AboutBobbert Expertise I have a vast knowledge of building desktop computers and am willing to share this knowledge with other users if they need help, or just have a few quick questions.
Experience Hardware Enthusiast and years of IT experience (with more room to learn something new every day).
Question Hi, I am wondering how to copy some of the drivers that are used on my computer before I reload windows. Let me explain my situation. Two years ago I reloaded windows and when the computer came back on the video, audio, and internet did not work correctly. I got this computer second hand so I did not have any of the original software or installation discs for the computer. It took me over a month surfing the internet(on another computer) to download drivers that would get the computer usuable, and then another few months looking on the internet for better drivers to get the computer working correctly. Unfortunately, although I thought I saved the drivers in a file, I cannot locate them. Now I need to put in a new hard drive and so I know I want to copy all of the drivers BEFORE changing the hard drive and reinstalling windows. Is there a way to copy all of the drivers on my computer now, so that I can have them available for my computer when I reload windows?
Answer Unless you have the installation files (either .msi's or .exe's), such a thing is not possible. Furthermore, at two years in age, newer drivers are likely available, which would be a more solid choice for re-installation. If you know about the hardware you've got, drivers can be downloaded from the device vendors, and shouldn't be too hard to find. I would be able to help you in this process, if you can provide me information about your computer (such as brand and model #).
