Download Driver Genius Professional Edition User Guide

Chapter One Product introduction and Features
1.1 Product introduction
Driver Genius Professional manages your PC to get 100% up to date Drivers and optimize PC performance. Driver Genius Professional is a powerful driver manager for Windows that can backup, restore, search and update your drivers automatically in several mouse clicks!

1.2 Features
1.2.1 Drivers Backup: Driver Genius can detect and quickly backup the installed drivers in your system. It can compress the backup drivers to a zip file, self extracting file or an independent auto installer program.
1.2.2 Drivers Restore: You need not install drivers one-by-one after reinstalling your operating system. Just one click is all you need to install all your backup drivers automatically. You can also install drivers in command mode silently.
1.2.3 Drivers Update: Are you still using those old drivers or beta version drivers? These faulty drivers often cause compatibility problems and are one of the main causes making system crashes. A suitable driver can improve hardware performance by 50% or even more. There are more than 30,000 device drivers information in our Driver Genius Database including Motherboard, Sound card, Video card, Network card, Modem, Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner, Printer, Digital devices etc. With one mouse click, Driver Genius can detect what drivers need updating. All drivers we offer are official version or WHQL versions--you can use them without any worries.

1.2.4 Driver Download Manager: Driver Download Manager can help you manage all download missions and guide you to install drivers.
1.2.5 Drivers Uninstall: There could be some leftover drivers in your system due to hardware changes or previous driver updates. Driver Genius can find these useless drivers quickly and uninstall them.
1.2.6 Live Update: We update large numbers of drivers on our website everyday. Driver Genius can synchronize its database online to get the latest driver versions through the Liveupdate feature.
1.2.7 Device Diagnostics: It can help you to find device which doesn't work properly or efficiently and offer a useful solution.

1.3.1 What can I do with Driver Genius?
Quickly backup device drivers for your computer.
One click will install all drivers.
Keep your drivers up to date always
Scan and fix your driver problem.

Chapter Two Install and Uninstall
2.1 System Requirements
Pentium class CPU
64 Mb RAM
10 Mb hard drive space
Microsoft Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/XP x64/Server 2003 x64/Vista x64/Windows 7/Windows7 X64/Windows Server 2008/ Windows Server 2008 X64.
2.2.1 Install and register
Step 1: Startup your computer to enter the Windows (Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/XP x64/Server 2003 x64/Vista x64/Windows 7/Windows7 X64/Windows Server 2008/ Windows Server 2008 X64).
Step 2: Insert the distribution CD of the Driver Genius professional software into the CD-ROM. Run "setup.exe” in the root directory of the CD and follow the installation wizard.

Step 3: Step 3: In the dialog box of "Language select", select the language version to install, then click "OK" to begin installing the software;

Step 4: Read the "License Agreement”. Click "I accept the agreement" and "Next" to go on, otherwise click " I don’t accept the agreement” to exit setup.

Step 5: The user can specify the installation path of Driver Genius professional in the [Select Destination Location] window. Click [Next] to continue.

Step 6: You can input the program group name in the [Select Start Menu Folder] window. Click [Next] to continue.

Step 7: Here user can choose whether create a shortcut on desktop after installing program or not. Click [Next] to continue.

Step 8: Installation path and program group name now is displayed in the [Ready to Install] window. Click [Install] to copy files after your confirmation.

Step 9: You can choose [Launch Driver Genius professional edition] and select [Finish] to start the program in the [Competing the Driver Genius professional edition setup wizard] window after finishing copying files.

Step 10: After loading Driver Genius professional as administrator right, you will get a welcome window and be prompted to scan driver problem and updates. Click [Start Scan] to continue.

Step 11: The program will give an Out of date drivers list. We suggest you should choose all of out of date drivers, then click 'next' button to update them. Click [Next] to continue.

Step 12: Total drivers in system and Out of date drivers display in the Scan Summary window. Click [Yes] to register Driver Genius professional edition. After registration all drivers need updating can be downloaded.

Step 13: In the window "Register Driver Genius professional edition ", please enter the correct serial number (which is stuck on the Software CD or shown in the license email), then click "Register" to continue. The program will prompt to restart to validate license code. After registering, you can check ‘Help’ menu, choose ‘About’ option to see whether the registration is successful or not.

