Here are the top 5 reasons why you should update drivers with a free driver scan. Efficient Maintenance Of Hardware Devices With Installation Of A Free Driver Scan - Any computer program that controls a device that is attached to the computer is referred to as a device driver. Scan your computer for automatic driver updates using a driver update utility. Stop wasting time searching for drivers. Free driver scan with no obligation to purchase. Sep 25, 2018 The scan encompasses all drivers on your machine that could be out of date and identifies locations for available update downloads. Intuitive interface. SlimDrivers Free 2.3.1.
Need free drivers for your hardware but not sure where to look? There are plenty of websites selling programs and services that download drivers for you but, obviously, drivers for free is a better deal.
Free driver downloads are certainly available but where do you find them?
Before looking at where you can download free drivers, know that free drivers are the norm, not the other way around. Don't let those costly driver download programs and websites fool you with pricey software programs and subscription fees. Charging for driver downloads is a scheme that no one should fall victim to.
Here are the different ways you can download free drivers for your hardware, ordered in the same way you should look for them:
Directly From the Hardware Manufacturer
The first and best place to look for free device drivers is from the hardware manufacturer's website. These are the original drivers that the manufacturer itself is handing out - go there before you look anywhere else. You simply download them and then update the driver on your computer.
For example, if you've just purchased a Logitech webcam for your computer, you can visit the Logitech Support website to find and download the right driver that it needs in order to work correctly.
Using a Trusted Software Sharing Website
In the rare situation that you can't find drivers for your hardware at your hardware manufacturer's website, there are several other driver download sources available. This might happen if the company is out of business or you're looking for a driver for a very old piece of hardware. No matter the reason, you shouldn't have to pay for it.
Updating a driver is a very easy task that anyone can do.
Through a Free Driver Updater Tool
That said, there are driver downloader-updater programs out there that can be useful, at very least to save you time. Fortunately, there are lots of free ones that are just as good as any you might pay for.
While most of them work in almost the same way, our favorite is Driver Booster. This program will scan your computer for all the missing and outdated drivers that it can find, and then will download the right driver for you. All you have to do is click a few buttons and confirm the installations.
Things to Remember About Downloading Drivers
So, remember, all drivers are free! You should be able to download nearly any driver direct from the driver's source - the manufacturer - without incurring any cost whatsoever. However, even if you can't, the other options from above are usually very beneficial for finding free drivers.
Please know that you do not need to update your drivers on a regular basis. Internet fast speed software free download. If you're not experiencing issues with your hardware, and you're not looking for additional features, then you don't need to update your drivers at all.
For example, if your sound no longer works, it's possible the sound card driver has been corrupted or removed, in which case you can reinstall the sound card driver. However, if your sound card has been working fine, there isn't a requirement to update it even if it could be updated to a new version.
Some people are wary about updating device drivers, maybe because they've had a bad experience in the past or because they're afraid it will make their device stop working. This is another reason you shouldn't worry about updating the driver for a device that doesn't obviously need the update.
A driver is an important software component that allows a device to communicate with an operating system. For example, you’ve bought a new printer. To make it operate correctly with your laptop or PC, you’ll have to install drivers from the official manufacturer site. To do it, you have to know the exact model of your device and your operating system parameters. Besides, you’ll have to update the drivers on a regular basis to make your PC hardware function properly.
Some of the drivers are updated automatically by themselves or together with Windows OS. There is also a default Windows updater tool which will fund the needed drivers for your devices on the Internet and help to install them. However, this option requires much time, since the tool isn’t very fast.
SEE ALSO: Windows User History [INFOGRAPHIC]
Free Driver Scan And Fix
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Since it maybe a complicated issue to track and search for the updates all the time, there exists software that can check all the drivers you’ve installed and update them without hassle.
Let’s check best free driver updaters for Windows-based PCs and laptops. For the quick comparison of the most popular driver updaters, check this table:
Driver Talent
Driver Talent (formerly called DriveTheLife) is a supereasy driver updater that can scan your PC for available drivers. The software will find the outdated, broken or missing drivers and fix the issues in one click.
