Windows delete driver

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Igor (Administrator)

To use non-licensed (free) drivers from the Internet, you need to disable the digital signature verification of windows 10 drivers. Otherwise, the OS will block them during installation. Most users do not acquire licensed drivers for their laptop / PC, so the article will help them.

Over time, the operating system accumulates a huge number of different drivers for both built-in components and peripheral devices. Sometimes the need for such software simply disappears, or for some reason it does not function properly, which leads to the deletion of all files associated with this driver. Not all users know exactly how to uninstall such components, so today we want to acquaint you with all the available methods for achieving this goal in Windows 10.

Double Driver

Go to Double Driver Download Page

Slim Drivers

Go to the SlimDrivers download page

DriverMax

Go to DriverMax download page

Driver Backup!

Go to DriverBackup download page!

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Why is it necessary and methods of shutdown

You should know that digital signatures are not only a way to earn money by selling licensed software. This is also a guarantee that the file is just a driver, and not a virus disguised as it. Allows you to avoid using a driver that is not compatible with your hardware or system.

Tampering with drivers can lead to system failures, it is recommended to create a restore point before installing, reinstalling or updating them. In the case when there are no licensed drivers, the following methods are used.

Changing boot options

Disabling the digital signature of windows 10 drivers in this way is the most secure. Valid until you reboot the OS. The steps are:

• Use Win+I to open the Options window;
• There, select “Update and Security”;

• Go to Recovery;
• Use the line “Special Download Options”;
• Click “Restart”;

• At the very beginning of the download, a verification window will appear;
• Find the sub-item “Search and Remedy”;
• Go to “Other Options”;
• Select “Download Options”;

• Click on “Reboot”;
• Select “Disable Mandatory Driver Signature Verification”;

After rebooting, you can use (install) non-licensed drivers. A new reboot will cancel this feature.

On the command line

• Right-click on “Start” and go to the line “Command Prompt (Administrator)”;

• In the opened window, enter “bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS;
• Press “Enter”;

• The line pops up: “CompletedSuccessfully”;
• Type “exe -set TESTSIGNING ON”, use “Enter”;

• A line will appear indicating that the shutdown was successful;
• Reboot;

In the case when there are no messages after the execution of commands, then:

1. You do not have administrator access to the command line;
2. Windows 10 is 21H1 or newer;
3. The “SecureBoot” line is not disabled in the BIOS settings;

To return the test to a working state, use the command “exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF”. Please note that after this command, drivers without licenses stop working, Windows will freeze and may no longer boot.

Change in Group Policy Editor

Disabling driver signature verification in this way is useless for Windows 21H1 and newer. But it is suitable in other variants and even in the G8. The steps are:

• Use “Win+R”;
• Then command gpedit.msc;

• Select and open the sub-item “Configuration”,
• From there to the line “Administrative Templates”;
• Then in “System” – “Installing Driver”;

• Double click LMB on “DigitalSignature”;
• Select “Disabled”;

• Reboot OS;

Through the registry

This method of installing unsigned drivers in windows 10 is suitable for windows 7-10, including the latest. Make a restore point just in case. The steps are:

• Using Win+R run the execution line;
• Enter “regedit” and click “OK”;

• In the registry, open the “HKEY_CURRENT_USER” subsection;
• Then go to “CurrentUser”;
• From there, along the “Software”—” “Policies”—” “Microsoft” branch;

• Inside the “Microsoft” folder, create a “Driver Signing” folder;
• To do this, right-click inside “Microsoft”, select “Create” and then the folder name from the line above;

• Enter the “Driver Signing” folder and right-click on the empty space inside;
• Select “Create” and specify “Parameter DWORD32”;

• Name the parameter “BehaviorOnFailedVerify”;
• Double click LMB to open it and indicate the designation “0” (zero);
• Click “Save”;

• Close the register;
• Reboot;

When rebooting, a window with options for boot settings may appear. Most likely this happens in Windows 7. Specify “disable driver signature enforcement”.

In safe mode and via bcedit

If you make changes to the Windows settings that affect critical parameters, then the OS will boot exclusively in “Safe Mode”. To download normal mode you need:

• Run command line with administrator access;

• Enter “bcdedit /deletevalue {default} safeboot” there;

• Reboot by entering “Start” – “Reboot” and nothing else – this is important!;

Tip: before disabling digital signature verification of windows 10 drivers, check your OS for viruses. Such interference makes the system less protected from their penetration and sabotage. Use your antivirus or built-in, it doesn’t matter. The main thing is to remove viruses or dangerous applications or make sure they are absent.