Also you can choose ‘Help’ menu, click’ Enter code’ to register Driver Genius professional.

2.3 Uninstall
Select [Start] / [Program] / [Driver Genius Professional Edition]; choose [Uninstall Driver Genius Professional Edition]. After this option is selected, the program will uninstall the software automatically. You can also uninstall the program in Control panel by clicking the 'Programs and Features’ icon > Locate and single-click 'Driver Genius Professional Edition'> Click the 'Remove' button to uninstall it.

3.1 What is a driver?
Drivers are the programs that allow your operating system to communicate with hardware devices. They tell the operating system what device has been installed as well as their function.
3.2 Windows has already installed a driver for a device, why need I update it?
Drivers provided by Windows can only offer basic device performance. To get optimal performance, you must install the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer. The most important thing to note is that the drivers provided by Windows do not contain a control panel for hardware configuration. For example, if you don't install the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer for video cards, you cannot configure the OpenGL and Direct3D options for the video card. This can noticeably lower the quality and FPS of 3D images in games. Similarly with the sound card, Windows drivers cannot offer EAX sound effects, 3D sound effects, or Dolby multi-channel surround stereo. So installing a suitable driver will enhance the full performance of device.
3.3 Launch Driver Genius professional
You can launch the main program of Driver Genius professional by the ways as bellow.
Double click the shortcut icon of Driver Genius professional on Windows desktop.

Select the Windows menu of "Start" / "All Programs" / “Driver Genius Professional Edition"

3.4 Backup drivers
Before reinstalling operation system or updating drivers, you should backup your drivers first.
1> Click the 'Backup Drivers' icon. The program will search for all installed drivers in system. You will see a list of installed drivers in the right window pane. To view details of a device driver, click the device in the list. The details will be displayed in the window.

Current used Drivers
these drivers are currently working on your computer. They need to be backuped.
Original Windows Drivers
These drivers are included in the Windows installation CD and will be installed automatically during the Windows installation procedure. They normally do not need to be backuped.
Disconnected Devices Drivers
These drivers belong to devices which are not currently connected to your computer. If you want to use these devices in the future, their drivers must be installed on your PC. Therefore, you need to backup them. This is very important when installing drivers on a clean installed operating system.

By default all drivers will be backed up, but this will take more time and disk space, so you may wish to only back up the Currently Used Drivers.
2> Select the drivers that you want to back up and click 'Next'.
3> Select the Backup type. Driver Genius can backup drivers to a ZIP file, a self-extractor, or an Auto-Installer. Click the drop down menu -> Select the Backup type. You will see 4 options, choose the one you want. If you want to install drivers on multiple computers with the same configuration, we strongly recommend you should backup the drivers to an auto-installer. You can use the Auto-Installer to install drivers on a new system very fast without Driver Genius. This will greatly save you time.

4> Choose a location to save your driver backup files and click 'Next' to start the backup process.

3.5 Backup drivers in command line

Driver Genius allow you to backup your drivers in command line mode.
Usage: DriverGenius.exe [/B|?] [/T|A] [/D|Z|E|I] Backup location

First parameter - Specify the action
/? - Show help for usage
/b - Backup drivers
Second parameter - Specify which drivers you want to backup
/t - Third-Party drivers (Recommend)
/a - All drivers
Third parameter - Specify the backup type
/d - Default backup type, backs up selected drivers to the specified folder.
/z - Backs up selected drivers and make them to a ZIP file.
/e - Backs up selected drivers and make them to a self-extracting file.
/i - Backs up selected drivers and make them to an Auto-Installer.
Fourth parameter - Specify the backup location

Example:
C:\Driver-Soft\DriverGenius\DriverGenius.exe /B/T/I D:\DriversBackup.exe

3.6 Restore drivers
Driver Genius makes it easy for you to install drivers. With several mouse clicks, all drivers can be installed at once rather than having to install each driver disk one-by-one.
1> Click 'Restore Drivers' icon. Select the backup record you want restore in the record list, then click 'Next'.

