How To Remove Old And Useless Drivers In Windows

Removing Old and Useless Drivers in Windows

Over time, your Windows system can accumulate numerous old and useless device drivers, which can occupy significant disk space and potentially slow down your system. Removing these drivers is essential for maintaining your system's performance and efficiency.

Using the Device Manager to Remove Old Drivers

To remove old, unused, or unwanted device drivers, you can use the Device Manager. Here’s how:

1. Open the Device Manager:

   • Press Win + X and select Device Manager, or type devmgmt.msc in the Start search and hit Enter.

2. Show Hidden Devices:

   • In the Device Manager, click on the View tab and select "Show hidden devices." This will display all devices, including those that are not currently connected.

3. Identify and Uninstall Old Drivers:

• Expand the branches in the device tree and look for faded icons, which indicate unused device drivers.
• Right-click on these devices and select "Uninstall device" to remove the associated drivers.

Setting Environment Variables to View Non-Present Devices

To view and remove non-present devices, you need to set an environment variable:

1. Open System Properties:

   • Right-click on "Computer" or "This PC" and select Properties.
   • From the left side panel, click on Advanced system settings.

2. Set the Environment Variable:

   • Under the User variables box, click on New.
   • In the Variable Name text box, type devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices.
   • In the Variable Value box, type 1.

3. Open Device Manager Again:

• Type devmgmt.msc in the Start search and hit Enter.
• Follow the steps to show hidden devices and uninstall the non-present devices as described above.

Using Disk Cleanup to Remove Old Driver Packages

The Disk Cleanup tool can help remove old driver packages:

1. Run Disk Cleanup:

   • Press Win + R, type cleanmgr, and press Enter.
   • Select the system drive and click "OK".

2. Clean Up System Files:

   • Click "Clean up system files" and select the system drive again.
   • Check the box next to "Device driver packages" and click "OK".

This will remove all previous versions of drivers, leaving only the latest version for each driver in the Windows Driver Store.

Using Third-Party Tools for Advanced Cleanup

For more advanced driver management, you can use third-party tools:

1. DevManView:

   • Download and run DevManView from NirSoft.
   • Enable "Mark Connected Devices" and "Show Non-Plug and Play Drivers" in the Options menu.
   • Sort the table by the "Connected" column to see which devices are currently connected.
   • Disable and then uninstall the selected devices using the "Disable Selected Devices" and "Uninstall Selected Devices" options.

2. Driver Store Explorer:

   • Download Driver Store Explorer from GitHub.
   • Run the tool to view all installed drivers and automatically scan for old device drivers.
   • Select and delete the old drivers to free up space.

Important Considerations

• Backup Before Cleanup:

  • It is highly recommended to create a system restore point or backup your Windows system image before cleaning device drivers to avoid any potential issues.

• Avoid Manual Deletion:

  • Never delete files from the DriverStore manually, as this can cause system instability. Always use the recommended tools and methods.

By following these steps, you can effectively remove old and useless drivers from your Windows system, optimizing its performance and freeing up disk space.