If you're concerned about it being malware, upload it to virustotal.com. It scans the package using most of the major scan engines and is free. I use it frequently to analyze suspicious files.
I want to install the Windows Beta 7 on a spare drive. Also try a fresh XP on an older Toshiba Notebook (4+ years old). Can you briefly explain how to PRE- Download driver?
I have no disks for the Toshiba, so my concern with erasing the drive and reinstalling a performance XP Pro is I don't know how easy it will be to get the drivers.
My main PC is a year old Gigabyte MB with an e8400. Currently running XP Pro Performance.
Thanks
Miura.
Thanks OP!!!!
BigTwin
New Member
posted: Jan. 12, 2009 @ 5:40p
thanks for the link and info!
grandtheftautumn
Member
posted: Jan. 12, 2009 @ 5:54p
Driver Agent is owned by Phoenix Technology, its safe.
TheDealMaker said: I don't get why anyone will pay for this service when u can download drivers somewhere else for free.
You've obviously never run a PC repair shop. Nothing is as bad as the Packard Hell days, but there is still plenty of weird hardware out there without online driver support.
Clicked on link, registered for the CES 3 day account, got email, logged in, downloaded DriverAgent, ran, and so far liked the driver links it provided. I printed out the list, then w/ a pencil, wrote down the filenames for each driver / or driver update I downloaded. I didn't download the one for my Nvidia based video card, as the link was from the "wrong" video card manufacturer. (Probably would've worked, but I'll get it from my video card manufacturer just to be sure). Also noticed that DriverAgent sometimes listed multiple driver update needed for related components of 1 device (my keyboard in this instance).
Anyone know if you can use this in the next 3 days on multiple PC's?
UPDATE: I consider myself pretty much in the upper level PC tech experience category. So, I am very familar with identifying hardware components, downloading and installing the proper drivers, etc. I regularly check a PC's Device Manager to make sure nothing has a serious problem. However, I still found DriverAgent useful. I work on probably 40 systems a year, so it can be time consuming. And on my personal, #1 system, it found 4 of my devices that had updated drivers - mouse, keyboard, ethernet and enhanced Intel chipset drivers for my USB ports, the last 2 drivers being the most important, and now may perform better. For best results, I suggest you only install updated drivers only if you have a backup of your important files - as a bad driver or bad install can sometimes bring a system down.
Green for you OP. A little annoying to download all the files if you are trying to build a backup cd but its worth it in the long run. My 2-year old acer lappy works fine but it found a dozen driver updates...
Ok i couldn't resist. so i tried out the software. It is crappy in my opinion. I have a old Dell and it says some of my drivers are outdated but watch out. Mine is desktop and it was suggesting some Dell mobility updates. Not even same chips but similar sounding names with more recent dated files. I think the software has a crappy search function. I could find only one update worth trying. Everything else it was just garbage.
I have to say that it was convenient way to check for updates if they have a good search function. Let me give an example. My current driver is 5.0.100.7000 dated 2003.5.12 but it suggest i should download 5.0.0100.07000 dated 2003.5.12. This is just bad.
Please see my post on page 1 too. Here's some more drivers advice from me: - I'm a thrifty person (some out of necessity, some out of greed), whose PC hobby has led me to regularly work on about 40-50 PC's a year. Many are repeats from family, friends, neighbors, and some for people I've sold a PC to, or have repaired / upgraded their PC before.
One of the most important things I need to be able to quickly and more easily upgrade, repair, or totally redo a systems software, is an operating system disc / files, and system drivers. Probably about 80% of the PC's I am first given to work on, come without any software discs or information whatsoever! Apparently, many (some irresponsible, some careless) people lose their discs, throw them away, misplace them, forget to give them to me, or never had any discs in the first place.
