As you know, almost all modifications of Windows in terms of tracking the current status of the drivers of the installed equipment are quite capricious. Not only can they not update the control software on their own, they also keep outdated or unused drivers on the hard drive, which leads to its clutter with unnecessary files and to conflicts between outdated and updated versions of drivers.
So, you need to get rid of such software. But how to remove an unnecessary driver from a computer so that the system does not suffer from this? Below are some simple methods that work absolutely in all versions of Windows, and some of them can be used even in older versions, if standard tools fail for some reason.
How to remove unnecessary drivers in Windows 7 by the simplest method?
Since drivers belong to the system components responsible for ensuring that the equipment is operational on a computer and that Windows itself is correctly recognized, it is possible to suggest performing standard disk cleaning as the simplest method. You can call this tool either through RMB on the system partition in the "Explorer" with the transition to the properties item, or through the "Run" console using the cleanmgr combination (in the second version, you will additionally need to select the partition for which you want to perform cleaning).
After clicking the clear button and completing the preliminary scan, simply select the item for removing driver packages from the list and confirm the operation.
Note: if there is no such position in the list, additionally click the clear system files button.
Removing hidden devices and their drivers
Now let's see how to remove an unnecessary driver if we are talking about unused or hidden devices for which Windows saves driver files, but they turn out to be completely useless.
In this case, you will need to call the “Device Manager” (devmgmt.msc), select the option to show hidden devices in the view menu, and then use the delete device item on the selected component via RMB. If prompted to uninstall related drivers as well, confirm this action as well.
The nuances of identifying outdated drivers in Windows XP
The above methods are quite simple, but on legacy systems like the XP version, accessing hidden devices can be quite problematic.
In order for this opportunity to appear, on the command line, you should perform the combination shown in the picture above, and then turn to the “Device Manager” and display a list of hidden hardware components.
You can do much easier by running the line in the image in the command console, after which a text file will be created on the “Desktop” with a complete list of all available drivers. Instead of User_Name, enter the username under which you are registered in the system. The location on the "Desktop" is indicated only for the convenience of further searching for the created document (you can specify any other location).
Now in the list find the component to be removed - a file with a name containing “oem” at the beginning of the name and with the extension .inf.
How to remove unnecessary drivers in Windows XP and above via the command line?
When you have identified the required component, you can proceed to the next step. How to remove an unnecessary driver? Easy peasy!
On the same command line, run the command shown in the picture above, instead of File_Name.inf, enter the name of the original component.
Uninstalling drivers by publisher name
Now let's see how to remove unnecessary drivers in Windows 10 and below, if you need to get rid of the software of a particular publisher. In addition, the method using the command console is not good enough in that even according to the description of the driver in the test file, it is impossible to figure out exactly whether it is needed in the system. Indeed, it is possible to remove important management software, and the device for which it is intended will completely stop working. But how to remove an unnecessary driver? To do this, you can use another technique, which looks much simpler.
Go to the programs and components section, and then sort the installed applications by publisher. To simplify the search, you can immediately call up the list of publishers by clicking on the arrow button and select the developer whose drivers you need to uninstall.
The example above shows the removal of drivers for all Intel components. If necessary, on the same laptops, you can remove the accompanying driver packages provided by the laptop manufacturer by selecting it from the same list.
As alternative software products, you can recommend the most common uninstaller programs like iObit Uninstaller, which not only guarantee that they remove existing software packages, but also automatically clean up the residual components after removing the main ones.
Additional funds
Finally, let's decide how to remove an unnecessary driver using third-party utilities for this, which simplify the execution of such tasks and protect yourself (and the system) from accidentally deleting important components. As an optimal solution, you can recommend using the Driver Sweeper program.
In the running application, first select the publisher, click the analysis button, then mark the unnecessary driver and use the clear button.
Note: if you doubt any component or don’t know why it is needed in the system, it’s better not to touch it, because such rash actions on your part can lead to completely unpredictable consequences.