New
#1041
@spapakons and @MisterEd,
Is it possible that you are not logged on as an Admin? I've performed this operation many, many times and it has worked for me every single time. Although I admit, I have typically done this using a command line command (see below). Maybe the ability to do it from Device Manager is unique to Windows 11?
Also, the comment was made that this might not be helpful for updating specific drivers. That is correct. The intention of this is NOT to perform driver upgrades of any kind. The idea of this is simply to mass install ALL system drivers in one shot. Naturally, the drivers that are installed by this are only as current as the drivers were at the time that you exported them. For this reason, I like to re-export the drivers every few months.
Finally, as Denis noted, there are other ways to install drivers.
Here is another way to install ALL of the drivers from your export, essentially doing the same thing that going into Device Manager would do.
Simply issue the one command below from an elevated command prompt. Note that in this example I am assuming that the folder containing all the exported drives is E:\Drivers_Backup. Substitute the correct location for your case:
pnputil /add-driver E:\Drivers_Backup\*.inf /subdirs /install
Some sample cases:
I have several cheap Chinese Mini PCs. The makers of those system provide absolutely no way to download either original drivers or to obtain updated drivers. I'm at the mercy of Windows update for updated drivers. So, when I get one of these systems, I power in on and get into Windows. Then I allow Windows update to perform any updates. Then, I export all my drivers. If I ever reinstall Windows, I can get my drivers all reinstalled with a single command. Works like a charm every single time.
That is all