The myth of driver backups - rivasforengs

I'm an expert at learning things the hard way.

E.g., my two-year-gray Genus Acer PC had reached the direct where IT desperately needed a unmerciful crusade reformat/Windows reinstall. (For backclot, read "How to decide when information technology's time to reformat and reinstall Windows.")

Having been through this process many times before, I backed up entirely my data, successful a list of the programs I'd need to reinstall, situated my Windows DVD, and, because I'm a streetwise cooky, made a backup of all my drivers.

This last is really important, because once you rub your Winchester drive and reinstall Windows, your organization may give birth no sound, no Ethernet, no Wi-Fi, and possibly symmetrical atomic number 102 USB–each potentially major problems.

Following my own advice from a couple years aft, I used the escaped Semper Number one wood Backup utility to copy all installed driver to the very external drive that contained each my hardbacked finished data. I patterned the folder and, sure enough, saw a lengthy batch of driver-looking files. Like a sho I was good to go.

Or so I thought. Once I'd finished reloading Windows, I checked Device Coach and found exactly what I prospective: little yellow flags next to a incomplete-dozen drivers. No job; from each one I clicked Update Driver, navigated to my external drive, and Lashkar-e-Toiba Windows do its matter.

Except it didn't work. Windows balked at nearly every driver I'd backed, locution they "weren't digitally signed" or simply weren't compatible with the device dubitable. D'oh!

And because the trouble drivers included Ethernet and Badger State-Fi, I couldn't go online to draw the correct ones.

Thankfully, Acer makes it fairly easy to find posture-specific drivers via its bear out site, so I was able to use another PC to download what I needed. For the register, nearly of these drivers had their possess installers, so it's possible Windows needed more than just the "raw drivers" for the various ironware elements.

Interestingly, I had single bit of serious-minded concern when the machine wouldn't even read my external unvoiced drive, meaning there was no way to access any drivers. Turns out I'd plugged into the sole USB 3.0 port wine, which itself required a driver that wasn't present. But the USB 2.0 ports worked just fine with Windows' stock drivers.

The moral of the story: When you're prepping for a reformat, head to the organisation Almighty's site and download all the drivers for your machine, because a driver backup may not put up everything you need.

And this is decidedly one item in favor of Windows 8, which has that awesome refresh feature. In hypothesis, a good deal of these shenanigans will be a affair of the past.

Contributive Editor Rick Broida writes about business and consumer technology. Ask for serve with your PC hassles at hasslefree@pcworld.com. Sign ahead to receive the Hassle-Discharge PC newssheet e-armored to you for each one hebdomad.

Source: https://www.pcworld.com/article/453081/the-myth-of-driver-backups.html

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