Driver Software Trick

Computer Help and Discussions Software
1

I want to share a trick I have been using in the last 9 years and that's useful for everyone who hates image CDs.

I have a HP laptop (Win XP) that came with 5 image CDs and a installation CD. I re-installed the XP system "more than once" in the past 9 years. If I used the XP installation disk then the drivers for the laptop were missing. (No, at the time I wasn't aware that one could do a "repair install"). That forced me to use the image CDs every time I re-installed the system.

But after say 5 re-installs, I found out that, after having used the image CDs, there was a separate folder that contained all the HP driver software for that laptop. I then copied the drivers to an USB drive. It allowed me to get rid of the image CDs, use a normal installation CD and install the drivers for the laptop from the USB drive afterwards.

It also allowed me to re-install the drivers when these drivers became corrupted, which happened about 3 times as well.

People with a HP laptop should look for a folder called "c:\Swsetup". This trick worked for my current Win 7 HP laptop as well. And I am confident this story applies to other brands of computers as well that come without an installation CD.

2

On an older computer I had I made a small sized separate partition to store Dell's drivers, etc., it made fumbling through and using their driver CDs a thing of the past.

3

Bad advice. I could never advocate getting rid of system discs in any situation. If they bother you, put them aside in the closet.

4

Good suggestion, imho, Willy2, I also keep swsetup folders on a separate usb drive, but keep the disks stored separately.

But what do you refer to as a "normal installation CD"?

In other words, what do you start the computer with?

I've always just started with the first cd in the set and put each one in when it was asked for.

Your way sounds much faster, but what is that "normal installation CD"?

Thanks.

5

The proprietary install CD's usually have too much crapware or bloatware to bother with.

I find it easier to get the drivers straight off the manufacturers web site - the added benefit is you get the latest versions.

It's nice just to have the 2 discs if you have to reload Windows, one for the OS and one for the mobo/add-on card drivers.

6

With the XP installation CD I must go through the usual set up procedure, to install XP Windows, but, of course, without the HP drivers.

I start my laptop without a CD, the OS is installed on the HDD !!

I have a CD drive in both of my laptops. It's my experience that these drives are very easily damaged and then the drive can't be used any more. I therefore have a USB drive that's much more robust. A USB drive is much better because it has no moving parts.

Agree. That folder with the driver is full of bloatware/crapware and I got rid of a significant part of the bloatware.

7

Luckily disk imaging has made reinstalling Windows something I don't have to do anymore.

8

Disk imaging is a good thing. Install folders are good things.

9

as long as i've internet I typically use SlimDrivers for drivers. It's the one program that seems to work far more often than not (sometimes it pulls older versions of drivers but hey, drivers)