Device Manager Menu

The following methods, described in today’s material, will involve the use of the built-in functionality of the operating system. Most often, users use the Device Manager menu to get rid of unnecessary drivers, so we’ll talk about it first.

1. To begin with, let’s pay attention to users who cannot log into Windows normally after an unsuccessful installation of drivers, which most often concerns graphics software. In this case, the removal can only be done through safe mode. In Windows 10, you enter it through a bootable USB flash drive or disk. Read more about this below.

   Read more: Safe Mode in Windows 10

2. After successfully logging into the OS, right-click on “Start”
   and in the opened context menu navigate to Device Manager
   .



3. Look through the list of the presented categories and open the one to which the necessary equipment belongs.



4. Click on the line with the RMB device and select the item “Delete device”
   .



5. Confirm its deletion in the warning window that appears.



6. If the same window contains the item “Delete driver software for this device”
   , it should definitely be ticked.

Test procedure

Testing was conducted on Windows XP. Despite this, the reviewed software is also great for backing up drivers on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

First of all, with the help of each program, backup copies of the drivers from the reference operating system were made. Drivers were installed on it from various manufacturer’s CDs. Motherboard, webcams, network cards and others.

After that, tests were made to restore the drivers on another hard disk, which was connected instead of the disk with the reference system. An identical copy of Windows XP was installed on the test hard drive. But, in which third-party drivers were not installed (in fact, a clean system). For a test copy of the system, an image of the system was made
so that after each test the system can be returned to its original state. Within each test, only the program under test was installed (if required). And, in fact, an attempt was made to restore all the drivers. Then the drivers were compared according to the list, as well as simple checks on the health of the equipment. For example, try to view a picture from a webcam.

How to disable digital signature verification of video drivers

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rSV3Kp53Z3w%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Application Section

In some cases, most often with graphics adapters and sound cards, software is installed on the computer, which is related to drivers, but may have a graphical interface and will be considered a full-fledged application displayed in the corresponding menu. Then, when it is removed, the drivers will also be cleaned, which allows you to achieve the desired goal. You can check the presence of such tools and uninstall them as follows:

1. Open Start
   and go to the menu “Parameters”
   .



2. In the new window, select the category Applications
   .



3. Wait for the list to load and start searching. For example, in the screenshot below, you see software related to the NVIDIA driver, and removing it will cause the adapter to completely or partially stop working.



4. Approximately the same applies to software from Realtek, which is associated with sound cards built into motherboards. Having found the desired line, just click on it with the left mouse button.



5. Next, click on the appeared button “Delete”
   and wait for the branded uninstall window to load.

Usually, in the uninstallation window that opens, you just need to follow the instructions and carefully read the various footnotes to know which components are being removed and what it will lead to. When finished, remember to restart your computer to update the information. In most situations, this can be done directly from the uninstaller window.

Overview of free driver backup and restore programs

Double Driver is a convenient and powerful tool for backing up and restoring drivers

Double Driver
has a simple interface and is very easy to use. The most notable feature is that the program allows you to backup drivers from a non-running system. Which will be especially useful in cases where for some reason your system does not boot, and it is not a fact that you can revive it. This functionality gives the program a significant advantage over its counterparts. So keep it with you marked “for a rainy day.”

By default, only third-party drivers are selected in the backup list. This is very convenient, since there is not much point in copying Windows drivers, except in rare cases. To work with the list, there are a number of buttons for quick selection: invert selection, select all or deselect. You can also select individual drivers. The selected drivers can be copied to a separate structured folder (default option), to a compressed folder, go to a self-extracting file (some version of the archive
). The last option, by the way, led to the departure of the program.

Recovery is just as easy. Select the location where your driver copies are stored. Then select from the list exactly those drivers that you want to restore. And start the process. It is worth noting that the drivers are restored quite quickly. At the same time, after the restoration, all devices felt great.

Double Driver allows you to save the list of drivers in a text file. You can also print the list directly from the program. This is very handy when you need to keep track of which drivers have been installed on your system. The list is quite informative. For each driver, its name, version number, date, hardware ID, and much more are written.

Overall, Double Driver is a simple, reliable program that includes a number of unique features. Therefore, it can be safely put at the head of any list.

The SlimDrivers backup and restore program is a good tool with a nice design

SlimDrivers
has a modern and attractive user interface, which from the first minutes has to itself. The backup and restore selection lists are very similar to the standard device manager. And given that SlimDrivers is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, this fact becomes completely unsurprising. However, SlimDrivers works just as well with both system and third-party drivers. But, unfortunately, you will not be able to select all system or all third-party drivers. So in such cases, you will either have to backup all the drivers, or manually select from the entire list.