To get the information about your drivers, install and run the software and click the “Scan” button. Driver Talent can also track the drivers for video/graphics card, audio/sound card, network wired and/or wireless adapter, motherboard, USB, printer, mouse, keyboard, scanner, and other devices.
You may use either a free version or upgrade to a PRO one. The first one shows you the available drivers but doesn’t download them automatically. The PRO version for $16.95 will do all the job for you. Driver Talent PRO will also let you back up drivers and restore them.
Besides, the software can create a driver pack for a current PC or for the one you are planning to use. To use this feature, go to the Pre-download tab and select the necessary option. To prepare a driver pack for another PC, you should import its hardware profile.
All in all, Driver Talent is a must-have utility if you use a PC or laptop with Win XP or higher. With this software, you’ll forget about any problems with your drivers.
Driver Booster
Driver Booster is a free driver updater for Windows OS. It supports all Windows versions and can be easily installed and used even by a non-advanced user. Like Driver Talent, Driver Booster searches for the current PC drivers and checks for their updates. The software can manage thousands of device drivers from Intel, HP, Samsung and other companies hardware.
Again there is a free version and a paid one. The difference is pretty much the same as in Driver Talent. The paid version updates everything automatically, while using a free one, you’ll have to do a couple of clicks.
After the software scans your PC, it shows a special label near each outdated driver saying whether it requires an urgent update or may wait for some time. For each driver that needs to be updated, Driver Booster displays its version number, size, and release date. Thus, you can see the size and age of a new driver and choose the best time period for an update.
One more great thing here is a silent installation process. The software will update everything in the background without keeping any window open.
To cut a long story short, Driver Booster is a nice tool for a quick driver update.
WinZip Driver Updater
As it’s clear from its title, WinZip Driver Updater belongs to a famous archiver freeware. It’s one more tool that can help you easily update your computer drivers. WinZip Driver Updater is literally one of the easiest and most intuitive drivers updaters. It lets you download and install the updates in just one click. However, please keep in mind, that the software doesn’t have any guarantee that it takes the updates from the official manufacturers’ sites. So be ready that some of the updates may not be perfect.
The tool has an option to back up the existing drivers before the updates. Thus, in case you are afraid of getting into trouble with the new drivers, don’t skip this feature.
Among other nice options, WinZip Driver Updater has a scheduler. You can set it to periodically scan your system for driver updates, so you don’t have to do it manually.
WinZip Driver Updater is a good choice for all amateurs of this company. It’s efficient, although sometimes it sends false update notifications. Don’t forget that the free version will occasionally show you a popup with license upgrade request.
Free Driver Scout
Free Driver Scout is an amazing utility that you should definitely pay attention to. Being free, it’s truly automatic. The utility searches for the updates, downloads and installs them without your input.
Like other similar tools, Free Driver Scout has a backup and restore option. Another feature to mention is called the OS Migration Tool. It operates like Pre-download in Driver Talent. If you are going to move to another PC, you can download all the necessary drivers beforehand and save them onto a USB flash drive, DVD disc, or an external hard drive.
SEE ALSO: DVD to USB: How to Do it without a Headache
Unfortunately, there are a couple of drawbacks here. First of all, be attentive during the installation program. Since the software is free, it has adware in the installer. Read attentively what you are installing and opt out of the offers you are not interested in them. The second thing is that the software doesn’t track all the drivers you have. So there will remain some that you’ll have to update manually.
DriverPack Solution
DriverPack Solution is the last but not the least driver updater on this list. It works flawlessly on Windows XP, Vista, 7/8/8.1 and Windows 10. The software is completely portable and can be launched both from a hard drive and a USB flash drive.
What is interesting about DriverPack Solution is that it can download driver updates without the Internet connection. You just need to download the DriverPack Network driver or the DriverPack offline version and install the tool on a PC without the Internet.
The software is not too rich in options and will be a perfect choice for those who need a simple tool and doesn’t want to think about any backup or restore features. Be careful while operating the software, it may install toolbars without your permission.
As you can see all the utilities are quite equal in their main option – updating the drivers. It depends on your choice only which one to install on your machine. We’d recommend using Driver Talent tool. It finds almost all outdated drivers and has all the additional features you might need.
Free Driver Scanner Epson L360
If you already have an experience with driver updaters, please share your thoughts in comments.
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