Driver Update Tools

[Clay Horvath]

? ? ? ? ? QUESTION ? ? ? ? ?

Do any of you have a specific DRIVER UPDATER TOOL / SOFTWARE that isn't full of spyware that actually performs as stated? I've used the free version of Slimdrivers but have noticed since the last time I used it, it had spyware associated with it in which I easialy removed. I've purchased paid versions before & got nothing but trouble with those. So with that being said, what would YOU suggest / Any Ideas? Thank You

 

[bassfisher6522]

No....we never recommend such software as they tend to do more harm than good. Meaning, finding and installing wrong or old and outdated drivers. It's best to manually download driver from the source. The check back every once in awhile to see if there are any updates.

For custom builds rely on your mobo DVD for drivers and check support page quarterly for updates. Do the same for OEM systems. Then back them up to a USB thumb drive.

 

[Clay Horvath]

No....we never recommend such software as they tend to do more harm than good. Meaning, finding and installing wrong or old and outdated drivers. It's best to manually download driver from the source. The check back every once in awhile to see if there are any updates.

For custom builds rely on your mobo DVD for drivers and check support page quarterly for updates. Do the same for OEM systems. Then back them up to a USB thumb drive.

I've reverted drivers to get back to the original before & I've gotten really good with NVIDIA driver removal & installation. One would think that there would be a easier way to accomplish it a bit simpler but I haven't gotten that figured out! Thanks for your reply!

 

[Wolfie]

In general, one would not have to rely on such tools as Windows gets hardware updates from the various hardware manufacturers and installs them as needed.

As @bassfisher6522 pointed out, I don't use such tools myself as they are a pain and cause more problems than they solve!.

As far as Nvidia goes, if you do a fresh install, you won't need to install any drivers as Windows will do it for you, I have an Nvidia PC and it installs the necessary drivers on a fresh install without any interaction from me.

 

[Grizzly]

I have used IO-Bit driver booster once but uninstalled it again as it messed up my system so bad that I had to make a fresh install. I am not a friend of those "helpers" anymore. When I do a fresh install, the only driver windows update does not know is my card reader. All others are installed and running perfectly.

 

[Clay Horvath]

Yea, I'm right there with all of you on this subject! It seems each I have tried to use caused more trouble then what they're worth so with that being said I've even tried the one-at-a-time & researched them individually to update them! Sadly enough this takes forever. As far as NVIDIA drivers I ALWAYS do a clean install & never ever use the Geforce experience as I have found it to be a resource hog & it's easier to revert to a previous drive without it! Thanks for each of your replies!

 

[bassfisher6522]

Sadly enough this takes forever.

Yep....but well worth it, especially of you save them to a thumb drive and just save the updated driver there.

never ever use the Geforce experience as I have found it to be a resource hog & it's easier to revert to a previous drive without it!

Totally agree with you on that point.

As far as NVIDIA drivers I ALWAYS do a clean install

Yep...although updating over top doesn't seem to effect the 10xx series. I still do a clean install. What do you use to do that with. I always use DDU....the only way to truly uninstall a GPU driver.

 

[Clintlgm]

Yes with your older system, I would turn off Driver updates altogether, With Asus hardware, it can be fussy about drivers, Manually install and once you find versions that work just stick with them.
I agree with the others all them driver update program are just nightmares its foolish to use them especially with High-End equipment.

 

[BigFeet]

As far as Nvidia goes, if you do a fresh install, you won't need to install any drivers as Windows will do it for you, I have an Nvidia PC and it installs the necessary drivers on a fresh install without any interaction from me.

Windows doesn't always install the latest graphics drivers, and never installs beta drivers, which is unacceptable to a gamer.

 

[Wolfie]

Gamers that like taking risks BigFeet, if you install Beta Drivers, there is a chance that your system may become unstable, I'm not saying it will but it could happen.

 

[davehc]

a

Windows doesn't always install the latest graphics drivers, and never installs beta drivers, which is unacceptable to a gamer.

Perhaps you will be comfortable with disabling driver signature enforcement.
Dangers there though, as it relates to all drivers and not just those you choose. You could find yourself with a black screen if it decides to update to a flaky graphics driver

But, relating to Clay's (the op) query. Like the other posters, I would never use one of those tools. Microsoft's system is to automatically the latest drivers it has received from the manufacturers. In most cases, it does a good job.
If you fancy tring some of the betas, or tests, then best visit the manufacturer's site and see what is available.

 

[Clintlgm]

Windows doesn't always install the latest graphics drivers, and never installs beta drivers, which is unacceptable to a gamer.

Of course, does not install BETA Drivers, BETA Drivers are intended for experienced users working on the leading edge of software and hardware. They are BETA because they are testing on multiple platforms and software setups to determine whether they are ready to release to the public.I don't know any advanced user or experience gamers that would let WU install any driver. We all prepare our systems to create restore images and then when we're absolutely sure we can recover, do we manually install BETA Drives.Then we spend hours of our time helping people recover their systems that loaded BETA Drives and were not prepared to restore their systems when they crashed their system.