Another feature that can be attributed to disadvantages is that SlimDrivers saves drivers in folders named based on the base name or device ID. If you restore the drivers by SlimDrivers itself, then this will not cause much of a problem. But, if for some reason, you have to restore drivers not through the SlimDrivers program, then this can become a really big problem, since you will have to work hard to find the necessary driver.

Unfortunately, SlimDrivers was unable to back up device drivers that were not connected to the system.

Also, during the restoration of drivers, several errors occurred. However, after the restoration was completed, a detailed inspection showed that all drivers were restored. But still mistakes are mistakes. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the program is reliable.

Another point that needs to be mentioned. Be sure to select the same folder for backup and restore. If you do not do this, then in the recovery section, the list of drivers will be empty. And you won’t be able to select individual drivers. You will have to restore the entire backup.

By default, SlimDrivers is launched every time the system is started. Therefore, you will have to spend a little time to disable this setting, for example, using the startup manager
. In addition, the first time you run the program, SlimDrivers will open the home page in a browser. But, only at the first.

SlimDrivers has a habit of staying in the system tray even if you close it. To really exit the program, you need to close the tray program. To be honest, this is a clearly unnecessary feature and clutters up your desktop more than it’s useful. After all, backup and restore operations are of a single nature, and not daily.

Nevertheless, for a program of this class, SlimDrivers does its job quite well.

1. SlimDrivers is installed online only. The program does not have a standalone installer. So if you do not have Internet access, then this will be an unpleasant surprise for you.

2. When installing, carefully look at the checkboxes and what exactly will be installed. Since the installer in every possible way and under different guise (depending on the version of the program) tries to install the AVG Security panel.

3. The program is inherently portable. You just need to copy the executable from the SlimDrivers folder to Program Files. Oddly enough, there are no other files in the folder. And it seems that the program needs only an executable file for its work. Here the question arises “Why then create an installer
?”, and from point two the answer “Then” arises. Well, plus everything, the program leaves traces on your system. In principle, the reasons are understandable, and it is difficult to condemn a free program. On the other hand, having installed it once, you will get a portable program forever .

DriverMax backup program is a good example of when old versions are better than new ones

DriverMax
. Prior to the 6th version included many useful options. But, starting with version 6, most of them have sunk into oblivion. Pretty unpleasant moment.

In terms of set of settings and features, each free new version of DriverMax takes a few steps back, which is very disappointing. Now you can not see and save the list of existing drivers. Previously, these features gave a big plus to the program. Also, earlier versions allowed you to save both system drivers and third-party ones. For now, you can only save third-party drivers. You could also create backups for hidden devices in the past. Now there is no mention of them.

The interface looks modern and attractive. Also now the interface does not freeze between operations. There were delays in earlier versions. It seems that the developers decided to make a beautiful prototype out of the free version. And successfully go to this goal from version to version.

In the backup window, you will only see third-party drivers. In principle, everything is clear enough in the window. You can select all or just a few drivers. If you don’t choose a backup path, the drivers will be saved in a zip archive in the My Drivers folder inside My Documents. By the way, this is exactly the place where by default DriverMax looks for backups for recovery. Subsequently, you will not have to do anything with these archives, the program restores drivers directly from them.

The recovery process is still slow. Noticeably slower than analogs. If we compare the versions of DriverMax, then of course it is faster than previous versions, but, nevertheless, it is still very slow. But, despite the speed, the program restores drivers to the conscience.

1. Again, study the installer windows carefully. They will again try to impose AVG Security on you. Look at all checked boxes. When installing additional components, carefully look at their names. And if you see AVG Security, then feel free to cancel the installation.

2. Now the program starts by default with the system. Therefore, you will again have to spend time to disable this setting. Again, you can use startup manager
. Just like SlimDrivers, it hides in the system tray when closed. So to completely close it is necessary to close the program in the system tray.

DriverBackup! good alternative

DriverBackup!
allows you to both create backup copies of drivers and restore them. But, unfortunately, during testing, the program was unable to restore the drivers, for an unknown reason. Really more disappointing. Since the program shows great promise, because it can do a number of really good things. Driver Backup! can create backup copies of drivers from a non-running system, which clearly distinguishes it from analogues.

DriverBackup! does a really good job of creating backups, as it includes a number of useful settings. When launched, the program displays all installed drivers on the system. With one click, you can select both system and third-party drivers. In this case, the choice can be even more detailed. You can select all fully portable drivers (according to DriverBackup!) or all digitally signed drivers. And all in one click. Drivers are stored in folders with corresponding device names. The program also generates a special .bki file, unique to the program, that contains information about the backup files. This file is used during recovery setup to humanize the list of drivers.

