively speaking, library programs that help the system understand what equipment it interacts with.

There are drivers for the motherboard, video adapter, monitor, mouse and keyboard, as well as for other devices that are more invisible to the user’s eye. There is an opinion that you can back up your drivers using standard means. This is not entirely true.

Yes, indeed, it is possible to create a system restore point, which will store the state of the OS at the time of creation. It's not a fact, it's true that necessary drivers will also remain in place. Further, after reinstalling the system, the point will be deleted, so in our case this option is not suitable at all. Thus, there is only one thing left to do - select a program to backup drivers to a backup file(the one that will return everything “to its place” if necessary).

A brief overview of programs for creating driver backups

Our “rating” of programs is not a standard; you have the right to use any other program that is similar to those proposed. Each of them performs the main function of backing up drivers, but there are also differences. All of them are suitable for use on Windows 7. Later, using the example of one of the programs, we will consider creating backup file recovery.

There is no need to talk much about this program, because... it is rightfully the best of those we tested. The application installs quickly on your computer and allows you to get started right away. A system scan function is available to search for damaged, uninstalled or old drivers.

In addition, the program will automatically find the necessary drivers and offer to install them. All processes are controlled by you, so it’s quite difficult to “break” something.

The portable version looks like this: First, the program will offer to scan the system to check for driver updates, and then you can continue to use it. Among main functions applications: creating backup files, downloading drivers, installing, updating.

A small program that allows you to backup firewood(IT slang) quickly and without installing a program on your computer. Shipped free of charge and located in free access. Many sites have reviews of this particular utility, but we found it not as convenient as the previous one. Features of Double Driver:

Displays all installed drivers;
Ability to save or print the resulting list;
Creating a structured backup. This means that all drivers will be sorted into folders with names identical to the devices they relate to.

Another program with which we can create a backup of the files we need. In it you can find, update them, create copies, restore files for various equipment . Among the main advantages of the application are:

Creating a system restore point;
Uninstall unnecessary or old files from the OS;
Built-in job scheduling tool.

How to make a backup copy of drivers using the Driver Genius program as an example. Professional Edition

Now let's move on to how to make a backup. Everything is very simple - you need to strictly follow the steps of the instructions.

Launch the application. If you have portable version for Windows 7, you will have to go to the folder with the downloaded program and run the file with the *.exe extension. Next you will see a window with a menu and a proposal to scan. Confirm your choice, wait until it is completed and go to step 2;
You can have two outcomes: the program will display a list of drivers that need to be removed/reinstalled/updated; the program will show that none of the drivers require updates because they are already installed. When checking our computer I got the second option and if you have it too– go to point 3. B case of the first option– update the drivers and install. After that, move on to the next point;
Next, move on to creating a backup. To do this, click "Back Up Drivers" on the left in the menu. After this, a search will begin for all installed drivers of several types: "Currently Used Drivers", "Original Windows Drivers", "Disconnected Device Drivers". First are responsible for current devices (the first two types) and disconnected ones. There is no need to change anything here. Just click "Next";
You will then be asked to select backup type. We suggest you choose "Auto-Installer Archive » . Upon its launch, at the moment the “firewood” is resumed, they will all be automatically installed in the right places. Select path any, except to drive C, otherwise, when you reinstall, you will lose this file. The save will look something like the screenshot below. To continue creating the backup, click “Next”;
The backup process can take a long time- This is fine. Depending on the power of the computer, the process will be either very slow or quite fast. To speed up the process a little, we recommend leaving only our website open in the browser and the program. The rest, if possible, should be closed so as not to overload RAM.
When the process is completed, file compression will begin and a message indicating the successful completion of the task will be displayed. At this point, the backup copy is considered created.

Now you know how to backup drivers on Windows 7. However, this instruction suitable not only for users of this OS, but also younger versions, including Win 10. Driver Genius backup software – convenient utility, which itself makes updates on sites or databases, and only then offers to install or update drivers.

