Solved What is the best way to backup installed device drivers?

1gouravgg

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India
What is the best and trusted way to backup installed 3rd party device drivers (and software too, I guess it's possible) so that I can reinstall them on a fresh windows installation?

UPDATE: I would be truly grateful if someone could suggest me a way to save at least all current settings of installed windows environment and settings of all softwares?
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hello 1gouravgg, and welcome to Eight Forums.

I find that saving the downloaded driver installation files from the device or PC manufacturer to a drive other than the one Windows is installed on a great way to back them up. This way they are quickly available to install as needed. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
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    Logitech wireless K800
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    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello 1gouravgg, and welcome to Eight Forums.

I find that saving the downloaded driver installation files from the device or PC manufacturer to a drive other than the one Windows is installed on a great way to back them up. This way they are quickly available to install as needed. :)

I have to second Brink there... when I download any kind of installer, I always save to downloads first(instead of running in temp)check with AV for hidden crap-installers, then install, after getting everything set-up, and there are no problems, after a couple of days I move the installer package to a external HDD.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Update Pro in Hyper-V/Windows 10 Pro 64 bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Cliff's Black & Blue Wonder
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-9900K
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus X Hero
    Memory
    32 GB Quad Kit, G.Skill Trident Z RGB Series schwarz, DDR4-3866, 18-19-19-39-2T
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    ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 ROG Strix O24G, 24576 MB GDDR6X
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    (1) HD Webcam C270 (2) NVIDIA High Definition Audio (3) Realtek High Definition Audio
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    BenQ BL2711U(4K) and a hp 27vx(1080p)
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    C: Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 SSD
    E: & O: Libraries & OneDrive-> Samsung 850 EVO 1TB
    D: Hyper-V VM's -> Samsung PM951 Client M.2 512Gb SSD
    G: System Images -> HDD Seagate Barracuda 2TB
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    hanteks Enthoo Pro TG
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    Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB TT Premium-Edition 360mm and 3 Corsair blue LED fans
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    Trust GTX THURA
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    Trust GTX 148
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    Router: FRITZ!Box 7590 AX V2
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    Webcam: Logitech BRIO ULTRA HD PRO WEBCAM 4K webcam with HDR

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
Lots of your windows settings can be backed up with OneDrive (if you sign on using a Microsoft account). http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5591-sync-your-settings-turn-off-windows-8-a.html

Programs are a bit more involved. You can't copy program settings on an individual basis without analyzing each program separately and finding where it stores information.

Your best bet is probably to make a backup once everything is working OK. Either of everything (using Macrium Reflect FREE Edition - Information and download or similar) or making a custom refresh point using recimg http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/3610-refresh-windows-8-create-use-custom-recovery-image.html

A full backup lets you restore your system as it was when you created it. A custom refresh points lets you use the Windows 8 refresh feature to restore your programs and settings without deleting your user files (documents and so on) that have changed since you created the image.

You could of course do all 3.
 

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System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
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    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
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    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
My suggestion above is just to backup all the drivers currently installed in your PC so in case you need to re-install Windows, you can restore them in one sweep instead of re-installing one by one.

I am not aware of any software that will save settings for installed third party software. What I usually do is after Windows installation + installed Applications. I just use: Macrium Reflect Free to make a backup image of Drive C: which includes Windows OS + Installed Applications in case I need to restore so I don't have to re-install anything from scratch.

Depending on how fast your PC is and also separate your personal data to another drive. Using Macrium is quite fast to backup.

Here's a short video on how to backup your Windows OS + all Installed software. It will work with all versions of Windows:

[video=youtube;IhhDU66HGyk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhhDU66HGyk[/video]
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
I just create a "drivers" folder on my "C" drive and then type this into a command prompt(admin)

Dism /Online /Export-Driver /Destination:C:\Drivers

Then you can copy them to a usb stick.. setup windows and then use device manager to update the system drivers..

I just inject them into the install.wim prior to running windows setup..
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 3.1 > Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 8700
    CPU
    I7
    Memory
    24 GB
I always save all my downloads to a download folder (which is located under my Documents folder), then install from there. That provides my security programs better opportunities to ensure the download is clean instead of installing directly from the Internet (where IMO, you take your chances). Good security practice but not a good backup practice.

