When Windows Safe Mode, System Restore and even the Recovery Console can't help get your troublesome PC working again, then there's probably only one alternative: reinstalling Windows from scratch. But that takes more than just your Windows CD. You'll also need the drivers for all your hardware, either the original discs or downloaded versions (if you've upgraded them). Locating those could be a hassle at the best of times, but if your PC is faulty then it's going to be a nightmare. Unless you've thought ahead, that is, and installed a copy of Driver Genius.

The program couldn't be much easier to use. It starts by detecting all your third-party drivers (the ones that don't come with Windows), and displaying them in a tree form. You can then choose which ones to back up (or check your PC name to select everything). Finally, click "Start Backup", specify a file name, and your chosen drivers will be saved, no further intervention required.

The default action is to back up your drivers to a specified folder. That works fine in most situations -- just point Windows Setup at that folder to install whatever driver you need -- but may take a sizeable chunk of disk space. If you'd like to be a little neater, then Driver Genius can also compress your drivers into a ZIP file, or a self-extracting executable file. There's even the option to create an "auto installer" file, which displays the drivers it contains, and lets you choose exactly which ones you'd like to install.

Note that this download offer will be taken offline on or around the 28th of November 2006. Ignore the 'time limited demo' reference on this page. To turn your Driver Genius Professional 5 download in to a full application, head to www.bluesquad.co.uk/vnu/drivergenius/register to get your serial code.

UPGRADE OFFER - upgrade to Driver Genius Professional 2006

The latest version of Driver Genius includes an improved driver update function, supporting more hardware. Driver backup can be automated through the command line, the driver database now supports more than 30,000 devices, and a range of functions have been optimised for speed. It'll be easier and quicker to locate drivers online and download them, too.

While the normal retail price is £16.96 for these benefits, you qualify for a special £5 discount, just by entering the promotional code BSQ-DRIVER when ordering Driver Genius Professional Edition 2006 at the BlueSquad site. Visit
www.bluesquad.co.uk/vnu/drivergenius/offer to find out more.