Hello,
I was wondering whether I could restore the drivers in W7 Ultimate if I backup them from a Home Premium.
Also will this work from Windows XP to Windows 7 HP or Ultimate?
Thanks in advance
I think Drivers between Windows 7 Versions are the same especially Microsoft Drivers but XP to Win 7 may cause problems like BSODs or will probably never install in the first place
so I'd only do it XP to XP and W7 to W7?
but I mean like if I backup videocard driver from W7 HP and then install Ultimate and backup it, will it function properly?? (same for other drivers like sound etc.)
Also a question, should I restore all drivers from what I get? because there are system drivers etc. and I don't actually know what they do. (again HP to Ultimate)
If you don't change from 32bit to 64Bit (or visa versa) The drivers should be the same.
To upgrade Home Premium to Ultimate use Windows Anytime Upgrade - How to - Windows 7 Forums.
Takes minutes to unlock the extra features.
Driver manager programs are not needed in Win7 except in the rarest cases of really old hardware where you cannot come up with a driver or two in which case I do still sometimes pull out the old trusty DriverMax freeware.
Otherwise they are in the WIn7 installer, quickly updated via optional Windows Updates when you enable Automatically get recommended drivers and updates for your hardware. Any missing after all Updates are done can normally be found on the Support Downloads webpage for the PC or Device model, or if more obscure by googling.
Last edited by gregrocker; 01 Oct 2012 at 09:37.
I prefer to use Windows to install required drivers if it can. They have been tested to work well with Windows 7. Their/there are some exceptions.
WHQL Testing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Just a personal experience story. I have a Sony Vaio laptop. Several months ago I was notified via Windows Updates that a new Intel driver was available. I used two different driver scanning utilities and they also said a new driver was available. I went to the Intel website, found the new driver, installed it, and immediately began getting BSODs. Uninstalled it, reverted back to the previous version and all was well again.
Contacted Intel and they said just because a new driver is released doesn't mean it will always work on a specific machine. Computer manufacturers often modify the driver for their specific builds. Sony had not yet modified the latest Intell driver so that's why it didn't work for me. It took Sony about 6 months to release their own version. That driver did work and is on my Vaio.
Moral of the story: newer isn't always better and in the case of drivers, if it ain't broke don't fix it.
BUt I'm thinking of re-installing windows (because my PC is infected with many viruses).
I know all those methods.
therefore I was asking this... All my drivers will be deleted.
I do agree marsmimar. If one doesn't have a problem be happy and leave the drivers and bios alone is my policy.
That is why I posted.
Their/there are some exceptions.
I have a video driver dated July 19/2010 and it's the only one that works properly. I have tried many. On a new install for the most part Windows 7 does a great job with drivers. Like greg mentioned sometimes you have to look for a driver. Windows 7 is packed with drivers right out of box.
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