Backup and restore drivers. Download Double Driver – a free driver backup program

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 the normal operation of the computer. Today we will tell you about a small utility called Double Driver, with which you can quickly make driver backups.

Double Driver is a free program that is, in the truest sense of the word, a driver manager for devices connected to the computer’s motherboard with the ability to back them up. The utility, like a 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 the backup of Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP drivers. Most users choose this particular program to work because it is free and the speed of driver backup is very fast. 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 one 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 create a backup copy of the drivers installed in the system quickly and in just a couple of clicks using the Double Driver program, which can be downloaded from the link below. The utility does not require installation and can be used on any removable media.

Launch the utility on your PC and in its main window, in the 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 motherboard model, as well as the date the backup was created. To restore drivers from this archive, you need to unpack it, then run the installation wizard and follow its instructions and tips.

Similar materials

To protect yourself from hardware incompatibility after reinstalling Windows, 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 tools. 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 is not a fact, however, that the 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 a backup copy of drivers

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 look at creating a backup recovery file.

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. It is supplied free of charge and is freely available. 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 different 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.

1. Launch the application. If you have a 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;
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;
   
   
3. 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";
   
4. 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”;
   
   
5. 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.
   
   
6. 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 is suitable not only for users of this OS, but also younger versions, including Win 10. The Driver Genius backup program is a convenient utility that automatically performs updates on sites or databases, and only then offers to install or update drivers.

Good articles to follow:

A small driver backup program that does not require installation. It allows you to find all the drivers installed on your PC and save them for later restoration after reinstalling the system. Its main feature is the ability to save drivers not only for a running system, but also for an inactive or even inoperable one!

Reinstalling the system is a simple matter, but quite troublesome. Firstly, you need to copy all the necessary information (documents, photos, music, etc.) to backup media in advance.

Then you should take care not to forget the bookmarks and passwords saved in your browsers. You may also need to save the necessary configuration files for various applications...

And it often happens that everything seems to be saved, the system has already been reinstalled, but it turns out that the driver disk for your PC or laptop has disappeared somewhere! Has this ever happened to you?

If you have access to the Internet, then you can somehow get out of this situation (although you will spend a lot of time downloading new drivers). And if not? Then you will have to look for the necessary disks from friends or somewhere else :).

But it turns out that all these troubles can be avoided quite easily by making backup of installed drivers! And an excellent free program will help us with this. Double Driver.

Comparison with a paid analogue

Double Driver does not have rich functionality, but it copes with its main task with a bang - it saves installed drivers and helps to restore them on a new system. The paid My Drivers utility has similar capabilities:

From the comparison it is clear that the paid application has a little more features than Double Driver, but all of them (with the exception, of course, of the ability to download drivers from the Internet) are practically useless. But our free program also has its trump cards.

Firstly, Double Driver can search for drivers even on an inactive system (can be a big help when working with LiveCD)!

And secondly, it allows you to save logs of your work and lists of detected drivers. This can help advanced users find the drivers they need online.

Getting started with the program

Double Driver does not require installation, so to start working with the program, simply unzip the folder with it to your hard drive and run the file dd.exe:

The program interface is in English, but quite simple, so it does not require translation for the most part. The application window consists of two parts: a toolbar with functional buttons and a work area.

When loading, we find ourselves in the “Home” section, where we can see the program’s event log, save it to a text file or print it on a printer. In this section, the “Select” button is inactive, since there is nothing to choose here :).

Backing up your drivers

To view the list of installed drivers and back them up, we need to click the second button on the toolbar - “Backup”:

In order to get a list of drivers, you need to click the “Scan Current System” button.

However, as I mentioned above, Double Driver can also search for drivers in inactive system directories. To do this, use the “Scan Other System” button. This function will be useful if you have several operating systems on your hard drive (for example, XP and 7).

You just need to specify the folder with the desired OS and scan it without having to download it!

By default, the list will highlight all drivers that are not included with Windows (although all standard drivers are present!). Using the “Select” button, you can quickly select all drivers, deselect them, or invert the selection (that is, select all drivers from Microsoft).

Naturally, you can also select the necessary drivers manually using the checkboxes to the left of the name.

So, using the “Select” button (the “None” item), we remove all selections, mark only the item we need, and then press the “Backup Now” button. The following window will appear in front of us:

Here we can select the folder to save the driver (section “Destination”) and the format of saving itself (section “Output”). As for the latter, we can save the drivers:

1. In the format of structured folders that will be used by the program for recovery;
2. In zip archive format, which can also be used for recovery using Double Driver;
3. In an executable file format that can be used separately from the program as a standalone installer.