2> Click 'Browse' button to choose the location for the backup file, and then click 'Next'.
You can also restore drivers from the appointed backup file. Click 'Browse my computer for drivers backup' button. Select the source type. If your backup type is 'Default', select 'Folder' option. If your backup type is 'ZIP file', or 'self-extracting file', please select 'File' option.
3> Now your backup files and their details will display in the list. Select the driver you want to restore, click 'Next' to start restoring.
ATTENTION: We suggest you close all running applications before restoration to avoid any conflicts. Do not perform any operations during the restoration process. You will be prompted to restart your computer after restoration is complete. All drivers will be installed and will then work properly after system reboot.
Restore by the Auto-Installer
If you have backed up your drivers to an auto-installer, all you need to do is launch the .exe file, and select drivers in the list. Then click 'Start Restore' button to start installation. You can also perform unattended installation in command line mode. Using Auto-Installer, you can also reinstall drivers on multiple computers that have the same configuration at one time. This is another time-saving feature of Driver Genius Professional.
Usage DriverBackup.exe /S/R

/S : Silent mode, restore all drivers automatically in silent mode. (No prompt dialog box appears.)
/R : Reboot computer after the installation has completed.
ATTENTION: You can only restore drivers for video card and network card when using a trial version. This limitation will be removed after you registered your software.
3.7 Find/Update Drivers
Driver Genius can recognize over 30,000 devices and offer their latest version drivers. It can recognize the devices even you don't know their type.
1> Click 'Update drivers' icon. The program will display all operating systems it can support. Your current operating system is the default selection. You can also select other target operating systems to update drivers. This function can help you to prepare drivers before installing a different version Operation system. It is very useful for some Network Card whose drivers are lost or not included in target operation system.

2>Click 'Next' to search suitable drivers for your system automatically. We suggest you should choose all of out of date drivers.

Out of date drivers: These drivers are out of date, to get devices' best performance and compatibility. They need updating.
You can right click a driver, choose 'View Details' to check its provider, date, version, digital signer and other details. Select the drivers that you want to update and click 'Next' to continue.
3> Your selections will be added to the drivers download manager task list. Click 'Download' button or double click the driver name to download driver updates.

4> After a driver downloaded, the driver will be marked with a green check. You can right-click the driver and select the 'install' option or double click the driver to install it. Driver Genius will prompt to backup current drivers before install new drivers. We suggest users to do that to prevent any risk. Windows will always ask user to reboot machine after installing a driver. In fact you can wait to reboot until all drivers are installed completely.
3.8 Resume downloading
If downloading procedure failed because of a network problem or manually stopping, you can choose 'Tools' menu --'Driver Download Manager' or click 'My Downloads' to continue downloading. Driver Genius allows you to resume interrupted transfers, you needn't download the file over again.
3.9 Hide driver update
In our previous version Driver Genius Professional, if you have installed the latest drivers for a device but this driver will still appears in the update list. This problem is caused by those big driver packages. The driver package contains multiple device drivers. Driver Genius determines whether the drivers should be updated or not by comparing the driver date and driver version in our current drivers database. But, there is more than one driver in some big driver installation package released by the hardware manufacturers. For example, Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility and VIA Hyperion Pro Driver include AGP controller, IDE controller and USB controller driver and so on. In this situation, Driver Genius is unable to determine whether the drivers are installed correctly or not.

To prevent downloading repeatedly, we hide those drivers after users install them by choosing 'install' button in Drivers Download Manager. The program won't prompt to update those drivers until their newer version one released. Of course you can also restore them manually at anytime by click 'Tools' menu and select 'Restore Hidden Driver Updates' option.

3.10 Uninstall Drivers
Driver Genius can help you to uninstall drivers easily.
1> Click 'Uninstall Drivers' icon, the program will search for all installed drivers in the system.

Loaded drivers
the drivers that have been loaded by the system and are working properly.
Stopped Drivers
Drivers that have been stopped by the system. Drivers are not automatically uninstalled just by removing the device. These leftover drivers will stay in your system and slow down the system performance.
Invalid Drivers
Drivers that have not been installed correctly. You should uninstall them first, then install the correct drivers.
2> Select the drivers you want to uninstall and click 'next' to uninstall them.
ATTENTION: Never uninstall IDE Controller drivers or System device drivers. That will cause your system crash.
3.11 Tool
3.11.1 Unlock Auto-Installer limitation
If you have the Auto-Installer which is created by a free trial version of Driver Genius, you can only restore drivers for video card and network card. Use this tool to remove this limitation.
Click 'Tools' menu -> 'Unlock Auto-Installer Limitation' and press the 'Browse' button to locate the Auto-Installer, then click 'Next' to unlock your file.

