It’s now increased from 11 million to more than 15 million device drivers.

No doubt a lot of the new drivers are for the new Windows 7 operating system and compatible hardware devices.

And that means you get even more bang for your buck.

Check out Driver Detective and give the demo a go if you haven’t tried it yet.

All third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.

And that means you’ll have to extract or unpack the files before you can install your new drivers.

But don’t worry… unzipping drivers is easy.

Here’s how you do it…

Step 1 — Choose a file to unzip

Navigate your way to the folder you downloaded your new driver to.

By the way, if you hover your cursor over the zipped file, Windows will show you a list of the files.

Step 2 — Unzip the files

I’m going to use 7-Zip to unzip my driver (check out my resources page to grab a copy), but the steps should be similar no matter what unzip utility you’re using.

Right click on the file and click on Extract files….

Step 3 — Choose a location to unzip the files

Click the … button if you want to unzip the files to a different folder.

I’m going to extract my driver to the current folder. That will add a new folder with the files in it.

Click OK.

Step 4— Open the folder & launch the installer

Double click on the folder (do the same if there’s another folder inside that folder).

Look for a file named Setup.exe, Install.exe or something similar.

If you can’t see any file extensions, check out View known file type extensions.

Double click on Setup.exe to launch the driver’s installer.

Now follow the installer’s instructions. This usually involves clicking “OK” a few times.

Step 5 — Restart your computer

You may be prompted to restart your computer.

You can either restart your computer now or install more drivers. It’s up to you.

And that’s it. Done.

Any questions?

Please use the comments form below or contact me if you have any questions about unzipping drivers.

Problem is, not all files are labelled helpfully, so you can’t tell which one is the installer.

That means you often need to find the file with the .exe extension.

But by default, Windows (at least Windows XP) hides known file type extensions.

So here’s how to show known file types in Windows XP…

Click on Start, and then click My Computer.

On the toolbar at the top of the screen, click on Tools and then click Folder Options…

Click the View tab.

Now scroll down to Hide extensions for known file types and uncheck it.

Click OK.

And that’s it. Done.

So say goodbye to the Vista Upgrade wizard …

…and say hello to the new Easy Migrator tool.

What the Easy Migrator is

Thinking of upgrading your computer… maybe to the new Windows® 7 operating system?

No problem.

Because that’s what the Easy Migrator is designed to help you do.

Here’s how it works…

When you run the Easy Migrator, you first choose the operating system you want to upgrade to.

It then scans your computer and lists all the new drivers you’ll need when you install Windows 7.

You can then download them and copy them to a CD or USB drive and they’re ready to install when you upgrade.

Oh yeah… you can also use it to downgrade or re-install your operating system.

Cool, eh?

Check out How to use Driver Detective’s Easy Migrator tool to see it in action.

So how do you get it?

It comes as standard with the latest version of Driver Detective (version 6.4.3).

And if you already own Driver Detective, it’ll automatically update and add the Easy Migrator the next time you use it.

Get Driver Detective now

If you haven’t tried Driver Detective, click the big red button below to download it directly from PC Drivers Headquarters’ secure server.

Download Driver Detective Demo

All third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.

Well guess what? It just got a lot easier, thanks to Driver Detective’s Easy Migrator tool.

Here’s how it works…

Step 1 — Choose your new operating system

Start Driver Detective and click EZ Migrator on the main menu.

Now click on the drop-down menu and select the operating system you’re upgrading to.

I’ve chosen the new Windows® 7 operating system.

Click Next.

Step 2 — Choose the new drivers to download

Driver Detective will now list the drivers you need to upgrade.

They’re all checked by default, so uncheck any you don’t want to download.

Click Next.

Driver Detective will now download your new drivers.

It may take a few minutes if you have a few to download.

Click Next when your drivers have finished downloading.

Step 3 — Choose a backup folder or CD

Choose a drive and folder to save your downloaded drivers to.

I’m saving it to my slave drive.

You can also burn your drivers to a CD if you like.

Click Finish.

Driver Detective will now copy your drivers to the backup folder or CD.

Click Close when it’s finished.

Step 4 — Check your backup folder

If you check your backup folder, you should see your downloaded drivers.

Your new drivers are now ready to install when you upgrade Windows.

And that’s it. Done.

Oh yeah… you can also use the Easy Migrator tool to downgrade or re-install your operating system.

Any questions?

Please use the comments form below or contact me if you have any questions about using Driver Detective.

Give Driver Detective a go

If you haven’t tried Driver Detective, click the big red button below to download it directly from PC Drivers Headquarters’ secure server.

Download Driver Detective Demo

All third party products, brands or trademarks listed above are the sole property of their respective owner. No affiliation or endorsement is intended or implied.

DriverCure now includes complete support for Windows® 7, both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

That’s good news if you’re considering upgrading to Windows 7, because you’re going to need lots of new drivers.

If you already have a registered version of DriverCure, you can click About on the main menu, then click Check for Updates… to update it (if it hasn’t already updated itself, that is).

Check out the full press release:

Newest ParetoLogic DriverCure release ready to serve Windows® 7 users

Give DriverCure a go

If you haven’t tried DriverCure, click the big red button below to download it directly from ParetoLogic’s secure server.

Download DriverCure Demo

Sometimes new drivers don’t work quite as you’d hoped or expected.

If this happens to you, you’ll probably want to quickly revert to your previous settings.

No problem.

Just create a Windows® system restore point before installing any drivers and your previous settings are just a few mouse clicks away.

