Keeping the drivers of our computer updated is a task that we do not always carry out, but it can be considered essential for the optimal functioning of our equipment. In addition, it may also be interesting to have a backup copy of them, to be aware of any problems that may arise in case we need to perform a new installation of Windows. To do this we can use a program like DriverMax , and today we are going to tell you how to do it.
DriverMax is a program that has been developed to update the drivers of our PC, as well as create a backup copy of them. In this way, it will not be necessary to waste time looking for each of the drivers on our computer, since this program will take care of finding and installing them.
This program is very useful for laptops, where its users do not know the drivers or know how to find and download them, especially smaller or generic drivers such as ATA, IDE, etc. drivers. This is something that we will forget with DriverMax, since its mission is precisely to store all the drivers installed on our computer in a single file, so that when we reinstall Windows we can have them effortlessly available.
How to download and install DriverMax
To start using DriverMax the first thing to do is download it from its website . Here we will find a free version and a paid PRO version. The program is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10.
- Free version : 2 drivers can be downloaded per day , limited to 10 drivers per month. This version allows us to automatically analyze the entire system, carry out scheduled searches for driver updates, select the most suitable driver for our PC, make backup copies and restore drivers and secure update with the creation of system restore points.
- PRO version : it has all the advantages of the free edition and also includes the possibility of unlimited daily driver downloads . It also allows automatic download in the background and maximum speed when downloading. In addition, it allows the installation of several drivers with a single click, as well as activating the license key in up to 5 PCs. Its price is 9.95 euros for one year, 13.95 euros for the two-year subscription and 29.95 euros for its lifetime version .
If we choose to download the free version, the drivermax.es file will appear that we will use to install the program through its wizard, which will guide us in a comfortable way. We just have to accept the license agreement, choose the address for the installation (requires 18.9 MB) and if we want it to create a shortcut on our desktop.
Search and update the drivers of our computer
Once we have installed the program, we will proceed to execute it by double clicking on the shortcut on our desktop. Your main menu will appear in Spanish. At the top it has a small toolbar with the tabs “Start”, “Analysis”, “Backup“, “Restore” and “Settings”. Below we see the data of our computer such as the CPU, RAM, the capacity of the hard disk and the operating system.
The first thing we are going to do is tell the program to analyze all our drivers , for which we click on the “Analyze drivers now” button. Next, a bit of advertising appears inviting us to switch to the PRO version with an offer. We skip it by clicking on “No Thanks, back to DriverMax FREE”.
Select those drivers you want to download
Now the program will start looking for possible updates to our drivers, something that shouldn’t take a long time. Once finished, a window will appear informing us of the drivers it has found. We can instruct you to remind us in a day, a week or a month if we wish. To check all available updates, click on the “See updates” button.
We return to the program’s interface, and we see how the program automatically places us in the “Analysis” tab. Here it will show us in a red circle the total number of updates it has found. In the menu we will see broken down, each and every one of the drivers found, that we can select those that we would like to update. If we position the mouse pointer over each one, on the left side next to the “Update” button, we will see an icon shaped like a note. If we press it, all the information about our version of the controller and the new version found appears. It also informs us that the driver has been digitally signed by the manufacturer and that its download is completely safe.
Once we select the drivers we want to update and click on the “Download and install” button that we find at the bottom. If we have the PRO version, we can select them all, if we wish, and update them all at once. Once we click, a download bar will appear on the right where we can see the progress until complete. When it has been downloaded, a new window will appear indicating that the drivers will be installed. We will have to accept the license agreement and it recommends that we create a restore point . Click on “I accept” to begin the installation.
Create and restore a backup
If we go to the “Backup” tab, the program will allow us to make backup copies of our drivers. For this we will have three options
- Create system restore point : they are created and saved in Windows, as a complete backup (settings and drivers) and the one recommended by the program.
- Create Driver Backup File – These copies only include the drivers we have chosen. Later we can restore one or all of them.
- Create Offline Scan File – It takes care of creating a list of all the drivers we need so that we can download them from another PC.
We choose the desired option, in this case we will create a system restore point and click on “Next”. Now the program will be in charge of creating a restore point and once finished a new screen will appear with the message “Backup complete”.
Restore any backup point
If at any time we need to restore a backup, just click on the “Restore” button and we will see all the options we have available to restore
- From a system restore point : it is the one recommended by the program and it will carry out a complete system restoration, including both the drivers and the system settings.
- From a previously created backup : it will allow us to select from the backup which are the drivers we want to restore.
- Through a driver rollback : this is something that we can use if we notice any stability problems with a new driver, since Windows stores several versions of our drivers, in case we want to go back to a previous version.
- Using a previously downloaded driver : from here we will find all the driver downloads that we have done previously.
As we have previously downloaded a driver, we select this last option and click on next. The last driver downloaded appears, along with its version and download date. When selecting it, we can both erase it and restore it by clicking on Restoration.
Perform automatic searches from Settings
From the “Settings” section we can make some program settings, such as automatically searching for the driver update . We can select that it be done every day, every week or every month, as well as the desired time. Once the search is done, we will get pop-up notifications every time results have been produced since the program will remain active in the system tray. We can also select to take care of automatically downloading all the drivers each time it finds a new one during the search.
