Good free driver backup

pendragon_arther · 28 January 2016 at 1:01AM

I use free Driver Booster to update my drivers but the free version doesn't back them up. Does anyone know of a good free backup program?

TIA

esuhl · 28 January 2016 at 2:12AM

Why not just download the drivers you need? Then back them up.

Bollotom · 28 January 2016 at 6:10PM

Have a read on the linky then Double Driver to see if that fits your needs. :cool:

http://www.techsupportalert.com/best-free-windows-driver-backup.htm

jblessing · 28 January 2016 at 8:16PM

I have had a computer since before Windows 3 and have never found it necessary to use "driver booster" or similar. Are you sure it is really necessary? Modern Windows is pretty good at using the right drivers.

pendragon_arther · 29 January 2016 at 12:50AM

esuhl wrote: »

Why not just download the drivers you need? Then back them up.

? That's what I'm wanting to do hence the post.

jblessing wrote: »

I have had a computer since before Windows 3 and have never found it necessary to use "driver booster" or similar. Are you sure it is really necessary? Modern Windows is pretty good at using the right drivers.

Not so, Driver Booster found a more recent sound driver when WINDOWS said the present one was better and my sound has greatly improved.

kwikbreaks · 29 January 2016 at 11:22AM

If you run any of those Driver Booster type programs on a machine working perfectly well it will always come up with at least 50% supposed newer drivers. Would I take a gamble on installing those new drivers and hoping for the best? No.

Would I back up my current drivers (plenty of freeware software to do this or at least there used to be) and then install them? No I wouldn't do that either. I only seek out updated drivers manually if there are problems with the ones in use. Then I try to find the manufacturers website and driver downloads in the first instance.

Maybe i'm wrong but I always class magic driver software in the same category as magic optimisation software, magic registry cleaners, etc. etc. - i.e. snake oil

esuhl · 29 January 2016 at 12:59PM

pendragon_arther wrote: »

? That's what I'm wanting to do hence the post.

So why do you need special software? Just go to the manufacturers' websites, download the drivers, and then just back them as you would with your personal data, etc.

jblessing wrote: »

Modern Windows is pretty good at using the right drivers.

Windows has never once installed all the drivers I need. And if I let it install its suggested video driver, it installs all the bloated extra software packaged with the driver without prompting. Far better to get drivers directly from an official source.

pendragon_arther · 30 January 2016 at 2:28AM

You'll always get the MS supporters who condemn third party software which is why I was asking for assistance in giving me a recommendation and the only useful contributor was Bollotom. I'm savvy enough to know which third party software comes with bloated crap, trojans, malware etc. Windows does not always know which driver is best as I've been pc troubleshooting for about 15 years and OEM laptops don't always make it an easy option to find on the manufacturer's sites. They say we learn something knew every day and I hope you've learned something today.

esuhl · 30 January 2016 at 12:51PM

pendragon_arther wrote: »

You'll always get the MS supporters who condemn third party software...

MS supporters?! Ha ha!!! I use Linux! :rotfl:

pendragon_arther wrote: »

... which is why I was asking for assistance in giving me a recommendation and the only useful contributor was Bollotom.

Only because you refuse to take sensible advice. If Bollotom's link was useful, then why are you still posting on this thread? Job done, right?

pendragon_arther wrote: »

I'm savvy enough to know which third party software comes with bloated crap, trojans, malware etc.

Wow. That's clever. I guess you can ditch your antivirus and just use your amazing sense of intuition.

pendragon_arther wrote: »

Windows does not always know which driver is best...

Yes. That was exactly the point I made above.

pendragon_arther wrote: »

... as I've been pc troubleshooting for about 15 years and OEM laptops don't always make it an easy option to find on the manufacturer's sites.

I've been "troubleshooting PCs" for about 25 years and would never consider using one of those dodgy driver backup programs. They're simply unnecessary. If you have some ancient, exotic hardware, then maybe it would be worth identifying any drivers in use yourself and backing them up.

pendragon_arther wrote: »

They say we learn something knew every day and I hope you've learned something today.

Not yet. Tell me something I don't know.

Bollotom · 31 January 2016 at 6:15AM

Windows drivers generally install themselves but third party software for Networking, USB, Display, Sound etc, sometimes have proprietary drivers which you have to hunt for. When I installed Win 7 (some years ago) on a Toshiba lappy, I had to go to their website to get drivers so I could connect to the net. Win 8 and Win 10 just went right ahead and did it without problem. Of course Linux makes it lovely and easy but Windows does make you jump through hoops sometimes. I use Drive Booster and have yet to have any problems with it.

GunJack · 31 January 2016 at 7:37AM

I often wonder why these types of threads cause so much controversy. I've found over the years sometimes using a third-party driver checker is the only way to find some drivers for some hardware on some versions of windows, common ones being networking and gfx drivers. I currently use SlimDrivers for this, but - do I just blindly download every suggested driver? no, of course not. Usually only the ones which the Win install or manufacturer's site don't provide.