DriverScanner 2009
$39.95
Uniblue
www.uniblue.com
CPUs: 4

Lots of hardware issues stem from outdated drivers, so it’s important to keep them as up-to-date as possible. With Windows Update, however, you don’t always get a detailed description of which drivers need updating; thus, you lose some control over the system.

Uniblue’s DriverScanner is a very simple, easy-to-use program that alerts you to new drivers, explains what they are, which devices they will affect, and whether or not downloading them is safe or risky.

DriverScanner searches your system for missing or outdated drivers as soon as you download or open it and then lets you decide whether you need to install them. You can change the settings, however, and only allow manual scans. DriverScanner has an Overview feature that tells you how many drivers are out-of-date, how many drivers are up-to-date, which updates have been ignored, and how many drivers are loaded into your computer overall. DriverScanner also supports checking for live updates through the Overview feature.

DriverScanner’s log generation tracks your driver download history and the date of your most recent scan. If you are having an issue with a driver, you can report it to Uniblue through the reporting feature, located under the Driver Scan tab. This is a good way to ensure you are always getting a functional driver downloaded to your system. DriverScanner also includes backup and restore capabilities in case something happens to your hardware.

The best part of DriverScanner is its ease of use. The interface is simple and straightforward enough for even basic computer users to know and understand the risks associated with downloading specific drivers and which of the devices it will affect. The bottom panel of the Driver Scan tab lists all the information about the device affected by the driver update, including its manufacturer, the current version you have, its INF file, and the hardware ID. Armed with this information, a user could (for example) verify whether or not she needs to download a driver labeled as risky.

by Tessa Breneman