Download the driver removal utility. Removing old versions of drivers from the Windows storage

Good day, dear friends, acquaintances and other personalities.

The installation process is simple and straightforward. During the installation, do not forget to uncheck anything that is offered to you as an add-on (especially if you already have it).

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It is possible that you will need to supply separately .NET Framework . I already wrote more about what it is, how and why in the material “What is the Microsoft .NET Framework and why install it.”

As for use, when you launch the program, you first need to set the language to Russian. To do this, follow the link " Language" and from the drop-down list select the item " Russian", and then press the button " Apply":

After this process, the program language becomes Russian, and therefore we simply go to the "tab" Analysis and Purification", check off those items with drivers that we want to remove and the garbage from which we do not need in the system.

Next, decisively press the button " Cleaning" (if you suddenly doubt that something superfluous will be swept away, then it is better to press " Analysis" and see the list of files and registry keys that the program wants to remove).

Oh, and yes, of course, there is the possibility of restoring deleted data, for which there is a corresponding tab " Recovery".

With this, the whole process actually ends, and therefore we can move on to the afterword.

Afterword

As a permanent tool, it’s not really necessary (fortunately driver versions don’t change that often), but keep it in mind and keep it on hand as a broom to avoid possible problems, it’s quite possible. For example, I sometimes encountered the fact that the driver is not “swept out” entirely during normal uninstallation, which makes it difficult to install another (no matter new or old) version, and therefore either causes blue screens death, or does not allow them to be eliminated normally (if they are caused by the current driver).

Something like this, short and useful. Use it for your health, maybe it will come in handy on the farm;)

As always, if you suddenly have any questions, thoughts or additions, then comments are at your service.

As you know, quite often many users computer systems are faced with the problem of removing old or unused device drivers. This can be due to many reasons, including hardware conflicts, incorrect operation devices. This also includes installing more recent versions of drivers. This is where it arises logical question: how to remove the driver of a particular device?

What is a driver

Before you begin the process of removing a driver or updating it, you need to know what it is. Essentially this is small program, which ensures communication between the hardware component and the operating system, without which the device itself will not only not work, but the system may not even recognize it.

In some cases (especially when automatic system updates are enabled), it becomes necessary to change the driver version to a newer one.

View information about driver versions and files

Now a few words about what needs to be done before proceeding with the removal operation. First, you need to find out the driver version (especially when it was downloaded from the official website of the equipment manufacturer). It is very likely that the system has the latest version, and this is not the reason for the conflict or hardware failure. Then the problem of how to remove the driver will disappear by itself. There are several ways to do this.

For example, for Plug & Play devices or standard system components, you can use the DirectX dialog call (dxdiag command in the Run menu). True, here you can see the versions of the screen drivers, audio equipment and I/O devices (unless something else is installed).

However, in the question of how to view information and how to remove a driver, it is better to use standard Windows OS tools. In addition, this is the simplest and most proven method.

Removing drivers using standard Windows tools

IN in this case you must use the Control Panel menu, in which you select the “Device Manager” item. The name may change depending on the version of the installed operating system. Now just select the device you are interested in and call up the context menu, then use the “Properties” command. It will be there full description driver version ("Driver" tab, "Properties" menu).

Now let's look at an example, say, how to remove an audio driver (or how to remove a printer driver). In principle, the formulation of the question does not matter, the scheme is the same. We carry out the procedures described above, but only instead of the “Properties” button we use the “Delete” button. The system will ask you to confirm the deletion, after which you can restart the computer.

If the printer drivers are standard and included in installation package Windows OS, after reboot they will be installed automatically. Otherwise, you will have to install them either from the original disk or download them from the manufacturer’s official website.

By the way, this method of viewing information about drivers is also convenient because here you can even find out the location of the files themselves. If for some reason the system cannot remove such programs, you can begin to resolve the issue of how to completely remove the driver in manual mode. To do this, you just need to delete files from specified by the system locations, as well as the corresponding registry keys. However, this is highly discouraged for inexperienced users.

Third party software

Today there are quite a lot of programs that can solve the problem of how to remove old drivers, automatic mode. One of these is Driver Sweeper.

This software product has a lot of customization options, for example, filtering by equipment manufacturer, etc. But it is better to check the names of all manufacturers when starting, and then begin the process of analysis and cleaning. It will take a few minutes and will provide a report about outdated or unused (unnecessary) drivers on the system. The latter, by the way, can cause conflicts in the operation of the equipment, since the system itself alternately accesses one or another driver.

Don't be surprised if the program even finds drivers for integrated video cards or sound chips. Next, you need to click the “Cleanup” button, after which everything that the application found will be deleted.

