Rolling back a driver in Windows can help you resolve issues with hardware and other devices connected to your computer. A driver is a piece of software that enables communication between hardware and the operating system of your computer. If a driver becomes outdated or corrupted, Windows can’t use the device properly and may display errors or cause conflicts with other programs.
For example, if you install a new graphics card, you’ll need to install the associated driver software so that Windows can communicate with it. If you experience any issues with your hardware or devices after installing a new driver, you might be able to resolve the problem by rolling back the driver to its previous version.
In this article, we will discuss how to rollback an updated driver in Windows and the different methods you can use to do it.
Method 1: Rollback using Device Manager
This is the easiest way to rollback a driver in Windows. It’s suitable for drivers that have been updated through Windows Update or drivers installed from their manufacturer’s website or disc.
1. Open Device Manager. You can do this by typing ‘Device Manager’ into the search box on the taskbar or by pressing the Windows key + X and selecting Device Manager from the list.
2. Expand the category that has the driver you want to rollback. For example, if you want to rollback a graphics card driver, expand the Display Adapters category.
3. Right-click on the driver you want to rollback and select Properties.
4. Go to the Driver tab and click the Roll Back Driver button.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
Method 2: Rollback using System Restore
This method can be used to rollback drivers that were installed before creating a restore point.
1. Type ‘System Restore’ into the search box and select Create a restore point from the list of results.
2. On the System Protection tab, click the System Restore button.
3. Select the Choose a different restore point option and click Next.
4. Select the restore point you want to use and click Next.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
You should note that any changes made to your system after creating the restore point won’t be undone and you’ll have to redo them manually afterwards.
Method 3: Rollback using System Backup
If you’ve created a system backup prior to updating a driver, you can use this to rollback the driver.
1. Insert the media containing your system backup (e.g. a USB drive) into the computer.
2. Go to the Control Panel and open the Backup and Restore window.
3. Select the Restore my files option.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to restore your system from the backup.
When the restore process is complete, the driver should be rolled back.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed how to rollback an updated driver in Windows. The best way to rollback a driver is to use the Device Manager, as this is the simplest method. If the driver was installed from a manufacturer’s website or disc, you can use the Device Manager to roll it back. If the driver was installed through Windows Update, you can use the System Restore or System Backup methods.
No matter which method you choose, it’s important to remember that any changes made to your system after updating the driver won’t be undone. You’ll need to redo them after rolling back the driver.