3.11.2 Driver Download Manager/My Downloads
Driver Download Manager helps you to easily manage download missions and install drivers. We strongly suggest users should install drivers by it. Click 'My Downloads' icon on the home screen of program or ‘Driver Download Manager’ option in Tool menu.
Select the driver and click 'Download' button or double click the driver name to download it. After downloading, Select the driver and click 'Install' button or double click the driver name to install it. Driver Genius will prompt to backup current drivers before install new drivers. We suggest users to do that to prevent any risk.

3.11.3 Restore Hidden Driver Updates
Hidden driver updates are the drivers which you've asked Driver Genius not to notify to update. After restoring them, you can update them again

Select the driver name that you want to restore to update, and then click 'Restore' button.
3.11.4 Device Diagnostics
Device Diagnostics helps you locate the device that does not work properly or efficiently. Click 'Tools' menu ---> 'Device Diagnostics', The program will search and list all devices in your system. Right click the device you will see the submenu below.

Disable
Stop the device.
Enable
Enable a device that is currently in disabled status.
Uninstall
Remove the device from the system.
Scan for hardware changes
Scan for hardware changes to update the device list.
Save all information
save the hardware information to a text file. This feature can help you to send hardware information to our support teams to resolve your computer related issues.
Properties
Display the properties of the device.

3.12 Options
3.12.1 General

Language
Change user interface languages.

Minimize main window to system tray
Minimize main window to system tray, you can restore it by click the program icon on the system tray.
Check for new driver database
Live Update program will start automatically when the program starts. It will check for most recent driver database.
Show Splash Screen
Displays Splash Screen when program starts.
Show Daily Tips
Displays Daily Tips when program starts.
3.12.2 Backup

Backup Type
Default - Backup the drivers to a specified folder.
Backup the drivers to ZIP compressed file - Backup your drivers, and compress them to a ZIP file.
Backup the drivers to EXE self-decompressed file - Back up your drivers, and compress them to a self-extracting file.
Backup the drivers to an EXE auto-installer package - Back up your drivers and create an auto-installer that can run independently.
Split to volumes
Fill in the size of every split volume.
Compression
None - No compression.
Low - Fastest Compression speed, but the compression ratio is the smallest.
Normal - Standard ZIP compress ratio (recommended).
Maximum - The biggest compression ratio, but compression speed is slow.
3.12.3 Restore

Show alert message when I start Restore drivers
Displays warning message before driver restoration begins to avoid incorrect operations.
Show alert message if the driver is not compatible
Shows alert message if the driver is not compatible. This is done to avoid incorrect driver installation which can cause a system crash.
Prompt
Program prompt to reboot after restoration is complete.
Reboot computer
reboots after restoration is complete without prompting.
3.12.4 Update

Drivers Download Site
Select a download server to download drivers.
Download Folder
All downloaded drivers will be saved to this folder
3.12.5 Download

Internet Connection
Use Internet Options Settings - Connect internet with Windows Internet Options settings. You can change the settings in Windows Control Panel -> Internet Options.
Use proxy server - Connect internet with proxy server.
Time Out
Connect time out - Time of connect time out, default value is 30 seconds.
Connect retry delay - Time of connect retry delay if connect fails, default value is 60 seconds.
Connect retry count - Counts of connect retry if connect fails, default value: 3.
3.12.6 Security

For safe restoration, specify an antivirus program to scan drivers after backing them up.
Virus scanner name
Name of virus scanner executable file. You need to press the "Browse..." button and locate a virus scanner .exe file which will be used by Driver Genius to scan drivers files.
Virus scanner parameters
Parameters passed to virus scanner. Usually virus scanners require only one parameter - the name of the folder or file. For example, if the parameters of the Norton Antivirus is "*.* /s", you should be able to place "/s" string in the Parameters textbox. Some antivirus software may require additional options, which can be found in their help documentation.
Some of the virus scanners and parameters

Antivirus Software	Version	Filename	Parameters
McAfee Virus Scan	4.x - 7.x	SCAN32.EXE	%d /autoscan /nosplash
Norton Antivirus	5.x - 10.x	NAVW32.EXE or N32SCANW.EXE	. /s
Kaspersky Anti-Virus	3.x - 4.x	AVP32.EXE	%d /s

Chapter Four Frequently Asked Questions
4.1 How to activate your program
1. Click 'Help' menu -> 'Enter Code...'
2. Enter your license code in the registration form.

