Updating drivers for free

daisydeedaisydee Posts: 39,393
Forum Member
I have 11 drivers that apparently need updating, although I haven't noticed any problems. I thought Dell might update them for free, but after scanning my computer, found I had to purchase Drivers Tools to continue with updating. Years ago, I could update & download drivers for free, anyone know if this is still possible?
«134

Comments

  • gomezzgomezz Posts: 44,505
    Forum Member
    How do you know they need updating?
  • whoever,heywhoever,hey Posts: 30,992
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Driver updates are still free yes. If you are being asked to pay then you have malware on your PC!
  • max99max99 Posts: 9,002
    Forum Member
    Get rid of the dodgy software that is telling you that you need to pay to upgrade. Then go to the Dell website, enter your Service Tag number and you'll have a list of available - and free - driver updates.

    Be aware that you don't have to update drivers just because they are available.
  • Helmut10Helmut10 Posts: 2,431
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    You are basically being conned in to purchasing unnecesary software. Psychological pressure.

    Such software can always find 'drivers that need updating' which is why they try it on. Such software can, and does, identify hardware wrongly, thus possible to install a wrong driver.

    Don't pay anything, they're ripping you off.

    You rarely, if ever, need to update drivers for old Hardware.
    Drivers are free from the PC manufacturer Dell, or Hardware manufacturers if you have added a new piece of Hardware.
  • daisydeedaisydee Posts: 39,393
    Forum Member
    Thanks all for your replies. Yep, there's always some site or other trying it on, I've become very wary. I've got Norton 360 as security etc, been with them for years and happy with them, but it was after checking out my computer manually, using Norton, that it led me to a further check up page which checked all the drivers on the laptop and came up with 3 drivers that needed updating and I was asked to pay for them to be upgraded

    Intel (R) graphic media excelerator HD update
    Display Audio
    Redtek HD Audio

    I tried getting on to the Dell site but ended up once again being asked to 'register' ie pay, for updating the drivers after it had scanned my computer and it came up with the 11 outdated drivers.
    I then tried 'Driver Tool', that I'd used years ago and had been free, and although it says 'Download driver for free', it isn't. :rolleyes:
    So thanks for your advice, I shan't proceed any further. :)
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    daisydee wrote: »
    Thanks all for your replies. Yep, there's always some site or other trying it on, I've become very wary. I've got Norton 360 as security etc, been with them for years and happy with them, but it was after checking out my computer manually, using Norton, that it led me to a further check up page which checked all the drivers on the laptop and came up with 3 drivers that needed updating and I was asked to pay for them to be upgraded

    Intel (R) graphic media excelerator HD update
    Display Audio
    Redtek HD Audio

    I tried getting on to the Dell site but ended up once again being asked to 'register' ie pay, for updating the drivers after it had scanned my computer and it came up with the 11 outdated drivers.
    I then tried 'Driver Tool', that I'd used years ago and had been free, and although it says 'Download driver for free', it isn't. :rolleyes:
    So thanks for your advice, I shan't proceed any further. :)
    It sounds like you might have some malware. Have you tried a scan with Malwarebytes (free edition!)?
  • max99max99 Posts: 9,002
    Forum Member
    daisydee wrote: »
    I tried getting on to the Dell site but ended up once again being asked to 'register' ie pay, for updating the drivers after it had scanned my computer and it came up with the 11 outdated drivers.

    You need to ensure that you're going to the actual Dell site and not one of the sites which show up in search engine results and 'sounds' like it is Dell. Once on a site, you also need to avoid any misleading 'Download Now' adverts which are designed to get you to click on them instead of the download link that you actually require.

    http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/drivershome/showproductselector
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    max99 wrote: »
    You need to ensure that you're going to the actual Dell site and not one of the sites which show up in search engine results and 'sounds' like it is Dell. Once on a site, you also need to avoid any misleading 'Download Now' adverts which are designed to get you to click on them instead of the download link that you actually require.

    http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/us/en/19/drivershome/showproductselector
    That's the US Dell website. The UK version is here

    http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/uk/en/19/drivershome/showproductselector

    Probably won't make a blind bit of difference, but you never know :)

    Anyway having used the Dell website for many years I have never ever seen any request for payment to download updates. Only time I have ever been asked for payment is when buying a new bit of kit.
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Just because you've been happily using Norton (or any AV for that matter) for years doesn't mean something nasty HASN'T sneaked onto your machine. In this case it certainly sounds like something has.
    Head out of the sand and get Malwarebytes on there and do a full scan, though I wouldn't be surprised if what you've got tries to stop you from getting Malwarebytes too...