Of course, study inexperienced user You can do such things only at your own peril and risk, but, as practice shows, this program works absolutely correctly, does not cause failures in the operating system and does not interfere with the operation of software and hardware components.

Automatic update

Among programs of this type we can highlight special utilities, intended for automatic update all drivers available in the system. The question of how to remove a driver does not arise here for one simple reason. The fact is that many programs are capable of removing old ones automatically before installing new versions of drivers. But most of these software packages are paid. But the advantage of their work is that they apply directly to the equipment manufacturers’ websites for updates, so that absolutely all drivers will have the correct digital signatures upon completion of installation or update.

Hello friends. Today you will find out how to remove driver from your long-suffering computer. We will completely remove only unnecessary drivers that you do not need. This may be necessary if you have gotten rid of some equipment or are going to install the most new version"firewood" completely.

The fact is that there are many computer cleaning programs and we have already discussed some in detail (such as CCleaner , FreeSpacer...). They are excellent workers and get the job done, but they are not designed to remove drivers. They simply do not have this function.

You changed your video card or something, installed new drivers from the disk, but what about the old ones? But these old, redundant, unused drivers lie on the sofa in the depths of the system, smoke your cigarettes, drink tea with your own cookies and, scoundrels, they feel completely safe.

Not only do they lie like dead weight, but they also steal computer resources. After all, when connecting any equipment, a search takes place throughout the entire driver database, without discerning whether it’s old or young. An entire service is involved, the registry is looked through...

So let's come visit these radishes along with free, safe program Driver Sweeper. It is intended precisely for this noble purpose.

Find out how to remove the driver - in detail, thoroughly, step by step and in pictures...

First, let's define what a driver is. In a nutshell, this is a mini-program that helps the system interact and control equipment, be it a mouse, keyboard, monitor, printer or video card.

Drivers are desirable, which is what the system does by default, thereby speeding up and making life easier for itself and its users. But with this update, automatic or manual, broken drivers are not always removed by the system. This is what we will do.

How to remove a driver - download Driver Sweeper

I’ll honestly admit to you that I was worried when I launched the program for the first time, what if the driver was removed incorrectly or crookedly and then I wouldn’t be able to connect to the printer, for example, or the sound would disappear. But my worries were in vain. Driver Sweeper delicately threw out the old and extra drivers, without touching the relevant and involved ones.

Tested on very rarely used equipment. I connected a scanner, which sits idle for a year, mice from my other computers, a monitor... everything flies! Beauty! True, I forgot to measure how much space would be freed up on the hard drive, but that’s not the point. Not very much, because a driver is a mini-program. The main thing is to get rid of the ballast.

Still, you will use the program at your own peril and risk!(read comments to this article). Some other antiviruses are activated by Driver Sweeper, but I checked it personally - so far everything is in order with the computer and system.

Let's get started with installation and cleaning...

Now, if you haven’t checked the box, creating a shortcut on the desktop, go to the Start menu, find our program and run it...

We are met with a problem - a program on English. With a slight movement of the hand we switch the interface to our native and powerful Russian language...

...don't forget to click below...

Here it is, the reward for killing several thousand nerve cells and burning kilocalories with three clicks.

Now you can adjust the program a little to suit you. Even appearance change by looking at "Miscellaneous" and "Theme"...

Now, finally, we press “Analysis and Cleaning”...

Here is a list of the main equipment manufacturers. Check the boxes next to the manufacturer whose driver you want to completely remove. By the way, I was very surprised when Driver Sweeper found and removed Nvidia video card drivers with my integrated Intel. I have no idea where they came from.

Now “Analysis” is on the right, below and then “Cleaning”...

Hello everyone, my dear readers!

Glad to see you again on my blog! Yesterday I changed software for more latest versions and was faced with the fact that sometimes you have to demolish old software. The question immediately arose - how to remove installed drivers? After all, sometimes a simple rollback is not enough. In this article, I will tell you all the ways you can do this safely and without damaging your PC.

What is this for?

Sometimes removing drivers is not just desirable, but necessary. If, when updating programs, only a few files are added to them, then with system software the situation is completely different. Manufacturers sometimes completely change the driver structure, for example, for audio devices.

Especially with the advent of the new DierctX. And in this case, you need to remove all old versions of drivers. This can be done in several ways and programs, which I will discuss below. By the way, this applies not only to hardware of primary importance and a certain OS. This may be needed even on modern Windows 10.

I want to immediately give an important clarification: do not uninstall if you do not have a new driver. Remember, as soon as you uninstall the software, the operating system will simply stop working with it, or even turn it off altogether. Therefore, it is important to have a new version in advance, or software with which you can find and install it.

