Driver Robot

[Accessless]

The free to download, pay to use program 'Driver Robot' program has recently come to my attention (I have been bombarded with links over the past 3 months). Incase you have some how not come across the program, any Google search containing the key word: "Driver" will bring up a page with a list of drivers, all links to a Driver Robot installer. Upon installing the program it will scan your computer and tell you that new drivers are available for download (can apparently find any driver), once you pay a subscription fee. I have even found replica websites to trick people into downloading it, most recently and disturbingly Nvidia's official driver download webpage.

Two questions:
1. Is this program actually legit (i.e. does it actually work or is it a scam?)
2. Should I be informing authorities about it?

[Allan]

What's the point? Drivers should NEVER be upgraded unless there is a specific reason to do so (and being "newer" is not a reason). Upgrading drivers unnecessarily is one of the major causes of system problems.

[Accessless]

What's the point? Drivers should NEVER be upgraded unless there is a specific reason to do so (and being "newer" is not a reason). Upgrading drivers unnecessarily is one of the major causes of system problems.

Sorry, I can't actually reply to this without being extraordinarily rude. Please read my post and try again...

[Computer_Commando]

Did you pay the subscription fee?

[Allan]

Sorry, I thought you were thinking of using it if we replied that it's legit.

[Accessless]

Did you pay the subscription fee?

No, to be honest I was hoping to find someone daft enough to do it and find out. Isn't it Illegal to impersonate a website/brand with intent to sell third party software/goods?

Sorry, I thought you were thinking of using it if we replied that it's legit.

That's all right, sorry about the way I reacted. People that only half read posts and comment just really annoy me. I would only ever use driver update programs on free trails to make sure that my drivers are up to date. Also drivers should always be kept up to date to ensure full system compatibility and stability, and occasionally new functions/features.

[patio]

JMHO here...

I have Never found or tested a driver app that i would recommend and/or pay for....
Most are scams...some more misleading and worse some just do not work.
I recently tested one that is being recommended in the CH Chat and in testing it it sent me an ATI driver for my nVidia GPU card...
Not a good sign.

I travel directly to the manuf. site for every driver component i've ever had the need to update.

[Computer_Commando]

...Isn't it Illegal to impersonate a website/brand with intent to sell third party software/goods?...

In this matter, apparently not.  The manufacturers produce hardware which needs software to function.  They don't really care if a third party resells the software because it does little good without the hardware, which they alread sold once with the software.

[Allan]

Also drivers should always be kept up to date to ensure full system compatibility and stability, and occasionally new functions/features.

NO - that's what I tried to say in my first post. Drivers should only but updated if there is a specific reason to do so - for example, new feature that you need, new support for specific software you use, or new OS compatibility. Otherwise DO NOT UPDATE DRIVERS.

[Accessless]

I know. I'm contradicting you. If we were talking about BIOS updates I would agree with your statement however this is everyday drivers. If it were not a good idea, why would Nvidia and ATi work around the clock devising 'tweak' drivers to maximise graphics card performance. Also, as new and unexpected software is developed and released drivers may need to be amended or rewritten e.g. for a new version of Windows.

... Upgrading drivers unnecessarily is one of the major causes of system problems.

I would imagine that people upgrading to the wrong drivers is the biggest cause of computer problems.

[Allan]

Drivers should only but updated if there is a specific reason to do so - for example, new feature that you need, new support for specific software you use, or new OS compatibility. Otherwise DO NOT UPDATE DRIVERS.

Well, you imagine incorrectly. I'm not sure if you're not paying attention or if you just feel like arguing (you're agreeing with me and arguing with me in the same sentence!!). What possible reason would there be to update a driver unless it introduces a specific new feature or support for new HW or SW? One last time - updating drivers unnecessarily is a mistake and is a major cause of system problems.

[Accessless]

Hang about there, you're right. But then why would anyone make official driver updates with no advantages behind them?

[Allan]

They don't. Typically they add support for new s/w or h/w. But if you don't have that hardware or software you don't update.

[Accessless]

So you expect people that can't even select the correct drivers to find, read through the driver documentation and make an informed decision on whether or not to upgrade?

Also some fixes can be useful for unmentioned problems or other programs for example a graphics fix for a game can also fix a similar problem on an unrelated game. On the other hand a fix could worsen some programs performance but that's why since WinXP there has been a "role back driver" function. However sometimes technology moves forward and old programs become unusable due to updated software, usually quickly followed up by hardware. 8-Bit texture support on graphics cards for example, drivers for old GPU's stopped supporting them and the next generation of GPU's physically could not use them.

[Allan]

Whatever you say.