Driver Genius can quickly scan your system and let you know the state of your computer’s drivers. This driver update software can also back up and restore your drivers, and you can schedule regular scans. However, it isn’t the easiest program to use, and it doesn’t guarantee it uses only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sources.
In our tests, Driver Genius was hardly a genius, finding an average of just 62 of the 149 out-of-date drivers on our test computer – a success rate of just under 42 percent. Only Advanced Driver Updater found fewer drivers, just 48. On the other end, the best program we tested, Driver Booster, found 91. As you can see, even the best performing applications failed to find all the outdated drivers.
Like the best driver update software we tested, Driver Genius has a one-click fix for scanning and updating your drivers – a big improvement over previous versions of the software. Updated drivers download automatically, and you don’t have to manually open and install them, which is both annoying and time-consuming. It also has a backup and restore feature, and you can schedule regular scans.
The software does not have an exclusion feature, so you can’t update individual drivers – you either update all your drivers or none of them. This can cause issues, for example if you end up with an update you don’t need that doesn’t function properly. Additionally, the software never specifies whether it uses only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) sources, which means it doesn’t guarantee drivers to be free of malware. We also encountered a few pop-up ads in the software, which were bothersome.
Should you have questions about the software or need assistance troubleshooting an issue, you can contact the company’s support representatives via email. You can also check out the tutorials and informational resources in the knowledgebase on its website. The software is compatible with all recent versions of Windows, from XP forward. And even though the program didn’t blow us away with its performance and it’s missing a few features, it’s good enough for the price and may still help you update your drivers.
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