The registration code is "xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx-xxxxxx- xxxxxx ".Please keep in mind that registration code are case-sensitive, you'd better copy the registration information then paste them to the registration form.
4.2 How to install new drivers to your computer
If you don't know how to install drivers, please consult the steps below.
We strongly suggest users should install drivers by Driver Genius Professional.
Click 'My Downloads' icon on the home screen of program. Select the driver and click 'install' button or double click the driver name to install it. Driver Genius will prompt to backup current drivers before install new drivers. We suggest users to do that to prevent any risk.

Attention: There is no setup program in some drivers, you must install those drivers manually. Windows will always ask user to reboot machine after installing an new driver.In fact you can wait to reboot until all drivers are installed completely.

Click 'Install' button, drivers will be extracted to the path:document\DriverGenius\Temp\driver name

Windows 2000 & Windows XP
C:\Documents and Settings\current account\My Documents\DriverGenius\Temp\driver name

Windows Vista & Windows 7
C:\Users\current account\Documents\DriverGenius\Temp\driver name

For example: Realtek RTL 8136/8168/819 series network card drivers. After click 'Install' butto in Driver Download Manager, Driver Genius will extract the zip file to C:\Users\Administrator\Documents\DriverGenius\Temp\realtek_rtl8100e_6218_vista.

Find the setup executable file, double click it to install

There is no setup program in some drivers, you must install those drivers manually
For example: Broadcom 57xx series network controller drivers. The folder that it has been extracted to does not contain a setup executable file, therefore, you must install it manually.

1. Right click 'My computer' icon on desktop. Select 'Properties'.

2. Go to the 'tasks' bar and click the 'Device manager'.

3. Find and double-click the network controller.

4. Click 'Update drivers' button to open 'Hardware Update' Wizard.

6. Click 'Browse' button to select the folder that the extracting drivers file is in. Click next button. Windows will automatically find a suitable drivers file to install.

4.3 Driver Genius does not boot up properly.
If you are using Windows 2000 or XP or Vista, please check that you are running in Administrator account.

4.4 How can I get back my license code if I lost it?
Please send your order ID to sales@driver-soft.com, we will send you an new code. If your order ID is lost either, please tell me your verdor information and your name, email address that used to register etc. We'll send you an new code after checking order record according these information you offer.

4.5 How can I upgrade to the latest version program? I've bought previous version Driver Genius.
It is free to upgrade for the first one year. We will send you the new code when releasing an new version program. Attention: If you changed email address, please send email to sales@driver-soft.com to notice us. We'll renew your order record.
If you've used Driver Genius Professional for more than one year, please send your order id or the old registration code to sales@driver-soft.com, we'll give you a link to purchase the new version program. You can get 30% or even higher percent discount.

4.6 My license code is invalid, why?
Please notice that your license code must match with program version. For example: the license code of Version 7.x can't be used on version 9.x Driver Genius. To check the version of current program used, click 'help' menu and choose 'about'. Please keep in mind that the license code are case-sensitive, you'd better copy the license information then paste them to the registration form just in case.

4.7 What systems can Driver Genius work on?
Driver Genius can works on Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista/XP x64/Server 2003 x64/Vista x64/Windows 7/Windows7 X64/Windows Server 2008/ Windows Server 2008 X64. Driver Genius doesn't support Windows 95/NT, Macintosh, Unix or Linux.

4.8 Why Driver Genius can't boot up properly?
There could be several reasons for this, We suggest
1. Before installing Driver Genius, please uninstall the old version one first.
2. If your OS is Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista, please make sure that you have administrator right.

