[Loopdaloop]

Hi does anyone know of a free driver updater utility thing?

I've downloaded about 7 now and each wants me to pay before it does anything. grr...

[bedz]

Driver Max
http://www.innovative-sol.com/drivermax/

You have to sign up to the site but thats it. Completely free, or at least it was a couple of months back

Bedz

[flagpole]

we've ruled out windowsupdate?

[max99]

Updating drivers can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. Using a driver utility is just adding one more element to go wrong. You're better off updating the drivers manually when you need to, and not just because you can.

[whoever,hey]

Originally Posted by max99

Updating drivers can sometimes cause more problems than they solve. Using a driver utility is just adding one more element to go wrong. You're better off updating the drivers manually when you need to, and not just because you can.

Totally agree. No need to flash the firmware on your flippen motherboard when theres not even anything wrong with it.

[bedz]

As long as the corrent precautions are taken (read release notes \ instructions) then updating drivers is normally quite harmless.

Most install packages nowadays wont let you install the wrong driver\hardware combination so cant really go wrong.

IT maintenance is not the black art that many people think it is. Google is your friend, anyone with half a brain and some common sense can update software or drivers nowadays.

Bedz

[Carmen Queasy]

Windows Update is fine for most users, and if you're having a particular problem with a piece of software just go to the manufacturers site. There isn't that many components to computers

[whoever,hey]

surely a driver manager is overkill though right?

[flagpole]

god flashing the bios is really only to be done if there's a very specific problem that you know is addressed in a later revision. Similarly with flashing your drives and stuff.

Hardware drivers are less problematic but i'd still advise caution, only up date one at a time, don't download them from crazy websites. Windows update or the manufacturer's site only.

[dslrocks]

I adopt the policy of 'if it ain't broke, then don't try to fix it' to all drivers and more importantly, to the BIOS (if you fork up the latter, you may have a nice paperweight on your desk).

After all, if it's working fine, then why tinker with it, (possibly) break it, and add more bloat to the system (NVidia's Forceware is an example of this - they seem to have added so much more bloat in more recent versions, it's unbelievable).

I'd only advise updating your drivers where you know something isn't with your current set-up and you suspect it maybe that device causing it, if there's an issue with the driver, such as a security hole etc, or if the revised version adds functionality or fixes a bug in previous versions. Don't update for the sake of it.

[max99]

The problem is a lot of people believe that updating drivers is as necessary as updating Windows or the AV, and if you don't do it regularly, something bad might happen. Updated drivers may contain bug fixes as well as introducing new (and sometimes disastrous) ones. Update them if you need to or every once in a while, but there's no need to update regularly or to do them all in one go using a driver manager. If it ain't broke, don't break it.

As for Windows Update, the amount of times I've seen that screw up, I barely trust it to update Windows, let alone hardware.