Select the desired saving format (I chose the first one) and click the “Ok” button. After some time, the backup copy will be ready!

Driver recovery

For the purity of the experiment, I completely removed the drivers of the tested network card from the system and now I will try to restore them using Double Driver.

To switch to driver recovery mode, you need to click the third button on the toolbar - “Restore”:

Click the “Locate Backup” button and in the window that opens, select the option for the location of our driver (or drivers, if you copied several at once). There are also three recovery options available here:

1. Restoring from the default folder (My Documents) will suit you if you did not change the backup location when saving the backup copy (section “Destination”);
2. You will need to select Restore from archive if you selected the second option (archiving) when creating a backup copy;
3. We will need to restore from the specified folder (I used it) if we changed the default backup storage folder.

If you have chosen the correct location, you will see a list of drivers available for installation:

We mark the items we need and click the “Restore Now” button. The standard Device Driver Installation Wizard will launch, which will automatically configure the system properly and prepare our hardware component for operation:

After completing the installation of the driver backup, the system successfully detected my network card and I was able to restore all my settings to it without much effort. The test showed that Double Driver works quite correctly, which is what we need :).

Additional features

In fact, there are no special additional features in Double Driver. The only thing the program can do beyond the functionality described above is save logs of its work and lists of found drivers.

Such information can be useful for advanced users or system administrators, as it allows them to immediately see all components installed on the system.

To use this function, you just need to click the “Save” button on the tab with the required data. So, in the “Home” tab we can save the Double Driver operation log, in “Backup” - a list of installed drivers, and in “Restore” - a list of reserved ones:

For example, in the screenshot above we can see a fragment of the saved list of installed drivers. In it, in addition to, of course, the name of the device, we can see the date of the last driver update, its version, class and identifiers (ven and dev), with which you can find all the software for the selected device!

Advantages and disadvantages of the program

• no installation required;
• the ability to select any drivers (including system ones) for backup;
• backup of drivers from an inactive system;
• creating backup copies of drivers with automatic installation;
• saving a list of installed drivers to a text document.

• It is not possible to download drivers from the Internet.

conclusions

Double Driver is a simple workhorse for backing up installed drivers. However, this “horse” can sometimes help even in situations when other backup “monsters” are powerless.

For example, I have not yet come across a program that would be able to save all the drivers from an already “fallen” system. And Double Driver, thanks to its portability and the “Scan Other System” function, copes with this task with a bang!

P.S. Permission is granted to freely copy and quote this article, provided that an open active link to the source is indicated and the authorship of Ruslan Tertyshny is preserved.

Before you reinstall Windows on your computer, you should take care to save all the necessary data that is located on the OS drive (usually drive C). In this article you will learn how to save drivers when reinstalling.

If you don’t have to take special care of the programs, since after installing a fresh Windows they can be easily reinstalled, then trouble can happen with the drivers. You will have to search for a long time and select the necessary software for the devices. An unaware user may encounter difficulties, and a professional will have to spend a lot of time. In general, the best option would be to save the drivers when reinstalling and then simply restore them.

Each external or internal device in a computer has its own software, a driver that allows it to work normally. Some drivers are installed with Windows. The rest must be installed separately. If a driver is not installed on the device, it will not work or will not work correctly.

How to save drivers when reinstalling

To save drivers when reinstalling, you need the Driver Genius program. Download link below. Download it and install it on your computer. When starting, an Internet connection is required, as the program must be updated.

Remember that if you change one version of Windows to another, the backup copy of drivers may not fit the newly installed OS, since many drivers are written separately for each version of Windows. For a backup to be restored normally, you must run it on the same version of Windows on which it was created.

• Follow the instructions in the archive to activate the Driver Genius program.
• Launch it and click “Back Up Drivers”. Scanning of installed drivers will begin. Wait for the process to complete.

In the next window, in the “Select the backup type” list, select “Auto-Installer Archive”. This is the most convenient way to save drivers when reinstalling, since deploying a backup will not require any unnecessary manipulations. That's why I recommend him. In the same window, select a location to save the driver backup. Obviously, the backup does not need to be saved on the same disk partition on which you have installedWindows. To select a location, click the “Browse” button. Click the “Next” button and wait for the reservation to complete. It's not very long. At the end, click the “Finish” button.

Then make sure that the backup copy is saved in the selected location and begin reinstalling Windows. After reinstalling Windows, run the backup file, select the necessary drivers and install them.

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 the computer to a service center, which will also not 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.