DriverMax "please specify a directory" I did!!

I'm attempting to use DriverMax to import drivers to a fresh installation of Windows XP. (aka what the program is for)

In the Import wizard, when I get to the "select directory" box, I select the directory the driver files are in, and then I click OK. The box goes away, then I press enter. Then the "select directory" "please specify a directory" box comes back up. This program is supposed to be easy and take 3-5 minutes to use. What could be going on here?

 

I saved the drivers in the zip format onto a USB pen drive and then in the new installation I transferred the zip file to the desktop. Then I installed DriverMax and opened the import wizard. At the "select a directory" box I've tried selecting the zip file but it won't browse to it. (i.e. it doesn't recognize/see it -I guess?)

So I then tried unzipping the files onto the desktop and then putting them in a folder. In the "select a directory" box I can highlight the folder, and the filepath shows up in the filepath bar. Then I click ok, and the box goes away (as if it worked). Then I press enter to execute the import and the "select a directory" box comes back.

One thing is that I didn't use the default filepath/filename when saving the drivers from the old installation. Surely this wouldn't matter, right? You can name the zip file anything, right?

 

still unsolved-

 

Do your screens follow this guide? Do you have the option of browsing to the Zip file for import.

***
Another question: In the unzipped files/folder is each driver in its own folder?

 

After looking at the tutorial's screenshots, I see that on my computer, part of the wizard's screen is not showing. Namely the bottom. So I can't see whether or not the Next button is highlighted when I press enter.

I'm in absolute lowest resolution until I get the video drivers installed. Is there a keyboard key to highlight the Next button?

 

That problem was mention in the comments on one of the sites I was looking at but it didn't give a workaround, just said it was annoying.

It looks from the screen shots that the Next button should be automatically highlighted. But you said hitting enter doesn't work. TAB would move from one button to the other but I'm not sure if the other two options (Back and Close) would be taking you to the choose directory box. (Maybe back is doing it so one TAB might move you to Next)

****
In your unzipped driver folder can you locate your Video driver well enough to figure out what the make model of it is? In the folder do you see a .inf file? If so you could manually install the video driver.

 

sach2, I appreciate your suggestions. I tried every combination of tab, enter, arrow keys, alt, ... but no results.

I looked in the Display folder. There is one folder named: pci ven_8086&dev_2562

Inside the folder there are many files. I didn't see any ini file. I googled the above "pci ven.." number but I couldn't find anything I'm at all sure about.

The computer is Sony Vaio. The sticker on the front says PCV-RS312, the sticker on the back says PCV-2222. Before I formated the drive, I looked at the Sony system info and it said the computer is a PCV-RS312 (UC). I went to the Sony website, and the video drivers for the RS312 were for intel865. I was thinking the chipset was in the i845 family. All this is a big pain, which is why I was trying to use DriverMax.

You need video drivers to be able to see the DriverMax wizard, so you can install the video drivers! Great planning. Its like when you download 7zip and its in a zipped format. If you could unzip the file, you wouldn't need the program!

 

Been there done that on the download 7zip and it is in zip format. Haha!

I think your good on getting the download from Sony. it says "Intel® 82845G/82865G Graphics Controller Driver".

It is an install-shield installer so just an executable (double-click and follow prompts). It will get you able to see the DriverMax screen and you can then just let D/M reinstall the video driver you have saved along with the other drivers.

*********
In the display folder the file would be .inf (with an "f") || but the exe from the Sony site is easier.

 

I downloaded and installed the Sony video driver and got the resolution to normal.

Then I ran DriverMax. It turns out you have to hit tab 3 times and then enter.

I imported the zipped file and it looked like it was going to work, but then it gave me an error message "file not found" for every driver. I hit ok a hundred times to get through them all and it finished and no drivers were installed.

I'm thinking of just doing it the old fashioned way. Is there another program that will find the necessary drivers? DriveMax has exceeded its advertised 5 minutes that its supposed to take to use it.

 

I don't know much about DriverMax or how it stores drivers.and it seems to be beyond active development and unsupported at this point.

I'd stick with the Sony site and get just the ones you need. Look in Device Manager and see what has a yellow exclamation or question mark. Do get the motherboard/chipset drivers. You'll probably want audio, ethernet, wireless. Maybe the keyboard fix but that might only be needed if you used the original CD or recovery partition that came with the computer for your re-install.

If you go to Windows update after installing the drivers it might prompt you if something is out of date and offer a download. Probably only for Intel chipset and video drivers. You can get an update directly at Intel or see what Windows Update says.

 

When I go to the Sony support drivers page for the PCV-RS312:

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/swu-list.pl?mdl=PCV-RS312&region_id=1

It shows "Original - Intel® i865 Chipset Driver" for the motherboard driver. I used Everest and it lists the chipset as i845. Only one of these can be correct. Should I just skip the motherboard drivers, fix the yellow exclamation mark devices and move on? This computer is for a friend of a friend, so I'm not really worried about providing top performance.

 

My guess is Windows installed the chipset driver. You can just skip it or when you get the PC online you could go to Intel and use the scan and automatically find updates function. http://www.intel.com/support/detect.htm

Your friend is only going to care about having video, internet and sound so getting rid of yellow signs in Device Manager is probably enough. If an older driver works--it works. In most cases that is fine.

 

Thanks so much for your help sach2!

I got the audio and modem drivers from Sony, and then used the updated ethernet driver suggested by Windows updates.

Have you tried "driver collector" or an equivalent program? I think I'm done with DriverMax.