DriverBackup! can create backup copies of phantom devices, i.e. devices that were once installed in the system, but are not currently available. Which is especially useful if you often connect various peripheral devices (printers, scanners, etc.)

The help file is well organized. It describes in sufficient detail and clearly all possible operations. The program can be used from the command line.

Although the program is portable, nevertheless it can hardly be called fully portable because starting from the 2nd version it requires . NET 2.0. Therefore, if there is no framework 2.0 on the computer, then the program will not work. This can be considered a disadvantage. It would be possible to use earlier versions, but they do not know how to restore drivers.

Nevertheless, the program is made in good faith, and if it weren’t for problems when restoring drivers, as well as the mandatory presence of . NET 2.0, then it could be called the best program.

Driver Backup! is in active development, so it remains only to wait for the release, which can be put at the top of the list.

The Importance of Backing Up Your Drivers

Drivers are an important part of the operating system. They act as intermediaries between the system and hardware devices. Their main task is to interpret incoming signals from both the system and the device itself. Without proper drivers, the device will either not work correctly or not work at all.

As a rule, each device comes with a CD or DVD with the necessary drivers. Alternatively, drivers can be downloaded from the device manufacturer’s website. The latter, by the way, may be more relevant, since you can find the latest versions of drivers on the site. This is especially true for video cards.

But sometimes, it happens that disks with drivers are lost, and the manufacturer’s website no longer supports this device. Or it’s just that the situation is such that this driver is almost impossible to find. In such cases, the best way out is to create backup copies of the drivers. For this, there is special software that, in fact, allows you to create backup copies of already installed drivers in the system.

If you have an old operating system, and you have lost some disks, or you cannot find drivers for some devices (for example, for a printer that has served you faithfully for 5-6 years). It is a sound idea to make a backup copy of all installed drivers in the system. Even if you have all the drivers at hand, it is still highly recommended to make a backup copy and keep it somewhere safe. This is not only a way to protect yourself from unforeseen circumstances, but also an opportunity to save time during their recovery.

Tip:
it is best to use several different programs. Since everything happens in life, and it is possible that one of the programs will not be able to correctly restore the drivers. In this case, you will always have spare options at hand. So you save yourself time and nerves.

Note:
never forget to make backup copies of your data
.

This review discusses programs that can not only create backup copies of drivers, but also restore them. Programs that cannot restore drivers are mentioned under the “Other Programs” section. First of all, this is due to the fact that for ordinary users, and even more so for beginners, the task of manually restoring drivers can be overwhelming. Therefore, in the review, one of the most important criteria for consideration is the correct restoration of drivers in the system.

Some of the programs reviewed can also update drivers, but this is not an important criterion. Initially, the consideration is precisely in terms of backup and recovery. The upgrade is just an added bonus. In addition, we specifically draw your attention to the fact that the best place to find driver updates is the manufacturer’s website.

Unfortunately, not all the considered programs can show a list of drivers installed in the system. If you are interested in the list of installed drivers, then you can use a great little utility called DriverView
by Nirsoft.

Application Print Management

The name of this method already indicates that it is suitable only for those users who wish to remove printer drivers. Windows 10 has a separate classic application that allows you not only to view a list of all files associated with printing equipment, but also to delete unnecessary ones in just a few clicks. Sometimes this method is more effective than the previous ones, because it erases any mention of the printer in the system.

1. To open the application Print Management
   expand “Start”
   and enter its name in the search.



2. In the window that opens, on the left panel, expand the section “Print servers”
   .



3. Expand category Drivers
   .



4. Check out the list of available files and select the appropriate one.



5. From the More Actions menu, select Delete Driver Package
   .



6. Confirm your intentions to uninstall.



7. Wait for the end of this process. The screen will show the progress and all the necessary details.



8. After the notification appears “Driver package removed”
   you can close the current window.



In the same way, any drivers associated with printing equipment and scanners that were connected to the computer with further installation of the corresponding software are cleared.

Third party software

I would like to start by considering third-party tools that allow you to clean the OS of unnecessary drivers. This method will be optimal for the most novice users who are not confident in their abilities or just want to simplify the uninstallation process as much as possible. There are many different applications whose functionality is focused on removing software. Unfortunately, we will not be able to consider them all, however, we suggest using the example of one program called Driver Fusion to analyze the general principles of uninstallation.

1. Click on the link above to go to a detailed review of Driver Fusion and download the program from the official website. After completing the installation of the free or full version, launch the software and through the left panel go to the section “Driver Cleaner”
   .



