Driver folders in Windows

Hey AlphaOmega111,

I'm an Independent Advisor here to help.

C:\WINDOWS\inf contains driver installation files stored in the *.inf format, and System32\drivers contains *.sys files that are actually device driver files, used for different devices on your computer. DriverStore, my theory being, is that they are all *.inf files that are used for the Add Hardware menu, not entirely sure but they all contain those files and it forms a repository of sorts in the event that you need to install a driver.

Hope this helps.

Hi AO. I'm Greg, an installation specialist, 9 year Windows MVP and Independent Advisor, here to help you.

Whats most important is to always focus on updating the newest drivers from the PC or motherboard maker's Support Downloads webpage for your exact model. These will almost always be newer and therefore perform better than older drivers stored onboard, which are mainly provided to let a device Plug N Play or get itself installed.

One of the most important maintenance tasks we need to perform is to check all available drivers and BIOS/UEFI firmware to compare if newer than the ones presently installed in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start button. If so download and install those too.

While there check for the latest Chipset, BIOS, Sound, Network, USB3, Bluetooth and all other drivers to compare with the version/date installled for that device in Device Manager reached by right clicking the Start Menu.

I hope this helps. Feel free to ask back any questions and let us know how it goes. I will keep working with you until it's resolved.

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The INF folder contains setup information for the Windows Installer. The files there will allow the uninstall of software and drivers you've installed. I can't find a good answer for the differences between the other two folders, other that to say that since Windows 7, DriverStore is the default location for hardware drivers. However, the Drivers folder also contains drivers, perhaps for legacy compatibility. I'm not sure about that.