DriverMax gets an Agent

Freeware driver back-up utility DriverMax gets a full point upgrade, but the big feature promised for this version doesn't seem to be quite ready for prime time. DriverMax Agent, which is supposed to bulk out the program with a customizable driver update check, currently only works on the Windows Vista 32-bit operating system. Sorry, XP users.

DriverMax Agent works well on Windows Vista--but not at all on Windows XP.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

The irony of this product update coming during a week when Redmond has spectacularly backtracked on Vista isn't lost on me.

The agent does seem to work well on Vista, in so far as I can both manually check if my drivers are out of date and have the agent automatically scan for new ones. However, none of my Vista drivers were out of date, so I was unable to test the download and installation features.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Other than the agent, there's nothing new in the program. It feels like it runs a bit faster from when I last looked at it back in October, but that's empirical and hasn't been benchmarked. Without a doubt, DriverMax is a good program, with both driver backup and restoration features, and those work well. Until the Agent is extended to Windows XP users, though, there's not much that sets it apart from its freeware competitors.