Nowadays, this isn’t much of an issue anymore, as Windows 10 can detect most of the drivers on your device automatically. In addition, you can always visit your device manufacturer’s support website to download the latest drivers. However, there will be times when Windows 10 won’t be able to install certain drivers or your manufacturer will stop offering the driver for a particular device. Fortunately, Windows 10 includes a command to backup every driver installed on your computer, which you can use before reinstalling Windows 10. In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to use Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) command-line tool to create a backup of all the drivers on your device, and how you can restore them on Windows 10.
Backup device drivers using Command Prompt Restore device drivers on Windows 10
Backup device drivers using Command Prompt
To backup all the device drivers with DISM commands, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, DISM will look and make a copy of all the drivers stored in C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore. It’s important to point out that this method will only make a backup of those .inf drivers. Other drivers installed using an .msi or .exe package won’t get backed up.
Restore device drivers on Windows 10
You should be able to restore drivers on the new installation of Windows 10 using this command: DISM /online /Add-Driver /Driver:D:\DriverBackup /Recurse. However, every time you try the command you’ll get an error: 50 “This command can only be used with an Offline image.” However, after reinstalling Windows 10, it’s likely that you’ll only need to install a few drivers as the operating system will detect most of them automatically (even without checking for updates), as such you can install the remaining drivers using Device Manager. To restore drivers manually on Windows 10, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the driver will install, and then you may need to repeat the same instructions to install any remaining device without a driver. Device Manager update driver option Device Manager restore device driver While the operating system can detect a number of device drivers, you’ll find this guide particularly useful when Windows 10 can’t detect your network adapter or older devices are no longer supported, but previous drivers still work. All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.
