DriverIdentifier, Scan Your PC Hardware For Driver Updates

Martin Brinkmann
Feb 18, 2012
Updated • Dec 12, 2012
Software, Windows software
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18

I'm not a big fan of applications that scan a system for hardware driver updates, as it can happen that updates are suggested that are either not compatible with the installed hardware, or not beneficial to the system. These programs have their purpose, but only for users who care to double-check suggested driver updates before they install the drivers on their system. Users who just blindly install the suggested drivers may end up with a broken system.

DriverIdentifier is a free application that scans all drivers currently installed on the system to compare their versions with the latest recorded version in the service's database.

update drivers driveridentifier

The program needs to be installed on the system before it can be run. A click on the Scan Drivers button checks the PC's hardware and installed drivers. This takes about 30 seconds before results are opened in the default web browser. That's one of the issues that some users may have with the program, as some would prefer the list to be displayed on the desktop and not the web.

The web page lists general information about the PC at the top, and below that a large listing of drivers that are installed on the system.

driver identifier

Drivers are listed with their name, the manufacturing company, the version and release date. Outdated drivers are listed at the top, with every other driver listed below that. Download links are listed for all outdated drivers to download driver updates directly or find updates with the help of the Google search engine.

There is unfortunately no option to filter out drivers, for instance all Microsoft first-party drivers, to improve the accessibility of the list.

How is DriverIdentifier comparing to a software like DriverEasy? DriverEasy displays results in the program window on the desktop, which is way more comfortable than a web listing. The software furthermore filters results by unknown or outdated drivers, and lists download and installation options right in its interface.

The downside is that the free version does not support backups or uninstallation of drivers, limits the available bandwidth for driver downloads and does not create system restore points when driver updates are installed.

DriverIdentifier is compatible with all recent 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Microsoft windows operating system.

Update: Please note that the program will install a toolbar and modify the default search provider and homepage if you do not disable the installation by selecting the custom option instead of the quick installation option.

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Comments

  1. Dimple said on February 22, 2012 at 7:41 am
    Reply

    Hi, i m the active reader of your site and while reading this article i discovered that you have mistakenly forgot to complete the last line at the first paragraph in this post. Just reminding you!
    Thanks
    Dimple

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on February 22, 2012 at 9:37 am
      Reply

      That’s strange. Thanks for letting me know about it.

  2. Steve said on February 19, 2012 at 7:26 pm
    Reply

    This is a useful program, i can find some drivers for my Panasonic CF-W2 , it’s better if they just do it as one click instead of going through many steps.

  3. Dukislav said on February 19, 2012 at 10:01 am
    Reply

    This search tool is highly rated in Softpedia:

    http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/OS-Enhancements/3DP-Chip.shtml

  4. ellisgl said on February 19, 2012 at 8:46 am
    Reply

    I wonder how it compares to SlimDrivers,

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on February 19, 2012 at 10:07 am
      Reply

      While I cannot vouch for the effectiveness of driver search, I think SlimDrivers has an edge in other aspects. It can for instance backup and restore drivers which DriverIdentifier cannot. https://www.ghacks.net/2010/09/05/slimdrivers-windows-driver-updates-software/

  5. Jason said on February 18, 2012 at 11:53 pm
    Reply

    This program installs spyware from Babylon.

    Also, this app crashes on my brand new out-of-the-box Win7 system. Oops.

    Lastly, note how NONE of these apps can actually identify devices and locate drivers. They can only find UPDATES to what you already have. So, basically these apps are all worthless, scammy spammy junk.

    1. Noel said on February 19, 2012 at 5:38 pm
      Reply

      Actually ma-config can, try it. You won’t regret it. I have been using since XP days and have never failed on me.

  6. Jonathan said on February 18, 2012 at 8:30 pm
    Reply

    nice program, worth noting is that unless you choose to do a custom install, you will get a toolbar and have your start page changed (this of course is in fine print), and as a general rule I always go for custom installs when prompted to avoid things like toolbars.

  7. Noel said on February 18, 2012 at 6:20 pm
    Reply

    http://www.ma-config.com/en is my go to place for this business. When you search for drivers update or similar on google, all results are just crap.

  8. Howard Pearce said on February 18, 2012 at 5:35 pm
    Reply

    From my past experience very few of these programs provide reliable info often causing more problems than u started with.

    Divermax has easily been the most reliable for me over the last few years

  9. Bear said on February 18, 2012 at 4:51 pm
    Reply

    I agree DriverIdentifier being web based is not as preferred. I do not like DriverEasy. I list SlimDriver and DoubleDriver as the preferred driver tools…though again I agree that drivers are best left alone unless you have a specific need to update.

    SlimDrivers uses crowd-sourcing to spider and aggregate millions of devices. Using our cloud-based system, SlimDrivers not only detects when a driver needs updating, but also identifies the proper executable for your system and offers the appropriate download link. Just be sure to back up your existing drivers first, or have a current image of your system as insurance. Many folks feel that updating drivers should only be performed if something is wrong as it can be risky. Size: 22MB. Win XP/Vista/7. http://www.slimwareutilities.com/products.php

    Double Driver allows you to view all the drivers installed on your system and backup, restore, save and print information about the drivers. Double Driver analyzes your system and lists the most important driver details such as version, date, provider, etc and offers you the chance to update to the latest version. All drivers that are found can easily be backed up with the application and easily restored at a later point. Portable. Win 98/ME/NT/2000/2003/XP/Vista/2008/7. http://www.boozet.org/dd.htm

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