Good articles to follow:

Drivers are an important component of the interaction between the computer hardware and the operating system and the software installed on it. Therefore, when experimenting with them, or updating them, it is recommended to create a backup copy of the already installed drivers, so that if something happens, you can restore normal work computer. Today we will tell you about a small utility called Double Driver, with which you can quickly make driver backups.

Double Driver – free program, which is in the truest sense of the word a manager of device drivers connected to the computer’s motherboard with the ability to backup them. Utility, like file manager, displays all drivers installed in the operating system in the form of a list, and also allows you to save this list and print it.

The most popular function of the Double Driver utility is backup. Windows drivers 8, 7, Vista and XP. Most users choose this particular program to work because it is free and very fast speed driver backup. By the way, in just a couple of minutes it can create a complete backup copy of an operating system that has been installed for more than a year, and, therefore, it has accumulated quite a few drivers. In addition, when creating copies, the utility sorts all files into folders whose names correspond to the names of the devices. In addition to sorting by folders, the utility also contains a filter in its functionality that filters all drivers by their developers, for example, from Microsoft, etc.

Backing up your drivers

You can quickly create a backup copy of the drivers installed on the system in just a couple of clicks using Double programs Driver which can be downloaded from the link below. The utility does not require installation and can be used on any removable media.

Run the utility on your PC and in its main window, in top menu, click on the “Backup” button, then click on “ScanCurrentSystem” as shown in the figure below.

Next, check the checkboxes next to those drivers for which you are going to make a backup copy, and then click “Backup Now”. You can mark them all if you have doubts that you have marked the right ones.

In the dialog box that appears, indicate to the program the location on your hard drive where it should save the backup copy of the drivers, and also activate the “Compressed (zipped) folder” radio button if you want the copy to be compressed into an archive. In addition, if you need to create a self-extracting archive, then instead of the above radio button, activate “Single file self extract (executable)”. Click “Ok” to start the copy creation process.

Wait until the Double Driver utility finishes its work and informs you about it with a corresponding message.

The created archive with a backup copy of the drivers will be stored in the location you previously specified and will have the name of your model motherboard, as well as the date the backup was created. To restore drivers from of this archive, you need to unpack it, then run the installation wizard and follow its instructions and tips.

Similar materials

Hello, dear readers of the blog site. In this article I will tell you about what it is driver backup or how to save installed drivers . Making a backup copy of your drivers is very important, especially for novice computer users.

Because if you accidentally delete drivers from your computer and you don’t have a driver disk , then the equipment installed on the computer will simply refuse to work. You will have to download these drivers from the Internet, which is difficult for a beginner and a beginner. Or take your computer to service center, which also won’t suit many people. By the way, you can read about how to find a driver on the Internet by device code.

Typically, a backup copy of drivers is made when reinstalling the operating system, so that after reinstallation you can easily restore them. Therefore, I advise everyone to make a copy of all installed drivers on the computer in advance, so that if they are accidentally deleted or lost, they can be easily restored.

How to backup drivers?

We will make a backup copy of the drivers using an easy, convenient, simple program called Double driver.

1 – First you need to download this program. It can be done .

2 – Extract from the archive and run the file “ dd.exe".

3 – After the program has started, click on « Backup».

4 – In the window that opens, click on “ ScanCurrentSystem" The program will quickly scan and find all drivers installed on your system.

5 – In the list that appears, select the drivers that are needed for the backup. If you want to backup all drivers, check the entire list. This is easy to do by clicking on Select ? All.

6 – Click on “ Backup now", after which we need to select the location where we want to save our backup. We select drive "D".

7 – The program will make a backup copy of the drivers within a few minutes. After that, a folder with a backup copy of the drivers will appear in the place where you indicated. Well, that's all, the backup copy of your system drivers is ready.

Restoring drivers from a backup.

Restoring drivers from a backup is very easy. To do this, open the file back dd.exe. And instead of Baskup, click on Restore.

Next click on Locate Backup select an item other location,and point to the place where our folder with the driver backup is located. Click OK.

A list of our drivers that we have saved will appear. Click on Restore Now, And OK. The program restores the drivers within a few minutes. Reboot the computer.

You have successfully restored drivers from backup copy.