RadarSync offers one-stop shop for Windows 7 drivers

Jake Widman
Thursday, 22 October 2009 02:44

IT Industry - Development

In preparation for the launch of Windows 7, RadarSync has reactivated its public driver download directory. Upgraders can search by device manufacturer or let the site's Updater software tell them what they need.

The RadarSync repository is free to access. Users start by finding out what drivers they need, either because they know what components are in their PC or by using the Windows Control Panel to find out.

They can then go to the website and browse for the drivers by manufacturer or by device name. Users who aren't confident of their ability to determine what they need can download the sites's Updater software, which scans their systems and prepares a list.

That much is free. The Premium edition (US$29.95, AU$34.35) will download and install the drivers automatically.

The Premium version will also create a System Restore snapshot before the drivers are installed, in case you need to revert to a previous state.

The company calls its service a "repository," but RadarSync doesn't actually host the files themselves. Rather, they are downloaded on demand directly from the manufacturers' servers.

That's the site owners' main answer to questions about the trustworthiness of their service. Its operators also point to their McAfee SiteAdvisor page, which gives them a generally clean bill of health.

McAfee does say that "a small fraction of downloads" found on the site might be considered low-level nuisances because they alter some settings on the user's PC.

The site owners reply by pointing out that drivers are intended to alter settings, and that some of the nuisances are updates to their own software, which the user does not have to install.