Pop up 'Windows installer' message box when running Driver Genius.
this problem is caused by impact between Microsoft common component and Windows installer. Please download Windows Installer Cleanup Utility at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301/en-us to solve this problem. This problem has been fixed since version 9 program.

4.9 I have backed up drivers on Windows 98; can I restore them on Windows XP?
Unfortunately you can't. Although there are some drivers that can both work fine on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, most drives can not work on different operating systems.

4.10 When I restore drivers on Windows 98, Windows prompts me to insert the installation CD.
It's not a problem. When OS install some driver, it will also install some other system components. For example, TCP/IP protocol will be used when installing driver for a network card, and it will install Volume Control when installing a sound card. When you get the prompting message, all you should do is to insert the installation CD for Windows 98 and operate according to the tips appeared in the installation procedure. We suggest you should keep the Windows 98 installation CD in the CD-ROM when you restore drivers under Windows 98.

4.11 I have backed up my drivers to an EXE Auto-Installer on Windows Vista, why I can't execute it?
You must run it as administrator. Please right click the EXE Auto-Installer, choose 'run as administrator'.

4.12 Windows has already installed a driver for my hardware, should I need update it?
Drivers provided by Windows can only offer basic device performance. To get optimal performance, you must install the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer. The most important thing to note is that the drivers provided by Windows do not contain a control panel for hardware configuration. For example, if you don't install the latest drivers provided by the manufacturer for video cards, you cannot configure the OpenGL and Direct3D options for the video card. This can noticeably lower the quality and FPS of 3D images in games. Similarly with the sound card, Windows drivers cannot offer EAX sound effects, 3D sound effects, or Dolby multi-channel surround stereo. So installing a suitable driver will enhance the full performance of device.

4.13 I have downloaded and installed the most recent version drivers provided by Driver Genius all, but the program still prompted me to update drivers.
In our previous version Driver Genius Professional, if you have installed the latest drivers for a device but this driver will still appears in the update list. This problem is caused by those big driver package. The driver package contains multiple device drivers. Driver Genius determines whether the drivers should be updated or not by comparing the driver date and driver version in our current drivers database. But, there are more than one driver in some big driver installation package released by the hardware manufacturers. For example, Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility and VIA Hyperion Pro Driver include AGP controller, IDE controller and USB controller driver and so on. In this situation, Driver Genius is unable to determine whether the drivers are installed correctly or not.

To prevent downloading repeatedly, We hide those drivers after users install them by choosing 'install' button in Drivers Download Manager. The program won't prompt to update those drivers until their newer version one released. Of course you can also restore them manually at anytime by click 'Tools' menu and select 'Restore Hidden Driver Updates' option.

4.14 I can't download driver update.
1. Please change your firewall settings to ensure Driver Genius Professional can access internet correctly if you have firewall software installed.
2 Download server may be busy. Please use another download site and try again. Click on 'Options' icon ----> click on 'update' tab ----> Choose 'Download site 2' or other mirror server. Click 'OK' to save settings and download drivers again.

4.15 I've shut down Driver Genius before downloading drivers completely. How can I resume the unfinished download mission?
Click 'Tools' icon then choose 'Drivers download manager' or click the ‘My Downloads’ icon to enter Driver Download Manager to manage download missions.

4.16 Driver Genius prompt that there are 8 devices drivers need updating, only 4 drivers left in download list after choosing them all to update. Why?
Because some driver packages contain multiple device drivers such as motherboard driver, it contains AGP controller driver, USB controller driver and IDE/RAID controller driver. So the drivers packages you download contain all drivers you need.

4.17 Prompting driver file is damaged when opening it.
Please make sure that your drivers have been downloaded completely. You can click 'Tools' icon then choose 'Drivers download manager' to check download progress. The completely downloading drivers will be marked a 'green check' in Drivers Download Manager. If not please choose the unfinished driver and press 'download' button to continue.

Chapter five Contact and Support
Before contacting us with your support questions, please review our FAQ in Chapter three. Any questions will be processed within 12 hours during the working days.
Order/Registration/Software Upgrade Questions
Please contact sales@driver-soft.com
Technology Questions
Please contact support@driver-soft.com
Any Suggestions or other Questions
Please contact webmaster@driver-soft.com