DriverMax

CNET Editors' review

by: CNET staff on September 09, 2012

Your computer system's drivers tell your hardware and software what to do. Without up-to-date drivers, your system won't perform to its full potential and might even experience problems. Obsolete drivers can sometimes even leave vulnerabilities and security holes that have been fixed in updates that you don't have, and why? Because updating drivers is a nuisance falling somewhere between an oil change and a dentist's appointment, that's why; and it's worse still if you're the sort of user who depends on a PC yet has no earthly idea what goes on inside the box (and like it that way, thank you very much). So, get DriverMax from Innovative Solutions. This free cloud-based tool helps you download and install up-to-date drivers practically painlessly. You'll need to create a free user account to make DriverMax work.

DriverMax scanned our PC during setup and displayed our drivers in a compact view, with up-to-date drivers marked in green and those with available updates in red. The scan found eight available updates. We simply had to click Download to get the drivers, select More Options to view an information box with links to other drivers and options, or click a Help icon to access related information. The drivers all come from a variety of sites and often download and install in different ways, too, so the ability to view other available drivers and documentation can make a big difference.

When you download a driver in the free version of DriverMax, a Web page opens with information and a download link. The Pro upgrade downloads drivers directly within the DriverMax interface, but we don't have a problem with an intermediate step since "slow, steady, and careful" (and plenty of info) add up to trouble-free upgrades and smooth sailing from then on. Of course, you can also use DriverMax as a guide for updating drivers individually using their own programs (where available). DriverMax also backs up and restores your drivers (backup = good). DriverMax proved superior to similar driver maintenance tools we've tried, with a quality look and feel; we recommend it for users of all skill levels.

DriverMax - Backup and restore drivers - Download Video Previews:

Publisher's Description

From Innovative Solutions:

DriverMax is a powerful free utility which helps you download, update, backup and restore the drivers installed on your Windows PC. It automatically checks for more recent driver versions and identifies and installs missing drivers for unknown devices in your computer. Download all drivers from one place in just a few easy steps and keep your PC up to date. Backup drivers and keep all of them in one compressed file; restore them at a mouse click within a few minutes. This tool will save you a lot of time when reinstalling Windows, both on recent PCs and older computers for which the original CDs containing the drivers have been lost. You no longer have to track down old driver installation CDs, insert one installation CD after another or spend hours searching for drivers on the Internet. DriverMax is able to display a detailed report about all installed drivers (versions, release dates) and provide you with Windows Experience Index rating information before you purchase new hardware.

What's new in this version: Version 7.13 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes.