What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?

On 20/10/2021 00:03, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>
> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?

Tedious, but should work ...

1) Save the at least the inf and system32 sub-directories, though I
think it would be better to save the entire Windows directory, of the
existing system to a USB stick, other partition, or other storage that
will not be reformatted, but will be readable by the new OS at install
time, in other words not somewhere or on something that requires a
non-Windows supplied driver to access it. If you are aware of any
drivers that installed stuff elsewhere, for example in Program Files, or
Common Files, then save those directories too. If you have enough space
on the safe storage, you could just save the entire system there, to be
sure.

2) I'm not sure if this step is necessary or not, but you may find it
useful anyway. In the saved version of inf, examine each file of the
form oem*.inf in Notepad and rename it to describe the hardware it
installs, for example on my PC oem2.inf install the Elan Touchpad, so I
would rename that TouchPad.inf. Similarly for all the oem*.inf files.

3) Once the OS has been reinstalled, in Device Manager, rt-click in turn
each devices represented by a yellow question mark, and choose update or
install driver. Tell the driver installation dialog to look in the
saved version of the inf folder. If it wants a specific inf rather than
just the folder, choose the one that you renamed for that particular
piece of hardware. Hopefully the inf will be accepted for that
hardware, but the installation will fail asking you for the location of
each installation file, so then you navigate to the appropriate
sub-directory of the saved system32 sub-directory to copy each file from
there. The only thing I'm not sure of is whether the system32
sub-directory will actually contain all the driver files, there may also
be some outside of it, such as in the Help sub-directory, Program Files,
etc, so that's why it probably best to save the entire Windows
sub-directory, or if you have enough space the entire old system disk.

It will be very tedious because each driver will install at least a
handful of files, each of which will have to be found in the saved
system to act as a source, and so on until each has been found and
copied into the new system.

As I say, tedious, but should work.

--

Fake news kills!

I may be contacted via the contact address given on my website:
www.macfh.co.uk

On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>
Anybody use Google or others anymore?

<https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-windows-10-easily/>

https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-hardware-drivers/

On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
wrote:

>On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>
>Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>
><https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-windows-10-easily/>
>
>https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-hardware-drivers/

Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
newsgroup?
There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
tried them and how did it work for you?

On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 at 00:55:20, Java Jive <java@evij.com.invalid> wrote
(my responses usually follow points raised):
>On 20/10/2021 00:03, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>
>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>
>Tedious, but should work ...
[]
>It will be very tedious because each driver will install at least a
>handful of files, each of which will have to be found in the saved
>system to act as a source, and so on until each has been found and
>copied into the new system.
>
>As I say, tedious, but should work.
>
Thanks. Saved. (My [7-32] C: is "only" 52.9 GB, so in today's huge sizes
- even of SSDs - I'd probably just back up the lot, but your tip about
renaming .inf files to be more useful is a good one.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

My movies rise below vulgarity. - Mel Brooks, quoted by Barry Norman in RT
2016/11/26-12/2

On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 at 00:03:46, gfretwell@aol.com wrote (my responses
usually follow points raised):
>On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
>wrote:
>
>>On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>>
>>Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>>
>><https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-wi
>>ndows-10-easily/>
>>
>>https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-h
>>ardware-drivers/
>
>
>Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
>newsgroup?
>There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
>tried them and how did it work for you?

Also, I'd be very wary of any advice from a site with "driver" in the
name: I haven't (I don't _think_) actually had any experience with
drivereasy, but _have_ found sites that offer to help with drivers are
usually to be avoided.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

My movies rise below vulgarity. - Mel Brooks, quoted by Barry Norman in RT
2016/11/26-12/2

On 10/20/2021 12:03 AM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
> wrote:
>
>> On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>>
>> Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>>
>> <https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-windows-10-easily/>
>>
>> https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-hardware-drivers/
>
>
> Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
> newsgroup?
> There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
> tried them and how did it work for you?
>

Then why not say you have searched and are wondering what others use?

I added this folder to my backups for Win10pro:
C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\

Used for Win7: https://sourceforge.net/projects/drvback/

On 10/20/2021 7:49 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
> On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 at 00:03:46, gfretwell@aol.com wrote (my responses
> usually follow points raised):
>>On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>>>
>>>Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>>>
>>><https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-wi
>>>ndows-10-easily/>
>>>
>>>https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-h
>>>ardware-drivers/
>>
>>
>>Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
>>newsgroup?
>>There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
>>tried them and how did it work for you?
>
> Also, I'd be very wary of any advice from a site with "driver" in the
> name: I haven't (I don't _think_) actually had any experience with
> drivereasy, but _have_ found sites that offer to help with drivers are
> usually to be avoided.

I completely agree. It's always best to get a driver from the
manufacturers web site.

--
Ken

On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 15:49:39 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"
<G6JPG@255soft.uk> wrote:

>On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 at 00:03:46, gfretwell@aol.com wrote (my responses
>usually follow points raised):
>>On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>>>
>>>Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>>>
>>><https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-wi
>>>ndows-10-easily/>
>>>
>>>https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-h
>>>ardware-drivers/
>>
>>
>>Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
>>newsgroup?
>>There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
>>tried them and how did it work for you?
>
>Also, I'd be very wary of any advice from a site with "driver" in the
>name: I haven't (I don't _think_) actually had any experience with
>drivereasy, but _have_ found sites that offer to help with drivers are
>usually to be avoided.

I used REBYTE.ME and I was pleasantly surprised. They actually had
the drivers I needed with no spyware downloads, malware or hassles.
Maybe it is time for someone to figure out I would send them $10 for a
pack of drivers (what a manufacturer usually charges for a CD) and
they could make money honestly.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 11:55:15 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
wrote:

>On 10/20/2021 12:03 AM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>> On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>>>
>>> Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>>>
>>> <https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-windows-10-easily/>
>>>
>>> https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-hardware-drivers/
>>
>>
>> Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
>> newsgroup?
>> There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
>> tried them and how did it work for you?
>>
>
>Then why not say you have searched and are wondering what others use?
>
>I added this folder to my backups for Win10pro:
>C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\
>
>Used for Win7: https://sourceforge.net/projects/drvback/

Thank you, that was a useful answer.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 12:09:39 -0700, Ken Blake <ken@invalidemail.com>
wrote:

>On 10/20/2021 7:49 AM, J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
>> On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 at 00:03:46, gfretwell@aol.com wrote (my responses
>> usually follow points raised):
>>>On Tue, 19 Oct 2021 20:49:06 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
>>>wrote:
>>>
>>>>On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
>>>>>
>>>>Anybody use Google or others anymore?
>>>>
>>>><https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/how-to-back-up-your-drivers-in-wi
>>>>ndows-10-easily/>
>>>>
>>>>https://www.zdnet.com/article/windows-10-tip-back-up-your-third-party-h
>>>>ardware-drivers/
>>>
>>>
>>>Does W/7 do this? If not, why are you being so snarky in a w/7
>>>newsgroup?
>>>There are a few utilities out there. I was just curious if anyone
>>>tried them and how did it work for you?
>>
>> Also, I'd be very wary of any advice from a site with "driver" in the
>> name: I haven't (I don't _think_) actually had any experience with
>> drivereasy, but _have_ found sites that offer to help with drivers are
>> usually to be avoided.
>
>
>I completely agree. It's always best to get a driver from the
>manufacturers web site.

Manufactures have figured out the faster they drop driver support the
sooner you will buy a new machine.
Very few still have W/7 support.

On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 at 23:23:23, gfretwell@aol.com wrote (my responses
usually follow points raised):
>On Wed, 20 Oct 2021 11:55:15 -0400, Zaidy036 <Zaidy036@air.isp.spam>
>wrote:
>
>>On 10/20/2021 12:03 AM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
[]
>>>> On 10/19/2021 7:03 PM, gfretwell@aol.com wrote:
>>>>> What is the best way to extract the current drivers prior to a
>>>>> reinstall when you don't have the original setup disks?
[]
>>Used for Win7: https://sourceforge.net/projects/drvback/
>
>Thank you, that was a useful answer.

Yes, it looks a very useful utility. And if anyone's wondering whether
"supports 64-bit systems" as it says on that page means it _requires_
them (i. e. it's 64-bit software), it doesn't.
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Now, don't worry. We'll be right behind you. Hiding. (First series, fit the
sixth.)