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Download Driver Magician for free, today only!
It's not often that you find a decent commercial utility being given away for free. It's usually a marginally-useful app or a program for which there's a better (and often free!) alternative.
Today, however, you can score Driver Magician at no charge from Giveaway of the Day. It's a very good driver backup, restore, and removal utility - and there aren't a ton of good free programs that offer this level of functionality. You've got less than 18 hours to get in on the deal!
If this post happens to overwhelm the main page of their site, you can try heading directly to the download page or a mirror of the file.
Once it's downloaded, you'll need to run the setup first and then the activation file. Keep an eye on the activator - the last step will offer to bookmark and permatab GOTD in your browsers.
There are three details to be aware of about your free version (and they probably won't surprise any of you):
1) No free technical support
Today, however, you can score Driver Magician at no charge from Giveaway of the Day. It's a very good driver backup, restore, and removal utility - and there aren't a ton of good free programs that offer this level of functionality. You've got less than 18 hours to get in on the deal!
If this post happens to overwhelm the main page of their site, you can try heading directly to the download page or a mirror of the file.
Once it's downloaded, you'll need to run the setup first and then the activation file. Keep an eye on the activator - the last step will offer to bookmark and permatab GOTD in your browsers.
There are three details to be aware of about your free version (and they probably won't surprise any of you):
1) No free technical support
2) No free upgrades to future versions
3) Strictly non-commercial usage
Comments
17
Subscribe to commentstechpopsJan 5th 2010 10:23AM
I've never trusted Microsoft with all their resources to offer the correct driver in Windows Update. I'm even less likely to trust in an app like this.
On each of the three PC's I have in the house, Windows Update is offering one driver for each one that isn't right, that's a bad sign especially as one PC is running Windows 7 and another running Vista. This program might be excellent and never fail, but for now I'll get my drivers the old fashioned way and listen in for comments on how good this is.
DanJan 5th 2010 10:39AM
I've used this in the past and I've found it to be rock-solid. It's good for those custom rigs that have many different, not off-the-assembly-line configurations.
Typically I hit up the manufacturer website and get the latest drivers there but before I reformat a PC for whatever reason, I take a backup of the drivers. Doesn't hurt to have and restoring from them has always worked when I needed it.
Dick BoogaersJan 5th 2010 11:18AM
The problem with this GOTD setup is: when it's time to restore your drivers, your GOTD license has expired and you have to pay full price to get the restore working!
DanJan 5th 2010 1:27PM
Nah, just use it for the backup portion.
You should be able to restore the necessary drivers via System - Device Manager in Control Panel. I just back up drivers to a thumb drive and then use these DLLs when necessary.
norjaamJan 5th 2010 7:41PM
You can backup your drivers as a single .exe file.
MarkJan 5th 2010 11:17AM
Ever hear the old saying that nothing is free? They're "activator" comes bundled with all kinds of crap, most checked by default. Yes you can opt out of all of it but who knows what else it does. It also jumps to their home page as soon as you activate. I don't like .exe activators either, why couldn't they just give us a serial key (assuming this is all legit). Oh yeah, because they would not be able to bundle all their junk with it then. No thanks, I'll pass. If the author wants to give away a free copy for a day I'll get it from his own web site (and there is no mention of this offer on it).
xavierjazzJan 5th 2010 11:25AM
This is nonsense. It is only an evaluation copy, good for 14 days.
Do you check this stuff??
Disappointing
Lee MathewsJan 5th 2010 11:41AM
Did you do something differently than me, Xavier? Mine says nothing about a 14-day install.
This should be the $29.95 version, which is certainly not time limited.
xavierjazzJan 5th 2010 11:54AM
I followed your link. I will look again.
xavierjazzJan 5th 2010 2:09PM
Thank you for your measured response. I didn't follow the instructions!! (Imagine picture of me eating a crow).
Best regards,
Don
HonkbishJan 5th 2010 2:34PM
All the activation does is use the following info, you can register the demo version yourself this way:
Username: GiveAwayOfTheDay
Serial Number: A9L64dFfE1-8854F
Gardiner WestboundJan 5th 2010 4:06PM
I like Smart Driver Backup 2.12.
It's available from Freeware Geeks.
http://tinyurl.com/ycmfded
Gardiner WestboundJan 5th 2010 4:09PM
I like Smart Driver Backup 2.12.
It's available from Freeware Geeks.
http://tinyurl.com/ycmfded
DeoWulfJan 5th 2010 6:58PM
Maybe I did something wrong, but my use of this program was disastrous. It installed (or tried to) drivers for devices I do not own (like TurtleBeach stuff), then it wrote a bad file and gave me a blue screen. And not just one; it was waiting for me after a restart too. I had to go into Safe Mode and do a System Restore to this morning. I was hoping I could use this program to solve a problem on my girlfriend's computer (double drivers are corrupted for her sound card and refuse to go away), but it's even more fragile than mine. No thanks.
I should have known from the start. I just don't trust any program that A) uses "Magician" in its name, B) rips a Windows graphic for one of its icons
jfjbJan 5th 2010 8:13PM
this software, as many similar 'upgrader', are blindly doing their work without any AI behind the IF ... THEN logic.
I've seen retro upgrade performed (older version overwriting new), or misreadings of installed version numbers, etc, etc.
I thought this one would do a decent job. It did not work properly on xnView, OpenOffice, MyDefrag to name a few. Beware people, do not be as blind as any button-pusher.
The worst operators are so-called 'driver-updater'. DriverMax screw up my IntelPro control - I think my upgrader cross-connected with 'similar' hardware owners who weren't using my drivers. Anyway, I'm tired of so-called 'helpers', they're as good as Best Buy Geek Squad.
jfjbJan 5th 2010 8:14PM
P.S. Forgot to mention: the only thing they might do properly is to collect information about installed applications.
RichardJan 6th 2010 4:56AM
If you want to backup and restore drivers (say, if you're going to re-install a computer) then look at Double Driver.
http://www.boozet.org/dd.htm
Best of all, it's free. No registration required.