| How to Backup Windows XP Drivers |
 |
Did you know that device drivers can go bad just as files can become corrupt? It’s true. When that happens, your hardware will stop functioning correctly and other computer errors will result. Want an easy way to get piece of mind? Backup your Windows XP drivers the easy way!
Windows XP and Windows Vista come with a built-in utility for backing up all of your Vista and Windows XP drivers, System Restore. This utility is easy to use for creating the device driver backups as well as for restoring your system to an earlier state.
First, go into System Restore by clicking the Start button, choosing Programs (or All Programs), Accessories, System Tools, System Restore. Depending on your version of Windows, choose either “Create a Restore Point” or “Open System Protection/Create Restore Point.” Next, you can type in a brief description about the restore point. For example, you might type in “Before HP Printer Installation” to indicate that this is the restore point you made before installing a new printer.
The Utility now creates a system restore point that you can use at a later date should something happen to your system files and Windows XP device drivers. For example, if you installed the HP printer after creating this restore point and found out that it interferes with your current software, you can “roll back” your computer’s setting to the restore point that you just created in System Restore.
To restore your system, go back into System Restore and choose the appropriate restore point. The system restore utility often recommends a restore point based on the date. You can also choose a different restore point to best meet your needs.
If you want a physical copy of a particular device driver, you can make backups of the related driver files to a floppy or CD. First, you must find out which files make up a particular device driver so that you can copy them to the disk. To do this, go into Device Manager (accessible via the Control Panel and System icon) and find the device in question. Right click the device and choose Properties. Next click the Driver tab and choose Driver Details. Here, you’ll see a list of all related files that make up the device driver and their paths. Write these down and then use Windows Explorer to locate the files and copy them to your removable disk for backup purposes. Keep the list with the path information with the disc so that should you ever need to copy these device drivers back onto the hard drive, you’ll know exactly where to copy them. If you don’t copy them into the correct location, they will be virtually useless.
System Restore is by far the easiest way to backup system files, settings, and device drivers. It doesn’t change or affect your data or applications in any way. All it does is revert your system drivers to a previous state. System Restore also has a roll back feature that you can use if your restoration didn’t give you the results you were hoping for.
Top pick for the best Driver Update Software:
 |
 |
