For a long time, reinstalling or updating drivers for many inexperienced users turned into a real headache. And the main problem was not so much in installing them, but in finding a new or correct version.
The fact is that the components that make up the system unit may belong to different manufacturers, and it is not always possible to determine the brand using special ones.
Well, do not open the system unit just to find out the brand of the manufacturer of a particular device. Fortunately, there are programs that allow you to reinstall or update drivers in a fully automatic mode and without any additional knowledge or experience.
In this review, we will look at five of the most well-known driver update programs.
Driver Genius Professional Edition Driver Updater
Of the additional features of Driver Checker, the export function can be noted. This unusual tool is designed to update drivers from any computer with Internet access. At the same time, Driver Checker creates a special html file, opening which in the browser, the user will be taken to a page where all the drivers marked by the program can be downloaded separately.
Driver Updater - Driver Magician
An alternative solution for finding and updating drivers can be the Driver Magician program from the developers of GoldSolution Software.
The program is easy to use and has a lightweight, minimalist interface. In addition to the commercial version, the cost of which is $29.95, there is a lite version with reduced functionality, distributed completely free of charge.
Unfortunately, with the free version, you can only back up and restore the drivers that are already installed on the system. Update Tools includes only the commercial version.
The algorithm of Driver Magician is somewhat different from the above applications. You should start working with this program by updating the database, after which you must create a backup copy of all detected drivers. If the program has displayed a list of drivers not supplied by Microsoft (they are marked in red), then before backing up, select the “Find all drivers” item in the main menu.
By default, Driver Magician copies drivers to a separate folder as separate files, but if desired, the user can specify a different type of backup in the settings. Driver Magician supports the creation of a zip archive, a self-extracting exe archive, and an auto-installation executable file.
After scanning the system, Driver Magician will display a list of drivers available for updating, indicating the version, class (type), device, release date and vendor information.
A distinctive feature, or rather a disadvantage of Driver Magician, is the lack of an automatic update function, which means that each driver has to be downloaded manually.
However, that's not all. The program does not detect many outdated drivers, although new versions have long appeared on the manufacturer's website.
The absence of the Russian language in the official version and the relatively high price with such weak functionality hardly speak in favor of this application. The conclusion suggests itself - Driver Magician is significantly inferior to the Driver Checker and Driver Genius programs and can only be used as an additional tool.
Driver finder - DriverMax
If the price of the applications discussed above does not suit you, or you prefer to use free software, we recommend that you pay attention to the program. This simple utility is designed primarily for reinstalling drivers, but can just as well be used to detect outdated and download the latest versions.
Russian language in the program, unfortunately, is missing. But DriverMax is free, though to work with it you will need to register on the developer's website.
You can create an account right in the program window by specifying the email address, login and user password. The email should be real, as it will receive a letter asking you to confirm the registration.
After that, you can use the program without any problems. According to the algorithm of work, DriverMax is somewhat reminiscent of Driver Magician. Before updating, you need to make a backup copy of all or selected drivers, saving each of them in a separate folder or by packing them into a single zip archive. After that, you can start analyzing and actually downloading new versions for the devices detected by the program.
It is interesting that DriverMax performs primary analysis (indexing) of the drivers installed in the system during its own installation. You can also check the system for outdated ones every time you start the program.
DriverMax divides all detected drivers into two categories: correct and requiring updates, and in addition, the program can tell you which device drivers are not available at all. From the report provided by DriverMax, you can find out the version, date of creation, the number of required files and information about the developer. Like Driver Magician, DriverMax lacks the automatic driver installation feature. After clicking the “Download” button, the program redirects the user to its “home” site, from where all the necessary drivers can be downloaded manually.
The disadvantages are all in sight - the lack of the Russian language, trust from users, automatic updates, an inconvenient interface ... On a five-point scale, the program does not pull more than a C grade.
Driver Update Program – DriverPack Solution
And last on our list is a wonderful software product called DriverPack Solution. This well-known application combines functionality, security, high performance and ease of use in the best possible way. At the same time, DriverPack Solution is completely free, does not require installation and can be run from any portable media.
Unlike the applications discussed above, DriverPack Solution does not use an Internet connection - once you download the program, which includes a huge number of drivers for different devices, you can use it whenever you want.
The DriverPack Solution package includes drivers for Windows XP, Vista, 7 operating systems of both bit sizes, as well as a number of free programs. On the manufacturer's website, the program can be downloaded from a torrent, which is very convenient, since it allows the user to independently choose which driver packages to download.
To start working with the program, run the DriverPack Solution.exe file. The program will scan the system and, upon completion of the scan, will display a list of obsolete as well as missing ones and offer to update (install) them. At the same time, you can take advantage of the additional features of the package - install the software included in DriverPack Solution, update, test RAM, etc.
DriverPack Solution supports two modes of operation: simple, when the program performs all operations by itself, without any user intervention, and advanced (expert mode). Working in expert mode, the user can independently decide which drivers need to be updated and which do not. In the new, twelfth version, the developers have finally implemented the function of creating backups. Moreover, it is possible to create backups of two types: from the current database of the program and from drivers already installed in the system.
One wonders why this much-needed feature was not implemented sooner, because even such a smart program as DriverPack Solution cannot provide a 100% guarantee that all updated drivers will work correctly.
This list could go on and on, but does it make sense? You can find a couple of dozen more similar, but less well-known programs on the net. Why lesser known? Perhaps because in fact they are not so good already and for this reason they have not received user recognition. And this is a very important criterion when choosing any software, regardless of what task it was created for. If you follow them, you can't go wrong. And in the end, perhaps it is worth saying a few more words.
Programs for updating drivers, of course, are a thing, but still you should not get too carried away searching and installing the latest versions of drivers. If your system works stably and without errors, do not rush to update the drivers, and even more so to experiment with them - otherwise it may end up not at all what you should expect.