The Seven, although it looks quite interesting in terms of design and security, 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 the "export", 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 driver disk and Internet connection at hand. The other side will also be affected separately: when it comes to specialized programs that work either with or without an Internet connection. In the question of how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 on a laptop, for example, no matter how you like it, you cannot discount them. But first things first.
How to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7: general questions
Let's start with the very concept of technology, which is used to save a backup copy. Indeed, this is a backup copy of the installed drivers, which may have a version higher than that contained in the original database of the Seven itself.
But here a paradox arises. Of course, if you have the appropriate utility or your own system tools, you can create a copy of it, but there will be a lot of unnecessary junk that takes up a lot of space, and the question of how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7, in general, will even move to second plan. The system itself, even under the condition of recovery, installs its own components, as they say, regardless of the person.
Why is this needed?
Here one more burning question begs. Many will ask, they say, why do all these operations? As an explanation, we can only give what was said above: the database of divers of the "seven" even with all its installed update packages is unable to update or install drivers for specific devices. Yes, she simply installs the most suitable driver, in her opinion, and displays a message stating that he is the best of all that is available.
But then, when entering the same "Device Manager", the user suddenly sees a yellow background with an exclamation mark on some device, which will only indicate that it is working incorrectly or does not work at all. Here the user will begin to wonder how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7, and until the moment when the process of re-installation has begun (before, everything worked fine).
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, with certain settings, you can easily save it in the system partition (in the same original location (the Drivers folder in the System 32 directory of the Windows root directory) or in another logical volume, or even write it to a regular USB flash drive or optical drive - that's how anyone likes it .
The very same copy looks like a kind of archive or image, unpacking which you can integrate previously installed drivers into the system. How to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 on a USB flash drive, any other media or on a hard drive, now let's see. Recovery is made by simply indicating the location of the copy, and not the systemâs own database directory.
True, many argue that using the systemâs own means it is impossible to do this, and you will have to use a bunch of special programs. Let us disagree with this.
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 or developerâs website. But what to do when for some reason the connection is broken or just does not work? Here, knowledge about how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 without the Internet comes to the rescue. Let's see how to do this with the simplest methods.
Methods for saving driver copies using native Windows 7 tools
So, we have come close to solving an urgent problem related to how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 without programs. To do this, use the universal Power Shell module (service).
First you can use the search system, where you just need to register the name of the service, and then click on the result. The launch should be carried out on behalf of the administrator, even if you are an administrator on your computer or laptop. Now is not about that.
Next, in the line, write the command Export-WindowsDriver âOnline âDestination âdrive letterâ: \ DriverBackup (for drives and system partitions, the letter is indicated without quotes). Thus, it is possible to set the saving of driver copies in the virtual section of the hard drive, which has nothing to do with the system. Roughly speaking, if "Windows" is installed on drive C, but there is a section D, we simply indicate it. If there is no final directory, it will be created automatically during copying.
Yes, immediately note that copies of drivers will not be saved in their original form, but in the form of files like oemNN.inf ââ(.inf is an extension of the standard driver installation file). Most interestingly, not only system files and programs will be copied, but also the accompanying dynamic DLLs. So, if you see their appearance in the process of copying, do not be surprised.
What programs may be needed?
Now a few words about how to save drivers when reinstalling Windows 7 using specialized software.
There are a lot of programs for creating copies today. However, among all this diversity, it is worth noting separately such utilities as Slim Drivers, Double Driver, Driver Checker and the like. Creating copies of all installed drivers is done automatically, and in the settings you can specify the destination folder (even removable media).
What is better to use as a carrier?
As for this issue, here the right of choice remains with the user. However, in the light of recent trends it is not recommended to use optical discs, since they are subject to too rapid physical deterioration. But external USB-drives, at least ordinary flash drives, at least hard drives, at least memory cards, are much better for this.
Here the question will mainly rest only on how to restore drivers from a copy. And not everyone knows that when setting a USB device to boot priority (if it is used as a recovery tool, for example), you need to insert it into the slot or port before turning on the computer terminal or laptop (otherwise it just wonât determine, and the system will say that there is no boot disk (or just load the usual âWindows.â) Of course, you can use such copying, but itâs better to copy the drivers to the system boot disk or other device, and when the system starts offering to install the diver c, indicate their location on removable media (if the drivers were originally saved there or simply copied from the main location).
Can I not make a copy?
It goes without saying that the process of creating driver copies is quite time-consuming. On the other hand, you can create a copy once, a second, etc. But not every time to do such things?
And here, with programs like Driver Booster and an active Internet connection, itâs better not to make copies at all. When the installed utility works even in the background, it automatically determines if there is a new version of the driver, or maybe some driver is simply missing. Installation will be carried out fully automatically, and it is from the manufacturerâs website.
Instead of an afterword
As you can see, everything is not so complicated as it might seem at first glance. As for the choice of a solution, it is better to use third-party utilities, since the systemâs own tools, although they look attractive, sometimes they refuse to work, especially in case of viruses infecting the computer. However, everyone chooses which solution to apply.