1. Before you buy a new PC, determine what the restoration software, drivers, and/or media options are. (Some PC's just come with the restoration software on the hard drive). Some systems also make you create your own restore discs, and other companies charge you extra for the software on discs). When I ask the PC owner about any discs, many look at me with a blank stare - like that is something they didn't care to learn about, or don't understand, so it's not their fault or responsibility. When you buy a new PC, order the discs AT THAT TIME if you have that option. (They will only be available for a certain period, then the manufacturer can't / won't provide them). Buy from a different PC supplier / manufacturer if they don't give you that option. 2. Take reasonable care of your software discs! Store them away from direct heat or sunlight, pets, and small children. Store them in paper or plastic sleeves, or (better) hard plastic jewel cases. If you lose a disc's case, buy some replacement ones. Look for the wider, older plastic jewel cases, instead of the newer, thinner ones. Don't throw your discs, leave them on the floor or anywhere they could get stepped on, scratched, or broken. Don't leave your discs in an optical drive. If you accidentally put a second disc on top of another disc that's in a drive, and you close the door, when it tries to spin up to be read, it can ruin them! Also, many people forget they are in the drive when they get rid of the PC. -If the drive breaks and the door won't open, straighten out a paperclip and push the paperclip into the emergency eject hole on the front of almost all CD / DVD drives, to force the tray open. 3. If you sell your PC, give the new owner all the discs (with CD keys) that they will need in order to reinstall drivers and an operating system! Not providing the software / discs, is like selling your car without a spare tire and jack!!! Commonly, the operating system that came originally with the system is the one that's best suited for its hardware. If you fail to provide the software, that operating system may no longer be sold at a retail store months / years later, making system software recovery more difficult and expensive. 4. Otherwise, keep your other old software discs, even if you get new versions of the software. Newer software is not always better. Sometimes, when you try to install a newer driver, it doesn't work right, and you find you need the old version. Also, many times you can get a rebate if you can send in a prior version, a photocopy of a disc, or the previous software versions manual's main page. 5. One of the first things you should do after buying or building a new PC, is to install and update the software drivers! Usually, you should update the motherboard / chipset drivers first. As you update your drivers, take notes of the main components that make up your PC, besides your PC's manufacturer, exact make and model, noting such things as your video, ethernet, sound, modem, BIOS version, etc. Write down any problems you may have / special install issues you have, so that it will be easier the 2nd time (which may be in a year or so). 6. Anytime you install a new peice of hardware or software, immediately check in Device Manager to see if there's any problems with the device - to see if it's correct and updated driver is properly installed, to see if there's a conflict, if it's disabled, broken, or if a generic / standard driver entry appears instead. 7. Read the software driver installation instructions! On some components, you must uninstall an old driver / and/or it's hardware, before installing a newer one. Sometimes you must reboot, sometimes more than once before the installation is fully done. On other components, you can update one driver to another by pointing the driver properties in Windows' Device Manager, to the new driver file(s). On other components, you run the driver / components Setup program / file to install it. Sometimes you must disable antivirus software for an installation to properly run. In extreme cases, you may have to boot up in Windows' Safe Mode to install a driver.
Learning how to properly install software and drivers is something most people should know how to do. Otherwise, maybe you should just run to the store and either pay a repair technician $50+/hr. or buy a new PC when (not if), there's a software or driver task / issue.
It would appear to reject hotmail email addresses, I've never signed up for that service or even heard of Phoenix and it said I had already signed up, just a BS way to get your "Real" email address not the junk pile email address.
I use File Hippo and it shows which software needs to be updated. I am not sure how it compares to this software, but it seems to work well for me.
I have used it on 2 XP machines and 1 Vista machine
jk2002
New Member
posted: Jan. 13, 2009 @ 9:26a
VerbalK said: TheDealMaker said: I don't get why anyone will pay for this service when u can download drivers somewhere else for free.
You've obviously never run a PC repair shop. Nothing is as bad as the Packard Hell days, but there is still plenty of weird hardware out there without online driver support.
TimmayCO said: If you're concerned about it being malware, upload it to virustotal.com. It scans the package using most of the major scan engines and is free. I use it frequently to analyze suspicious files.
Tim (CISSP)
If you're concerned about malware, finding drivers, or anything else, just get a mac. Problems solved!
cesarthegreat
Member
posted: Jan. 13, 2009 @ 10:32a
I downloaded it but it said all my drivers on my Windows 7 system are up to date, even though I didn't manually install any except one for my Creative webcam Instant (which the vendor has no plan to support Vista, so I have to install its XP driver in compatibility mode). This may indicate Windows 7's driver support is pretty good. rotinoma said: Goes well with a Win7 beta... as in, download your drivers before you install it.
olouie
Senior Member - 2K
posted: Jan. 13, 2009 @ 10:50a
Tried it out with limited success. Some drivers were spot on and others were off. It killed my audio by using an incompatible driver, but helped me find some old drivers for a webcam that I could not find.
still cant complain since its free
sinoke
Member
posted: Jan. 13, 2009 @ 10:55a
i'm running on windows 7 right now and i didn't manually install any drivers! It found them all automatically and works like a charm
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