2. Check out the list of equipment categories here. Select the one that includes hardware with unnecessary or incorrect drivers.



3. After selecting an accessory or an individual device, you can view the list of installed files. To clear them, click on the dedicated button located in the center at the top of the window.



4. Confirm the uninstall by selecting “Yes”
   .



5. When using the trial version, you will be notified that some of their files cannot be deleted. Getting rid of them will happen only after acquiring a premium assembly, which is the disadvantage of Driver Fusion.



If the shortcomings of the application discussed above are critical for you or it does not suit you for some other reason, we recommend that you study the review of other popular thematic solutions on our website, where the author describes in detail the pros and cons of all representatives of such software. This review will help you choose the right software and quickly get rid of unnecessary drivers.

Read more: Software for uninstalling drivers

Remove hidden devices

If you pay attention to Method 2
, you will notice that through the Device Manager you can only remove the drivers of the equipment that is currently connected to the computer. As for disconnected devices, they are in a hidden state and many of them will never be connected to this PC again. There is a method that allows you to remove such hidden devices through the same menu, but for this you will have to perform one simple setup.

1. Open Start
   and go to “Settings”
   by clicking on the designated gear button.



2. In the window that opens, you are interested in the section “System”
   .



3. Go to the very bottom of the left panel and go to “About”
   .



4. In this window, find the line “System Information”
   and click on it with the left mouse button.



5. A new menu will open “System”
   , where you should click on the clickable inscription “Advanced system settings”
   .



6. In “System Properties”
   on the first tab “Advanced”
   click on the button “Environment Variables”
   .



7. The first block is called “User Environment Variables”
   . Below it is a button “Create”
   , which you click.



8. Set variable name “devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices”
   and set it to “1”

9. , then apply the changes.

Check the current setting by looking for the created variable in the block.



Now it remains only to display the hidden equipment and remove it. To do this, open the Device Manager in any convenient way.



In the pop-up menu “View”
activate the item “Show hidden devices”
.



All hidden devices will be highlighted in blue. Find the required one, click on the RMB line and click “Delete device”
.



Now, when you reconnect a remote device, the operating system will not recognize it and reinstallation will begin. If you no longer need to display hidden devices, you can disable this feature by unchecking the item discussed above.

As part of today’s article, we talked about five methods for removing drivers in Windows 10. You just have to choose what you are interested in and, following simple instructions, quickly cope with the task with a minimum amount of effort.

Other Windows Driver Backup and Restore Programs

These programs are also designed to create backup copies of drivers.

• Driver Magician Lite
  . It copes very well with the task of creating a backup copy of installed drivers, but, unfortunately, it does not know how to restore drivers at all. Nicely organized interface. All third-party drivers are highlighted among the general list. Really convenient, because the system can have a lot of drivers. To create a copy, you can select both individual drivers and the entire list. The backup is created as nicely structured folders with friendly device names.
• DriverPack Solution Lite. Not recommended. The program is more likely to update drivers than to create a backup copy. Just like the rest of the programs on this list, it does not know how to restore drivers. And it doesn’t seem to work correctly. According to the description, the program can save a backup copy to an .exe file. But! There is no difference between backups with selected .exe format and regular format.

  The program installer contains a lot of unnecessary adware. It suggests installing the Delta Toolbar, changing the search engine to Delta, and changing the browser’s home page. And a number of other changes. Therefore, during installation, you must very carefully look at each installer window for the checkmarks.

  The interface of the program is quite strange. Plus, you will find a number of features that are generally not needed for driver update/backup programs. Of course, the device manager can be considered the necessary functionality, but there is not much point in it. But what is clearly superfluous is access to the control panel for installed programs. It is also not clear why the program has a bunch of extra utilities, such as memory testing
  , defragmentation
  , anti-virus check
  . The program also has an item for updating the BIOS. And apparently this point is not only superfluous, but also dangerous.

  In general, the program is very difficult to recommend to anyone. It has too much extra stuff. And there is a feeling that this is a banal attempt to take quantity, not quality.

• DriverGrabber (invalid link). The program is too simple, and does not have any settings at all. Creates backup copies of third-party drivers only. You can make copies of Windows drivers only by editing the necessary INI files. It is hard to imagine that a normal user can do this. The program is not developed, and does not have its own normal site. At the same time, it is difficult to say whether the program will work on 64-bit systems and on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
• Driver Collector. The official website no longer exists and the program is no longer being developed. There are no settings in the program. It also does not know how to create backup copies of drivers in batch mode. Instead, you need to select and create copies manually. This somewhat undermines the goal of “make the world easier”.

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