Everyone must assess their own situation and decide what is more important to them! Is it your drivers and downloaded programs which you can relatively easily download again (the latest version too!) from the makers' sites? Or your personal documents, photos, emails, contacts, calendar/appointment scheduler, password safe, tax records, school and work or personal business projects that you can NOT simply download (or recreate) again?

My personal data files are worth MUCH MORE in time, money and emotions to me than a silly driver or even OS which I can easily re-install.

I have two backup policies. First, I repurposed my trusty old XP system as my backup server/NAS. This sits down in the dungeon (a dark corner in my basement) and I regularly just drag and drop my entire Documents folder (which includes the latest driver downloads) to this old XP system. If someone has an old XP system I recommend doing this. Just ensure you block access to and from the Internet for this system in your router's admin menu - keep it local access only.

My second backup policy is a full image. And I keep several copies including one on that XP system, but also one off site. Why off site? Because what are you going to do if your home floods, burns down, is blown away by tornado/hurricane? Or if you sustain a direct lightning strike or worse, a badguy breaks into your home and steals all your computers and your attached storage/backup drives? Then how are you going to recover those personal files?

For years, I kept an image disk off-site in my bank safe deposit box. Definitely safe there, but not accessible 24/7/365. Now I keep an image disk at a nearby relative's house.

If I trusted the cloud, I would put an image out there. But I don't trust the cloud to keep my personal data private, or accessible.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
My suggestion above is just to backup all the drivers currently installed in your PC so in case you need to re-install Windows, you can restore them in one sweep instead of re-installing one by one.

I am not aware of any software that will save settings for installed third party software. What I usually do is after Windows installation + installed Applications. I just use: Macrium Reflect Free to make a backup image of Drive C: which includes Windows OS + Installed Applications in case I need to restore so I don't have to re-install anything from scratch.

Depending on how fast your PC is and also separate your personal data to another drive. Using Macrium is quite fast to backup.

Here's a short video on how to backup your Windows OS + all Installed software. It will work with all versions of Windows:

[video=youtube;IhhDU66HGyk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhhDU66HGyk[/video]
I just tried to install Macrium Reflect and it is asking for a 400MB file "reflect installer and pe components" to download! can I takeover that file via IDM anyhow? my bandwidth is not so fast.
After backing-up the system can window restore this image by its own or i have to install macrium again to restore that image?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
I just tried to install Macrium Reflect and it is asking for a 400MB file "reflect installer and pe components" to download! can I takeover that file via IDM anyhow? my bandwidth is not so fast.
After backing-up the system can window restore this image by its own or i have to install macrium again to restore that image?
To make it simple for you. Here's the ISO's that I put in my google drive. You can download and use Rufus - Create bootable USB to create a bootable USB. You only need to down one or the other depending on whether your Windows is 64 or 32 bit:

X86 (164MB): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxgxYnZOV7L7SzhjYWdNODctdVE/view?usp=sharing
x64 (204MB): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxgxYnZOV7L7ZmRGWjRaNnBsWWc/view?usp=sharing

You actually don't have to install Macrium at all but it is handy so you can backup online. However, You can use the above to backup or restore offline.

PS. The above can be downloaded with IDM.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
To make it simple for you. Here's the ISO's that I put in my google drive. You can download and use Rufus - Create bootable USB to create a bootable USB. You only need to down one or the other depending on whether your Windows is 64 or 32 bit:

X86 (164MB): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxgxYnZOV7L7SzhjYWdNODctdVE/view?usp=sharing
x64 (204MB): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxgxYnZOV7L7ZmRGWjRaNnBsWWc/view?usp=sharing

You actually don't have to install Macrium at all but it is handy so you can backup online. However, You can use the above to backup or restore offline.

PS. The above can be downloaded with IDM.
why don't we just use windows built-in function for image backup i.e..on cd or external HDD(vhdx image). Macrium does the same if am not wrong?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Macrium gives you a lot more flexibility for saving and restoring the images which makes it more reliable.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
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