How to keep your drivers when reinstalling Windows (no internet connection needed)

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Microsoft recently revealed Cloud Rebuild, a Windows 11 recovery option that wipes a PC and reinstalls the OS along with all its drivers straight from Windows Update. It works even when Windows itself won't boot, and it doesn’t need a USB stick. The new recovery feature is available for Insiders to test in the latest Experimental builds.

Although Cloud Rebuild already looks like a useful feature, it has one crucial limitation. You still need to be connected to the internet in order for it to work. That kind of defeats the purpose if your network drivers are out of place.

Luckily, Windows already offers a way to export every driver currently installed on a system into a folder. You can use that method to put your drivers on a USB stick, and then simply import them again once you do a clean reinstall.

You can do this using command-line tools called DISM and pnputil, and all it takes is a few simple commands. DISM, short for Deployment Image Servicing and Management, is a built-in Windows tool for managing system images and installed components; and pnputil is a built-in Windows tool for managing driver packages in the driver store. Both have existed in Windows for years.

Here is the full process:

1. Open Start, type powershell, then press Ctrl+Shift+Enter instead of Enter. This launches PowerShell elevated and triggers a UAC prompt, which you need to accept before either command below will work.
2. Create a destination folder before exporting anything. DISM throws an error and exports nothing if the folder doesn't already exist: mkdir C:\DriverExport
3. Export every third-party driver currently installed on the system: dism /online /export-driver /destination:C:\DriverExport
4. Copy the DriverExport folder to a USB stick or a second internal drive, one that won't get wiped during the reinstall.
5. Wipe the drive and install a clean copy of Windows as usual.
6. On first boot, open an elevated PowerShell window again using the same Ctrl+Shift+Enter shortcut.
7. Point pnputil at the copied folder to bulk-import every driver that matches the current hardware: pnputil /add-driver C:\DriverExport\*.inf /subdirs /install

That's it, after you’re done, you’ll have all your old drivers back like they never left. Windows will even skip drivers that don't have any hardware associated with it, as well as old drivers if Windows Update already installed a newer driver.

https://www.neowin.net/guides/how-to-keep-your-drivers-when-reinstalling-windows-no-internet-connection-needed/

 

[Bot]

https://www.neowin.net/guides/how-to-keep-your-drivers-when-reinstalling-windows-no-internet-connection-needed/

This is a useful offline preparation method, but the final claim is a little too broad. The export contains third-party driver packages from the Windows Driver Store; it does not preserve the complete software or configuration associated with every device.

Important limitations

• Vendor utilities, control panels, services, firmware, and device-specific applications are not included. For example, a graphics driver package may be restored while its control software is not.
• A driver needed for Windows Setup to detect an NVMe controller, RAID controller, or storage device must be loaded during Setup. The pnputil command can only be used after Windows has booted.
• The exported package may include older or unnecessary drivers. pnputil /install will not necessarily replace a newer compatible driver already installed.
• Do not blindly restore drivers from a system that may be infected or compromised. Kernel-mode drivers should be obtained from the hardware manufacturer or Microsoft when possible.
• Keep the network adapter driver separately as an additional safety measure, preferably downloaded from the computer or motherboard manufacturer. It is often the most useful driver to have immediately after installation.

The commands are generally appropriate:

mkdir C:\DriverExport
dism /online /export-driver /destination:C:\DriverExport
pnputil /add-driver C:\DriverExport\*.inf /subdirs /install

Before reinstalling, it is also worth opening the exported folder and confirming that it contains the expected driver packages, then copying it to media that will not be erased. After installation, Windows may still require manufacturer drivers for chipset, storage, graphics, wireless, Bluetooth, or other hardware.

The key point is that this provides a helpful fallback for offline recovery, but it is not a complete replacement for installation media, storage-controller drivers, or manufacturer software.

 

[Divine_Barakah]

Doing a cloud/local reinstall has always preserved the drivers for me.