PC owners preparing to reinstall Windows can use Driver Magician to save installed drivers for the recovery process. It also identifies unknown devices and provides tools for updating or removing drivers.
Driver Magician backs up and restores installed drivers
The program scans the computer’s hardware, finds its associated driver files, and saves them to a chosen location. Four backup modes are available. The saved drivers can then be restored after formatting or reinstalling Windows, reducing the need to find each device driver separately.
Backups can be stored as compressed files, self-extractors, or an auto-setup package. The auto-setup package is an executable that can restore drivers without Driver Magician installed. Restoration may require a system restart before the hardware is ready to use.
Driver Magician detects unknown devices and updates drivers
When Windows shows an unidentified device, Driver Magician can use its hardware identifier database to help determine what the device is. It also displays detailed information about hardware drivers and can check its online databases for driver updates. Database updates are available through Live Update.
Driver removal is another available task. For a planned Windows reinstall, the backup and restore workflow is the central feature; the update and removal tools address driver maintenance on an existing system.
Driver Magician can save additional personal files
Alongside device drivers, the program can back up and restore items such as the Desktop and My Documents. Keeping these files in the same backup workflow can cover selected personal data as well as the drivers needed after a system reinstall.
- Choose a destination for the driver backup.
- Create a driver package for later restoration.
- Restore the saved drivers after reinstalling Windows.
Pros
- Backs up drivers in four modes
- Creates an auto-setup package for driver restoration
- Identifies unknown devices using a hardware database
System requirements: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11
Can Driver Magician restore drivers after reinstalling Windows?
Yes. It restores drivers from a saved backup, or from an auto-setup package that does not require Driver Magician.
Can Driver Magician identify an unknown device?
Yes. Its hardware identifier database can help detect devices Windows does not identify.
Does Driver Magician manage anything besides device drivers?
It can also back up and restore items such as My Documents and the Desktop.