Driver Easy

Hi, I'm David an independent advisor and user just like you. I'll do my best to help you with this.

In my opinion the software isn't going to be much help. It will run a scan and supposedly recommend a series of drivers which require to be updated - if I recall correctly it will then want you to subscribe to their service before actually giving you the drivers.

Current/latest drivers are available from the the manufacturer, or directly from Microsoft via Windows Update - for free. There should be no need to use any additional app to assist with obtaining drivers. The developers of the app aren't going to have access to drivers that you can't otherwise obtain yourself.

I would advise to stay clear.

Regards,

David

Hi Emily,

Glenn Murray here. I'm General Manager, Communications at Driver Easy.

Your experience with the Acer website is not unusual. Most PC manufacturers provide driver support for only a limited time. After that time, you have to source the driver from the device or chipset manufacturer.

The answer to your question about Driver Easy is simple: Yes, Driver Easy is a legit and completely safe tool. It's certified by both Norton (https://trustsealinfo.websecurity.norton.com/splash?form_file=fdf/splash.fdf&dn=www.****&lang=en) and AppEsteem (https://customer.appesteem.com/certified?vendor=EASET).

Note also that all our drivers come direct from the device manufacturers; they're exactly the same drivers you'd install if you did it manually. 

• For Windows 10, Driver Easy installs only drivers that are ‘Certified for Windows’ through the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) program.
• For Windows 7, 8 and Vista, Driver Easy installs WHQL drivers by default, if they’re available (which they are for 95.69% of drivers for those versions of Windows), but also gives users the option to install non-WHQL drivers.
• 99.98% of the drivers Driver Easy installs have either the chip manufacturer's own digital signature or a WHQL signature.

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Cheers

Glenn

Hi.

It's categorically incorrect that no driver update software is legitimate. As explained to the OP, Driver Easy is certified by both Norton (https://trustsealinfo.websecurity.norton.com/splash?form_file=fdf/splash.fdf&dn=www.****&lang=en) and AppEsteem (https://customer.appesteem.com/certified?vendor=EASET).

All our drivers come direct from the device manufacturers; they're exactly the same drivers you'd install if you did it manually.

• For Windows 10, Driver Easy installs only drivers that are ‘Certified for Windows’ through the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) program.
• For Windows 7, 8 and Vista, Driver Easy installs WHQL drivers by default, if they’re available (which they are for 95.69% of drivers for those versions of Windows), but also gives users the option to install non-WHQL drivers.
• 99.98% of the drivers Driver Easy installs have either the chip manufacturer's own digital signature or a WHQL signature.

You are, however, correct that there's no replacement for your own judgement. The problem is, not everyone has the time and experience to make accurate judgements about where to find the latest drivers for their computer, or what drivers they should and shouldn't install. I'm very tech savvy, and it still takes me hours to find some drivers.

So Driver Easy isn't a replacement for judgement; it's just a time-saver.

Re your general principles:

1. Yes, only hardware manufacturers can write drivers.
2. Yes, drivers are usually available on the manufacturer's website. However, they're quite often not available from the PC manufacturer. PC manufacturers provide driver support for only a limited time. After that time, you have to source the driver from the device or chipset manufacturer. Still doable, but usually not easy.
3. Yes, drivers are always free. They're free with Driver Easy too. Driver Easy doesn't charge customer to identify what drivers you need, or to download the latest drivers for your devices. Both the free and paid versions of Driver Easy do this. The paid version just saves you more time because it automatically downloads and updates all the drivers you need with just one click.
4. Yes, you don't always need the latest driver. The problem is, when you do, it's not always easy to find.

The fact is, it's horses for courses. Some people value driver update tools, some don't. Luckily, no-one has to use them, but those who want to, still can. :-)

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers

Glenn

Hi David,

Thanks for your reply.

Driver Easy does not require you to pay to identify what drivers you need, or to download the latest drivers for your devices. Both the free and paid versions of Driver Easy do this.

The differences between the two versions is as follows:

1. With the free version, you can only download the latest drivers one at a time. Once downloaded, you have to download them the normal Windows way.
2. With the paid version, you can automatically download and update all the drivers you need with just one click.

You're right that the latest drivers are available for download from the manufacturer, but quite often not from the PC manufacturer. They provide driver support for only a limited time. After that time, you have to source the driver from the device or chipset manufacturer. Still doable, but usually not easy. I've spent hours trying this in the past, and still failed. Driver Easy takes the pain out of that process for you.

It's not true that Windows Update always provides the latest driver updates. Windows 10 categorizes driver updates as either ‘critical’, ‘automatic’ or ‘optional’, and it doesn’t usually concern itself with the ‘optional’ ones. So long as you have the necessary ‘critical’ and ‘automatic’ updates, it’s happy. It won’t, for example, install a new ‘optional’ update, if it already has an old ‘critical’ update installed.

Here’s a quote from Microsoft:

“Windows ranks critical or automatic drivers highest. If a matching driver is not found, WU looks next for optional drivers. As a result, an older critical driver of otherwise equal rank takes precedence over a newer optional driver.” (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/where-setup-searches-for-drivers)

But all driver updates are important, even when Windows calls them ‘optional’. If they weren’t, the hardware manufacturers wouldn’t go to all the trouble of coding and releasing them, and getting them into a Windows Update (that process is very difficult and time consuming for them).

Sometimes these ‘optional’ updates include just a new, nice-to-have feature, and you can arguably do without that. But sometimes it’s an important bug fix – perhaps the old driver is causing your device to stop working or your computer to crash. Windows often categorizes these updates as ‘Critical’, but definitely not always.

The other problem is that device manufacturers often take a long time to get their drivers into a Windows Update. It’s a time-consuming and difficult process. Sometimes they just miss the deadline and have to wait ‘til the next Windows Update, and sometimes they just give up altogether. In fact, for older devices, this is the norm.

And let’s not forget, sometimes Windows Update simply fails to work.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers

Glenn

No driver update software is legitimate.

When it comes to updating drivers, there is no replacement for your own judgement.

Here are some general principles:

1- Only the hardware manufacturer can write drivers for their hardware. Not Microsoft, and not anyone else.

2- As a direct result of the above, drivers are available from the manufacturer on the manufacturer's website.  (The drivers that are included with Windows come from hardware manufacturers.)

3- Drivers are always free.

4- Although it may seem contra-intuitive, your goal is notto always have the most recent drivers for your hardware. With rare exceptions, updated drivers are issued to solve problems. If your hardware is not experiencing a problem that is addressed by an updated driver, you have no reason to install an updated driver.