Recovery Drive Not Loading Drivers Once Booted in Swift SF14-11T

I was able to make a recovery drive of my Acer Swift SF14-11T and a Windows update caused me to lose some drivers for my webcam, audio and battery.

I run the restore after booting from the recovery USB and it booted into Windows normally, once into Windows it still doesn't have any of the above devices working. I did the Windows Update and it installed one of the 2 updates listed for Acer, but it refuses to install the Acer - System Hardware Update 26/5/2025.

I have been to the website and put my serial in and in brings me a list of all the Arm64 drivers, but I have had zero success in installing them. Without having to send it back to Acer, is there a way to install the drivers, or get the Windows update drivers to install?

I am about to return this as this is the 2nd unit that has had the same issue and I have been using Windows since Win 95 and have never been unable to install drivers. I read that there may be some drivers on the Qualcomm Dev Portal, but cannot find specific drivers for my laptop.

I am hoping someone can help me!

[Edited the thread to add model number to the title]

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Puraw

Hi @Mattycee ,

You mentioned already restoring Windows via USB, but this newer Windows Update–based In‑place Recovery works differently and is worth trying before sending the unit back.It reinstalls the current Windows build directly from Microsoft’s servers, refreshing system files and update components while keeping your files, apps, and settings. This can often resolve stubborn driver detection issues.

Steps:

Sign in with an administrator account, connect to the internet, and ensure at least 20 GB free on C:.
Press Win + I → System → Recovery.
Under Fix problems using Windows Update, select Reinstall now.
Follow the prompts, let it complete the download/reinstall, then restart.

If the missing webcam, audio, or battery devices are due to damaged system components or blocked update channels, this process can restore their installation paths without needing external media.

For Microsoft’s official walk‑through, see: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/fix-issues-by-reinstalling-the-current-version-of-windows-497ac6da-7cac-4641-82a5-f50398d879a0

Mattycee

I had already done that and it still won't install the drivers when it reboots.

Any other pointers at all? I have never had such a painful experience in all my life with a Laptop.

Puraw

Hi @Mattycee ,

If the Windows Update–based In‑place Recovery truly didn’t resolve the driver issues, the next step would be a Clean Install of Windows 11 using an official Microsoft ISO.This will completely remove existing system files, apps, and settings, giving you a fresh OS environment that can often clear stubborn driver or update faults.

Steps:

Back up all personal files — this process will erase everything on C:.
On another PC, download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft’s site using the Media Creation Tool.
Use the tool to create a bootable USB (8 GB or larger).
Insert the USB into your Swift, power on, and press the boot‑menu key (usually F12) to start from USB.
Choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced), delete all partitions on the system drive, then select the unallocated space and click Next.
Follow the prompts to complete installation, then run Windows Update to pull in the latest drivers.

If you’d rather not go through a full reinstall, you can close this thread here — but a clean install is the most thorough software‑side fix before considering hardware return.

Mattycee

I cannot get the ISO to boot from recovery. I did an inplace update that deleted everything, but did not give me the option to delete partitions like booting from USB would.

Any idea how I can get a USB to boot the install. Everytime I try it, it gives me a secure boot error.

lukas123234

Hey, I totally get your frustration driver issues after a Windows update can be a nightmare, especially when it breaks basic things like audio, webcam, and battery status. It sounds like you're dealing with the ARM-based version of Windows, which definitely limits driver availability. Since you're getting ARM64 drivers from Acer's site with no success, it might be worth manually forcing the driver install via Device Manager (right-click > Update driver > Browse my computer > Let me pick).

For the Acer System Hardware Update that refuses to install, try using Microsoft's Update Catalog site to download and install it manually. Sometimes Windows Update doesn't play nice with OEM hardware updates, especially on ARM.

Also, check Acer’s forums or Reddit some users may have direct links or modded drivers that worked for them. As for the Qualcomm Dev Portal, it's tricky unless you know the exact chipset model. You might be able to identify the components via Device Manager > Properties > Hardware IDs.

As odd as it sounds, tracking down ARM drivers can feel like hunting for rare Nintendo ROMs some are just plain hard to find and in weird corners of the internet. But don’t give up yet! If this is your second unit with the same issue, it could be a broader compatibility problem with that model.

If Acer support isn’t helping, consider escalating or requesting a different model. Hope this helps—and good luck getting your Swift back to “Swift” again!

Mattycee

Thanks for the answer. I am sending off to Acer today to get it fixed today.

I have since found out the issue was caused by the company I bought it from using a recovery USB from a slightly different model (The non touchscreen version of my laptop - same specs apart from that)

I can actually now restore from the recovery USB, but cannot install Windows over the top or do any other troubleshooting as the will stop the drivers from working, hence me sending it back.

To be able to simply reset the device or install Windows over the top is something I need to be able to do, so will get the correct image on return from Acer with all things being equal!

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