Grabbing all drivers from a machine

[MK-2]

With our CC4 install looming, I was advised on the CC4 course to get drivers from any machine already up and running, to save having to search the net and hundreds of CDs after the machine is wiped.

The instructor gave me a link to drivergrabber, which is supposed to run in Windows, and make folders for all win32 drivers it finds for your machine, making it easier to reinstall them.

I tried it on one machine and it only picked up wifi, USB and LAN driver.

 

Are there any tools out there that I could run on a working machine that will grab all relevant drivers to a folder, saving me trawling websites and downloading drivers from the mix of PCs we have here?

 

Cheers

[RabbieBurns]

anything of use in C:\windows\driver cache\I386 ?

[MK-2]

Basically what I've been told/seen of the RM management console is that it has a bank of a load of drivers, but if you have any to add, you need to get them and add them to it for windows to pre-install them.

So really I need it to get them in a list so i can only import the ones i know, rather than mass importing drivers i dont know

[Diello]

http://www.edugeek.net/forums/downloads/27677-driverbackup.html

[Azhibberd]

Here i use drivermagician (Device driver backup, restoration, update and removal software for Windows, drivers backup, backup drivers) The trial will let you take the drivers of the machine for free, and well you can just manually add them on the new machine threw device manager, This software is great if you going to format someones machine

[Hightower]

Does it not only grab the drivers that XP can't install? But doesn't bother for the ones it can? If this is the case then surely drivergrabber is enough?

 

Just a thought.

[roty80]

here i use Driver Genius:

 

Driver Genius Professional Edition - Backup, restore and update all your drivers in several mouse clicks.

 

the paid for version will find all your drivers and driver updates on a fresh machine, but if you use the trial version it will back up all your drivers to a folder without you having to buy it.

 

Used it a number of times and has always picked up all the drivers for a reinstall.

[bossman]

@MK-2:

Have PMd you good luck it should do everything you need it to alrite ;-)

[bossman]

@MK-2:

Have PMd you good luck it should do everything you need it to alrite ;-)

[MK-2]

Thanks bossman and everyone else for the advice.

 

Hightower: no, it didn't pick up the VGA or sound so wasn't picking up all non-windows drivers unfortunately.

[Michael]

If you're going to re-image the machines, it's a good opportunity to update to the latest driver(s). Have a look in Device Manager and download the relevant drivers.

 

I'd also recommend you have a look at the local disk drive. Whenever I build a machine, I always create a directory called C:\Drivers and place all driver setup files in here. Keeps things nice and simple! You never know, RM "may" of done something similar. I've seen some OEMs do this too.

[MK-2]

If you're going to re-image the machines, it's a good opportunity to update to the latest driver(s). Have a look in Device Manager and download the relevant drivers.

 

I'd also recommend you have a look at the local disk drive. Whenever I build a machine, I always create a directory called C:\Drivers and place all driver setup files in here. Keeps things nice and simple! You never know, RM "may" of done something similar. I've seen some OEMs do this too.

 

It's not new RM machines, it's our existing machines which were set up way before I started.

 

I've thought about updating drivers, but to be honest this is enough of a task in itself along with all the other planning for the install.

If the driver works I want to get it on so the machine can be brought online ASAP after install, and then I can look at updating them

 

The problem I had was that a lot of the machines here are generic builds with a company logo stuck on, so no website to download from, and the company only supply a restore disk, not driver disk, so to grab them working now is a godsend!

[p858snake]

It's not new RM machines, it's our existing machines which were set up way before I started.

 

I've thought about updating drivers, but to be honest this is enough of a task in itself along with all the other planning for the install.

If the driver works I want to get it on so the machine can be brought online ASAP after install, and then I can look at updating them

 

The problem I had was that a lot of the machines here are generic builds with a company logo stuck on, so no website to download from, and the company only supply a restore disk, not driver disk, so to grab them working now is a godsend!

Have you tried something like everest, it will let you see whats in your computer most of the time so its easier to get the updates.

 

Because it would be tragic if your students found out if you were using outdated drivers and found issues/vulnerabilities with them and used that against the network.... not speaking from experience or anything here *whistle*

[jburgin81]

Might I recommend a program called Double Driver?. I cannot speak from personal experience of it's use. But I'm a big user of the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows program and this is one of the pieces of software located on the disk. It's worth a shot at least.