Karen asks about free software to keep her Windows drivers up-to-date
 Is there any program, preferably free, that will allow me to update all my drivers. I see many on the internet but am not sure which, if any, are safe to use. I trust your info on all my computer matters. Karen

Our Answer
Many of the more important drivers (video/graphics, network, etc.) are now included as secondary downloads in Windows Updates. So, first make sure you're keeping up with all Windows Updates.

There are many driver update programs which are either scams, spyware/adware, or which try to lure you by appearing to be free -- until you try to download them. When you try to download them you'll find that they're either shareware (trial versions that expire after a certain number of days) or you have to register and pay to get the program. There's nothing wrong with charging for software, but there is something wrong if it takes you fifteen minutes to determine if the program is free of if you have to pay for it. It really rubs us the wrong way when we have to click links and visit five different pages to find out if a program is freeware, shareware, or just plain commercial software.

There is one program, at least, which is free and free of bad things. It's not all that highly rated by some users, but when we tested it we thought it was fairly easy-to-use, functional and useful. It was a bit on the slow side and it took a bit of time for us to figure it out, but it works - as long as you are not in too big of a hurry when you fire it up the first time. DriverMax can help you find the drivers that need updating and can also help you identify hardware problems too. During our test there were times when DriverMax indicated it couldn't connect to the server - which was a bit irritating. But it did eventually find drivers that needed to be updated and we were able to download and install them without too much problem.  If you're looking for point-and-click simplicity though, this program isn't it. Still, it's free and once you get the hang of it, you'll have no problem using it.

Instead of installing the drivers by clicking "OK" or deferring or declining the updated drivers - it's a little be more complicated. But, again, you have to consider the price. Free is cheap. If you want to spend $30 - $40 you can do better. But, you asked for free and that's what we found for you!

After DriverMax scans your system (it took around ten minutes on our test computer which is full of stuff), it will show you all the drivers you should update. You can follow the steps outlined below. Please note: We updated several drivers and never signed up for an account with them.

In order to get driver updates, please follow these steps:

1. Please start the DriverMax program. This can be accomplished by going to Start Menu ® Programs ® DriverMax and clicking on the DriverMax item.
2. Inside DriverMax, please go to Updates and Identification and click the Check for driver updates item.
3. After clicking that item, you may be asked to create an online user account, and/or to accept the DriverMax Agent Agreement. Please do both of these things, by following the instructions in the program itself. Both steps are required in order to get driver updates.
4. Then, DriverMax will automatically open a web page containing the list of drivers installed on your computer. For each driver, you will see the version you have and the latest version that is available.
5. In order to update a certain driver from the list, please click on the diskette icon that is located on the right side of the screen. You will be taken to another page, which shows you the driver versions which are available for download. Pick a driver version, click the download link, and choose the Open option when asked whether you want to Open, Save or Cancel!
6. A small file with the extension .DMX-INFO will be downloaded. The .DMX-INFO file contains information about the driver you are about to download. The DriverMax Agent will start, and ask you whether you want to add the driver to the download list. Please choose Yes.
7. The DriverMax Agent will wait in your system tray, and will download the driver when possible. This may take some time. You can double-click on the DriverMax Agent system tray icon to check the status of the download.
8. When the download is ready, the DriverMax Agent will let you know about this using a balloon message which appears above the system tray.
9. In order to install the driver, please bring up the DriverMax Agent by double-clicking on its icon in the system tray. Then, look at the Drivers already downloaded list, select the driver you want to install, and click the Install driver button.

If you're still interested in DriverMax, you can get more information and/or download from here. It only works on Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7.