    As others have said, Dell do not charge for downloading drivers, you just need the service tag off your machine. They used to have a registration system of some sort which enabled multiple, faster, downloads but even that was free.
  • evil cevil c Posts: 7,833
    Forum Member
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    ...and don't trust links on websites... :D

    (joking, evil c ;) Didn't you see the last thread on here when that was brought up?)
  • max99max99 Posts: 9,002
    Forum Member
    chrisjr wrote: »
    That's the US Dell website. The UK version is here

    http://www.dell.com/support/drivers/uk/en/19/drivershome/showproductselector

    Probably won't make a blind bit of difference, but you never know :)

    I obviously didn't follow my own advice about clicking on the right search result...
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    max99 wrote: »
    I obviously didn't follow my own advice about clicking on the right search result...
    Well there is only a single letter different between the two URLs so easy to miss. :)
  • daisydeedaisydee Posts: 39,393
    Forum Member
    evil c wrote: »

    I went through the whole process and guess what? Not free :( It cleared up about 50 problems but I have to purchase an upgrade to do the job properly.
  • MigsterMigster Posts: 4,204
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    daisydee wrote: »
    I went through the whole process and guess what? Not free :( It cleared up about 50 problems but I have to purchase an upgrade to do the job properly.

    Unless you want realt-time scanning and auto updates, there's no need to upgrade to the paid version. The free version is an on-demand scanner and will detect and remove any nasties on your system.
  • chrisjrchrisjr Posts: 33,282
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    daisydee wrote: »
    I went through the whole process and guess what? Not free :( It cleared up about 50 problems but I have to purchase an upgrade to do the job properly.
    What were you asked to pay for?

    Malwarebytes will never ask for payment to remove malware. In fact in all the time I have used it it has never once asked for payment for any reason.
  • LION8TIGERLION8TIGER Posts: 8,484
    Forum Member
    chrisjr wrote: »
    What were you asked to pay for?

    Malwarebytes will never ask for payment to remove malware. In fact in all the time I have used it it has never once asked for payment for any reason.

    Same here, maybe a trial version was downloaded instead of the free one.
    but I have to purchase an upgrade to do the job properly.

    Sales talk ?
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    daisydee wrote: »
    I went through the whole process and guess what? Not free :( It cleared up about 50 problems but I have to purchase an upgrade to do the job properly.

    You must learn to actually read the messages on the screen when you install stuff! :eek:

    Malwarebytes is free, but will ask if you want to install the trial of the paid version. Just untick the box!
  • ZenithZenith Posts: 3,868
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Stig wrote: »
    You must learn to actually read the messages on the screen when you install stuff! :eek:

    Malwarebytes is free, but will ask if you want to install the trial of the paid version. Just untick the box!
    Whether the box is ticked for the trial version or not, daisydee still shouldn't have got a message like that as she has only just installed it.

    The trial version (if selected) should last for 14 days. It's only after that time period you should start getting nagged!
  • ZenithZenith Posts: 3,868
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    daisydee wrote: »
    I went through the whole process and guess what? Not free :( It cleared up about 50 problems but I have to purchase an upgrade to do the job properly.
    Can you remember what the message actually said?
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Starting to sound like this thread now: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1844214
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    mred2000 wrote: »
    Starting to sound like this thread now: http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1844214

    Yes, it sounds like daisydee is clicking on the wrong 'download' link in the page.

    The Malwarebytes download link is here
    http://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes-Anti-Malware/3000-8022_4-10804572.html?part=dl-10804572&subj=dl&tag=button
  • curiousclivecuriousclive Posts: 378
    Forum Member
    In my opinion it is well worth paying for the upgrade so can have real time protection. Then you are less likely to be hit with same malware again.:cool:
  • daisydeedaisydee Posts: 39,393
    Forum Member
    Zenith wrote: »
    Can you remember what the message actually said?

    I went on wiki and this is what it says at the beginning:

    Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM) is an application for computers running under the Microsoft Windows operating system that finds and removes malware.[3] Made by Malwarebytes Corporation, it was first released in January 2008. It is available in a free version, which scans for and removes malware when started manually, and a paid version, which additionally provides scheduled scans, real-time protection and a flash memory scanner. Starting with version 1.75, MBAM scans files contained within archive files.

    I used the website www.malwarebytes.org shown in the right hand side bar.

    Whenever I open up my laptop, I am asked to purchase the full version which comes under the banner ARO2013 & SAMMSOFT. It advises of 1529 errors/tweaks to be rectified.
    I absolutley agree about reading websites carefully, it's something I always try to do, but one can so innocently be led down the path not intended. Anyway, I have now uninstalled the free version as it is doing nothing, I suspect I did click on the wrong download button :rolleyes: but being on what I thought to be the correct site, didn't expect a problem.
  • StigStig Posts: 12,446
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    daisydee wrote: »
    I used the website www.malwarebytes.org shown in the right hand side bar.

    Whenever I open up my laptop, I am asked to purchase the full version which comes under the banner ARO2013 & SAMMSOFT. It advises of 1529 errors/tweaks to be rectified.
    I absolutley agree about reading websites carefully, it's something I always try to do, but one can so innocently be led down the path not intended. Anyway, I have now uninstalled the free version as it is doing nothing, I suspect I did click on the wrong download button :rolleyes: but being on what I thought to be the correct site, didn't expect a problem.
    This is what happened: you went to the 'download' link from the Malwarebytes site, but the page displayed had more than one 'download' button on it, and you installed ARO2013 and not Malwarebytes. I've seen other people do it, as the page is more than a bit misleading.
Sign In or Register to comment.