Software to connect individual device hardware

Question

Say I buy a device that plugs into my computer via USB, but doesn't come with driver software. The driver software is on a website that has been down for three years and no longer exists on the internet.

Someone I know has the driver software, but cannot access it without the device plugged in, for they no longer have it in their possession, and this person also lives at the other end of the state. Is it possible that, using an existing application, I may plug in the device, and the software connects it to the other persons computer as if it were plugged in to their computer? I'm not looking for high speed or anything fancy. anything that accomplishes this purpose will help.

More specifically, the device is an X-Box 360 PC Wireless Gaming Receiver (it syncs X-Box 360 controllers to my computer) and the driver software is on a site that is on a website that has been down for three years.

Finally, I ask, is there software that connects separate wired hardware the same as connecting it directly?

Answer 1

You may be able to accomplish your goal with a program to run on the distant computer. Generically, you'll seek a driver backup program. Running this on the remote machine will allow the user to identify and extract the driver files. A caution to consider is that the remote computer should be running the same version of the operating system as the local destination computer.

driver backup software link

The above link will take you to a site which provides five suggested programs, in order of the site owner's recommendation. The first appears promising, as it provides device identification, eliminating the need to guess which block of drivers are the correct ones.

It's possible that a driver for one OS will work with a different OS, so a disparity there may not be a show-stopper.

Caution is also recommended when selecting the appropriate program. My experience is that malware and scam-ware often accompany what might otherwise be a legitimate program, or simply the 'ware pretends to be the program you seek.