Creating a system restore point

Go to Start » Help and Support and click on Undo changes to your computer with System Restore.

Click on Create a system restore point to select it.

Then click Next.

Enter a descriptive name for the system restore point.

I’ve opted for “pre modem driver install” because it makes sense to me.

Click Create.

You’ll now get a confirmation screen like this:

Click Close and you’re done.

Except…

…you’re probably wondering how you restore your settings, right?

Here’s how…

Restoring your previous settings

Go to Start » Help and Support and click on Undo changes to your computer with System Restore again.

This time, click on Restore my computer to an earlier time to select it.

Then click Next.

Use the calendar to find your restoration point.

Click Next.

On the “Confirm Restore Point Selection” screen, check that the restore point details are correct.

Save any work and close any open programs.

Then click Next when you’re ready and Windows will shut down.

When it restarts you’ll see some messages about it restoring your previous settings.

And that’s it. Done.

By the way … if you have DriverCure, you don’t need to bother creating system restore points.

It includes an option to automatically create system restore points before installing any updates. You can access it via the “Settings” link at the top right of the screen.

In fact, it only takes a few mouse clicks to update all your drivers.

Here’s how you do it…

Step 1 — Create a system restore point

I recommend you create a system restore point before installing new drivers.

And the good news is, DriverCure includes the option to automatically create system resource points before installing updates.

So, start DriverCure and click Settings at the top right of the main screen.

Check the Set a system restore point before installing items option.

Click OK.

Step 2 — Scan your computer for driver updates

Click Start Scan.

The scan should take less than a minute.

Step 3 — Choose the drivers to update

The scan results screen will list all the available driver updates.

No updates are selected by default, so check the ones you want to update.

Although you can install as many drivers as you want, I’m just going to install one: a new keyboard driver.

Step 4 — Download your driver

Click Fix Now.

DriverCure will now download your new driver.

Some driver files are huge because they include the software to configure the hardware device.

Depending on the speed of your Internet connection it may take a minute or more to download your new driver.

Step 5 — Confirm you want to install your new driver

Once your driver has downloaded you’ll get a “Are you sure that you would like to install” message similar to the following:

Click Yes.

DriverCure will now extract the driver files and launch its installer…

…except some drivers will be in the ZIP or RAR file format, which means DriverCure won’t be able to automatically launch the installer.

So you’ll have to unzip them before you install them. Check out How to install zipped drivers if you’re not sure how to do it.

Step 6 — Follow the installation instructions

Now follow the instructions to install your driver.

Every installer is different, but it’s usually as simple as clicking “OK” a few times.

Step 7 — Restart your computer

After the installation process completes you’ll probably be prompted to restart your computer.

You can restart it now, or you can update more drivers. However, the new driver won’t work until you do restart it.

And that’s it. Done.

Any questions?

Please use the comments form below or contact me if you have any questions about using DriverCure.

Give DriverCure a go

If you haven’t tried DriverCure, click the big red button below to download it directly from ParetoLogic’s secure server.

Download DriverCure Demo

And it gives you two ways to do it:

1. Schedule regular scans for updates.

Or, even easier…

2. Get DriverCure to send you an email whenever an update is available.

I’ll start with…

Scheduled scans

Start DriverCure and click Schedule on the main menu.

Then click New…

It’s up to you how often you want to check for updates.

Twice a week sounds good to me, so I’m going for Monday and Thursday at 2pm.

You can also have DriverCure download any updates so they’re ready to install.

Click OK and your new schedule is set.

That’s it.

And so on to…

Email update notifications

Click Settings at the top right of the screen.

Then click Email Settings.

Fill in your name and email address.

The submit button appears after you’ve entered all your details.

Click Submit, then click OK.

And that’s it. Done.

Any questions?

Please use the comments form below or contact me if you have any questions about using DriverCure.

Give DriverCure a go

If you haven’t tried DriverCure, click the big red button below to download it directly from ParetoLogic’s secure server.

Download DriverCure Demo

Here’s how you do it…

Step 1 — Choose your operating system

Start Driver Genius and click Update Drivers on the main menu.

Now select your operating system from the list.

Click Next.

Step 2 — Scan for driver updates

Driver Genius will now scan your computer for outdated drivers.

The scan only takes a minute or so.

Step 3 — Choose a driver to update

All out-of-date drivers are selected by default, so uncheck the ones you don’t want to update.

I’m going to update my keyboard driver.

Step 4 — Download your new driver

If there’s more than one driver in the download manager, click the one you want to download to select it.

Click Download.

Driver Genius will now connect to the driver download centre and download your new driver.

You’ll get a Windows taskbar pop up message when the driver download is complete.

Step 5 — Install your new driver

Click Install.

You will now get a message asking if you want to back up your drivers.

I recommend you do back up your drivers, so click Yes and follow the instructions (check out How to back up your drivers with Driver Genius to see how it’s done).

After backing up your drivers, click Install again, this time click No when you get the “back up your current drivers” message.

Driver Genius will launch your new driver’s installer.

Follow the driver installer’s instructions to install it. This ususally involves clicking “OK” a few times.

Step 6 — Restart your computer

You can now restart your computer when prompted, or you can update more drivers. It’s up to you.

And that’s it. Done.

Any questions?

Please use the comments form below or contact me if you have any questions about using Driver Genius.

Give Driver Genius a go

If you haven’t tried Driver Genius, click the red button to download it directly from Avanquest Software’s secure server.

Download Driver Genius Demo