DriverTuner (by LionSea) - FULL REVIEW

Keeping up with the many updates that a computer needs to stay healthy can be very tricky for the casual computer owner. Your computer has many different pieces of software as well as physical components -- updating them individually would require a significant lay-out of time and effort. Enter LionSea’s Driver Tuner. Driver Tuner is designed to be able to examine your hardware components, determine what drivers are required for them, and then be able to locate and install them, all without much input from the user.

Driver Tuner claims to be compatible with all versions of Windows operating systems and to support all major hardware manufacturers in their driver catalog. Users mention that some obscure or difficult to locate drivers are also part of the extensive database, making Driver Tuner especially useful for older version of Windows. Beyond simply updating drivers, Driver Tuner can smooth out driver conflicts and repair damaged or corrupted driver files, all with the click of one big button in the center of the screen.

Driver Tuner is designed to be a utility that anyone can use, no matter their computer skill level. Because of this, the interface and functionality may seem overly simple to more advanced users who are accustomed to dealing directly with drivers within Windows. The program was designed with novice users in mind, and it seems to be effective for people seeking basic functionality.

Reviews Are Mixed

“Wonderful program! DriverTuner has helped me fix many driver problems and keep them updated. My computer is running faster than ever before! It's really a polished driver-updating software! Highly recommended! Really love you-DriverTuner! :)” ~Anonymous User, dp-db.com

“I tried this DriverTuner just to see how accurate it was. The result: It identifies a few outdated drivers. Mostly, it identifies current up to date drivers as being outdated and suggests installing the same or older drivers and drivers that are not compatible (ie 32 bit drivers for 64 bit system). It also identifies drivers for non-existent hardware. Totally a POS.” ~IronEagle, user Windows Seven Forums

“Unbelievable! DriverTuner solved my graphics card problem and saved my money! I tried to play new game but find it sometimes come with a screen flashing and freeze… DriverTuner helped me update all hardware drivers with the latest drivers, especially my old video driver. Now the game is running more smoothly!” ~Stephen Roodhouse

Conclusion

Reviews seem to be divided along experience lines. Advanced users hate this program with a bleeding passion. They see it as being either too simple or too useless for its own good – these are the same users who will update their drivers from files provided by the manufacturers from their websites. Users who have much less confidence in their abilities to update drivers without help from some knowledgeable person are much more pleased with the product. These users see significant improvement in their systems after running Driver Tuner and following its recommendations.

Reviewers report that Driver Tuner can correctly identify and install drivers for a wide range of hardware and peripherals, even without the user knowing anything about the equipment. The one exception to this is if a user is running Windows 7. Windows 7 is designed to perform the same type of updates as Driver Tuner, so some experts feel that it is redundant for these users. This could be the reason for some users experiencing trouble with Driver Tuner incorrectly identifying their drivers as 32-bit when they were actually 64-bit.

For the most part, Driver Tuner has seen good reviews, but one reviewer does point out a significant flaw in the program: it lacks the ability to back up your old system configuration before updating drivers. This may sound like a small flaw, but it can be pretty monumental if during installation a file were to not install properly or to cause a conflict with another device.

Despite the small potential for problems, however, Driver Tuner is a pretty solid piece of software – great for the novice user or someone who only uses their computer now and again to check email or look at funny pictures of cats on Facebook. It will handle the big stuff while you are busy doing other things.