When Windows is installed on a clean hard drive it usually finds most of the needed drivers for our computer to run, but if we by any chance have any old unsupported hardware or some exotic one chance are very high that Windows will not be able to locate and install drivers for it.
And sometimes we do not even have drivers from where to download them, let's say for example you have purchased a second-hand laptop with Windows on it, you wish to create a clean and fresh copy of new Windows installation but you do not have drivers, and let us say the model is not supported so you can not download them. In this case, this shown method will help you a ton and save you a lot of time and frustration.
So, in order to back all of your drivers from your Windows follow this simple guide step by step. Note please that this method will backup drivers themselves, you will not backup installation packages of drivers or similar stuff, only drivers installed in Windows itself.
Backing up the drivers
First thing first, create a folder where you want your drivers to be backed up somewhere in your HD and give it any name.
Second, press ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret Windows menu.
From the menu choose Command Prompt (administrator)
When the command prompt is active type the next command in it:
DISM /online /export-driver /destination:C:\DriverBackup
where: C:\DriverBackup is the folder and the hard drive where you want to store your backed-up drivers.
Press ENTER
That's it, you have now successfully backed-up all of your installed Windows drivers.
Now, save all of your drivers on USB and reinstall Windows.
In order to now return backed drivers do the following:
Press again ⊞ WINDOWS + X to open the secret Windows menu.
but this time choose Device manager
From decide, manager right-click on any device Windows has not been able to install appropriate driver and choose update driver
- Click on the Browse my computer for driver software option.
- Click the Browse button.
- Select the folder with the driver backup.
- Check the Include subfolders option.
- Click the Next button.
- Click the Close button.