Friday, August 04, 2006

Backing up Windows Drivers

When it comes to backing up your pc system, many people consider backing up specific files and folders in the event of a system restore.

But what about your system drivers? All those things that keep your hardware and software playing nicely with one another.

While they aren't required to restore your system, having those things backed up could save a lot of headaches and grief. Some organized folks keep a copy of their latest driver install files handy on a cd, just in case.

Ed Bott posted You've got Windows XP questions, I've got answers today, and in it, he responded to a user's question if there was a utility to back up device-drivers on Windows systems.

I remembered coming across just such an application a long time ago, but didn't think much of it until this post jogged my memory. A quick search came up with these utilities:

Driver Magician
DriverGuide Toolkit
WinDrivers Backup PE (midway down list)

HunterSoft has several driver backup products listed on their Device Driver Backup and Restore Utilities page, including:

My Drivers 3.11
WinDriver Ghost 2.02
WinDriver Expert
My Drivers

Finally, CNET has a slightly older post about backing up your drivers.

So now, pick one of these utilities, back up your driver files and stick them on a cd-r. If something goes south and you have to restore your system, you might be glad you considered your drivers as well.

--Claus

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