Task: transfer existing installed printer drivers from one computer to another, or make a backup copy of these drivers in order to restore them later on a freshly installed OS.
This task arises, for example, when reconnecting a printer to a different computer or when reinstalling the system.
Note. It should be noted that only the current drivers are transported. This means you should not try to transfer drivers between computers with different OSes (including between 32-bit and 64-bit OSes).
Note. These methods (the standard ones offered by M$ themselves) export and import only ALL drivers, i.e. you cannot transfer the driver for just one specific printer.
Windows XP/2003To perform this operation on Windows XP/2003, you need to download the free Microsoft printer migration utility.
The utility works without installation - it's enough to run the exe file.
Note. On Vista/7/2008 the file must be run with local administrator rights! Otherwise the program will close immediately after launching.
In the window that opens, click "Actions" and "Backup". Specify the file in which to save the information about this print server (including the drivers).
On the target computer, open the same program, click "Actions" and select "Restore". Again specify this same file - and the drivers will be imported.
Windows Vista/7/2008In Windows Vista and Windows 7, as well as the 2008 and 2008R2 versions based on them, a built-in tool has been added for performing this operation.
1) Go to "Control Panel", and from there to "Administrative Tools".
2) Launch the "Print Management" snap-in.
3) Expand the "Print Servers" section.
4) Right-click the server you need (most likely there will only be one - the local one) and select "Export Printers to a File".
5) Specify the file to which to dump the information about this print server. Among other things, the drivers of all installed printers will be dumped.
6) Copy this file to the target computer.
7) Perform steps 1 through 3 on the target computer, then perform step 4, except choose "Import..." instead of "Export...".
Windows Vista/7/2008 from the command lineIt's also possible to do this from the command line. Here is an example of how to do it (run the command line on the target computer and with local administrator rights):
C:\> CD %WINDIR%\System32\Spool\Tools
C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Tools\> Printbrm -s \\<source_computer_name> -b -f <file_name>.printerExport
This way we get the needed backup file from the remote computer. Now let's import it on the current machine:
C:\Windows\System32\Spool\Tools\> Printbrm -r -f <file_name>.printerExport
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