Removing the driver using special software

The good thing about this option is that everything is done quickly. However, quality program, and even a free one, is quite difficult to find. Driver Sweeper is a software that I tried myself. You can download from here. Download and install. After launching on Windows 7, or on any other system, it is advisable that you immediately activate the Russian language. This is done in the Language tab.

On the left side you need to click " analysis and purification" You will have all the devices for which the OS has drivers, even the printer. Choose the hardware that needs to be rid of old software. Then click on the button Analysis. The system will display all files that are associated with this device. Also, parts of the registry that are related to it will be shown.

Then you should click the button Cleaning" Once the process is complete, close the program and restart your PC. This is how it is done on desktop computer, and on a laptop. Only after this you can install new software.

There is another program that will help you with this. It's called Driver Genius. Download it you can from here. Download, install and run it. A window like this will open.

As shown in the picture, click Driver Cleanup and select the device. Then click the button " Next" The program itself will remove everything you need, and all you have to do is restart your PC.

Removal through the operating system device manager

First you need to open the task manager. Right click on the panel quick launch, on some free space, not occupied by shortcuts and in the menu that appears, select the line with this name. You need to end all processes associated with the driver you want to remove. For example, you want to remove the software on your laptop that is responsible for the video card, close all processes related to the image.

Now you need to go to the control panel and open device Manager. You will see a window like the image below.

In it, select the desired device, right-click and select the “ driver" Next, click “ Delete».

The following will appear.

Check the box where indicated and click " Delete».

In principle, all this is enough, however, this method does not completely delete all files associated with the device. For example, there will still be entries in the registry. This is not dangerous, but in the future, without cleaning the registry, it can slow down the system.

Precautions

Installing new drivers while uninstalling old ones can cause problems. For example, you will remove the driver, but the new one will simply not be installed, causing an error digital signature. This especially happens with software for a printer or scanner. In this case, reboot to safe mode. To do this, restart your machine and click F8, and select the first line.

Only after loading the operating system in this mode can you begin to take action. In this case, the OS simply disables some functions that block some actions related to confirming the quality of the software. And for operating systems installing new versions of software without driver signature is simply a potentially dangerous action. Therefore, we have to use this method.

Conclusion

At the end of the article, I want to warn you that any operation described here must be carried out to the end. Do not interrupt the process associated with software removal. Otherwise, your system will slow down. The worst thing that can happen is errors in the registry. It will be very difficult to correct them manually, so it is important to complete all procedures. By the way, there is an excellent video on this topic.

On my own behalf I can recommend you to use special programs. They will not harm the system, and will definitely remove all files associated with drivers. All software is free, I tested it myself. The programs work on all versions and are visible. By the way, some actions may require permissions from the system itself, so it is better to always run the software only as an administrator, otherwise nothing will work.

With this I say goodbye to you! Hope. my article helped you, share it with your friends on social networks, because they may need help too! Also, subscribe to my blog updates, because I only collect here useful information! All the best to you, I wish you not to meet with computer problems and see you in new articles!

We continue to clean the system of accumulated garbage. Today we will touch on the topic of drivers. In the article, I only showed a little at the end how you can remove drivers. But in the article it was a matter of “firewood” and it was necessary to remove it. There I described in more detail.
Therefore, if you want to remove or roll back drivers, read one of the articles above. Or better yet, both.

Now closer to the point. The method described below will help you see and remove all drivers that are on the system and not in use. What kind of firewood is this? Yes, all kinds. These are also those that were installed when you “stuck” some other person’s flash drive once. This includes firewood that was installed along with some program for video or sound processing, as well as antiviruses, etc. software. Subsequently, you have already deleted these programs, but the tails in the form of drivers may remain. Also, this rubbish may remain after an incorrect reinstallation of Windows.

Now we will delete them in a standard way Windows system.

Opening System Properties. This can be done in three ways:

1) Win + Break/Pause

2) RMB on the icon My computer and in context menu choose Properties

3) Start -> Control Panel -> System

In Windows 7 and 8 you also need to select on the left Additional options systems

All that remains is to open this same Manager.
Or in this very System Properties window, select the tab Equipment:

You can also simplify all these actions (before opening the Manager) by entering command line Set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
Then you can open the manager, show hidden ones and delete them.
The thing to keep in mind here is that after a reboot this option will disappear.

That's all. And as a conclusion I would like to give a few notes:

1) If it doesn’t work, try doing it as Administrator

2) If not displayed, click on the "Update hardware configuration" button or restart the Manager

3) Watch carefully what you delete. If something doesn’t start later, it’s not my fault.

4) The list does not always show unnecessary ones. Everything that was installed may be present there. Therefore, think again about whether you need to delete it and whether it will definitely no longer be used. Although the firewood will then be reinstalled again, but not for all devices.

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