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Question

PC updating

Aug 20, 2017 1:43AM PDT

I have an HP laptop and Slimware Utilities is always popping up telling me that some of my driver's are outdated or no good. Tells me they have what I need and wants me to register and buy a subscription. They say that Cnet supports them. Is this true and are they legitimate and safe or are they fraudulent?

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Slimware
Aug 20, 2017 2:37AM PDT

Seems to be a legit site.
I don't use such a tool as I can get my drivers from the maker.
The problem is it can be a little cryptic to manually determine what driver you have and what the maker offers.

That's why I keep all that on a piece of paper for easy reference.

Isn't there a free version of this tool?

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Answer
Re: drivers
Aug 20, 2017 5:09AM PDT

A driver can be outdated for several reasons:
1. It's updated to support newer versions of Windows [that you don't have]
2. It's updated to support newer hardware [that you don't have]
2. It's updated to remove errors [that you don't have]
3. It's updated to offer new functions. [that you don't miss at them moment]

As long as it works for you, there is no need to update it. So there is no need for a program like Slimware either. And certainly not if you have to pay for it. I'd uninstall it, or - at most - run it once a year manually to see what it advises, most certainly not automatically for its real-time functions and lovely popups. And then maybe - after a good backup - update manually.

By the way, this is the editors 3.5 star review from http://download.cnet.com/SlimDrivers-Free/3000-18513_4-75279940.html#editorsreview :
"SlimDrivers scans for available updates for all of your drivers, and then manages the download and installation process for you. Rather than having to figure out which programs might be out of date and then checking for updates individually, you can use this program to significantly streamline the process and keep all programs running smoothly."

I' ve yet to see a driver change making any program running more smoothly than it did with the old driver, with the possible exceptions of the video driver in case of complex games.

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Answer
Hope this one
Sep 6, 2017 5:39AM PDT

Do you really need slimware utilities on your laptop?