Driver-Pro vs Driver Genius

This is a 2-part post. I do need help getting a driver updated or a driver updater, but in looking for help to do that I ran into a recommendation from your site (major geeks) for a product called Driver-pro http://driver-pro.com/related/engli...D_5YCFRlRagod5UD5YA&hit=1&sofl=10&adurl=12714 where you give it 5 stars/excellent product etc etc.

My concern with this is that they lie about their product being free. What is worse is that they direct you to their site after you download Driver Genius and find out that Driver Genius isn't free. I went to CNET to see what kind of rating Driver Genius has before paying for it and saw the link from Driver-pro claiming, "Free Driver Update? Don't fall for it!" Download our program instead! If you read the page I linked you to, it goes on to claim that that Driver Genius lies to customers by claiming to offer a free service, while their service "Some other products make you buy a license just to try them out - we think that's silly. Download Driver Detective now, for free, and get full access to its huge database index."

Then they have several recommendations on this page, one from your site. Well, guess what? Theirs isn't free either. It does the exact same thing that Driver Genius does! You download the scanner, run it and it shows you the same drivers needing to be updated then recommends you register the product at which point you are directed to a page so similar to the Driver Genius page that I could have sworn they were the same company! You have to pay to get your drivers updated!

Now, I imagine you "geeks" are laughing at me. Thinking, of course you have to pay to update your drivers! While this may true, and I don't mind paying, I do not like being lied to! It is bad enough that Driver Genius lies about their product being free, but how can you recommend a product that points out the lie and claims they don't have a charge when in fact they do the exact same thing? 2 wrongs don't make right. I would much rather see a side by side comparison of what the different driver programs cost, how useful they are, and any information that would help me make a good decision which I should use to update my drivers! Instead, I spent my entire morning discovering that driver update programs aren't free! Ridiculous!

Shame on Driver Genius for lying. Double shame on Driver-pro for pointing out the lie and being a hypocrite. Triple shame on Major Greeks (and all the other sites who have given Driver-pro 5 stars) for recommending a program that stoops to such lows!

1- I won't use Driver-pro now simply because I do not like that they drew me in on a lie by pointing out another company was lying to me. This is just wrong on so many levels, I can't begin to explain it.

2- Counting out Driver-pro since they have earned my ire, who would you recommend for driver updating. Cost isn't the issue at this point. Honesty is. 2nd would be a driver updater that actually works.

3- Finally, I started this journey because I am looking to update a very specific driver. Perhaps you can redeem your "geekness" by aiding me in my search. If so, here is my info on the actual driver issue:

HP Media PC AMD Phenom 9500 Quad Core Processor (I don't know how much more you need). Running Windows Vista. Gaming computer with Nvidia GEForce 8500GT.

Recent purchase GameCom 777 Dolby Headset (5.1 Surround sound) from Plantronics. http://www.plantronics.com/north_america/en_US/products/computer/pc-gaming-headsets/gamecom-777

Problem: Headset works with "analog connection" (this is the 2 little plugs that plug into the mic and headset respectively. The USB sound card which attaches works fine with the game (world of warcraft), but when this USB sound card is used, any kind of news streaming and windows sounds cease to work. I have emailed Plantronics who tells me that I need to update drivers and that Windows has the drivers. No, they aren't very helpful. I'm not 100% sure, but best I can make it out, I need a driver called:

4.) Bulk Driver” or “5.) Plantronics Headset” or “USB/Plantronics Audio Adapter ”""
(This is from their site).

Finally, upon using both Driver Genius and Driver-pro scan features, I learn I do need updates to a "Realtek driver" as well as updates to Nvidia drivers. I didn't note which and have uninstalled the lying programs from my system so any direction you can give here would be appreciated as well.

Again, cost doesn't matter. Honesty is a must at this point. A decent program or helpful geeks I can trust would be a good second.

Thanks for the ear. I hope this isn't seen as a rant, but a uneducated computer user who feels you should know a product you recommend maybe doesn't deserve the rating you give it.

 

All I can do is to recommend that you stay away from any and all driver updater type programs. First, there's no real need to always have the newest drivers, and many times the newest drivers may cause an instability that was not previously evident. For example, my nVidia drivers are about 3 or 4 versions back, and my PC runs perfectly and I've had no issues installing or playing any of the newer games. Second, any driver updater that wants money is probably a scam because anyone with 5 minutes on their hands can locate their drivers, for free. Generally, these updater programs are borderline malware and may require you to install a 'toolbar' or 'search assistant'. Also, driver updates are usually available from trustworthy outlets like Windows Update, for free. You can also simply visit your PC/motherboard maker's web site(s) for any new drivers, but, again, I personally see no need to update drivers more than once or twice a year, if that. I usually perform a clean install of my OS twice a year, and at that time I install whatever the latest drivers are for my system, and as long as everything runs smooth (and I don't install any new hardware), I keep the same drivers installed until the next format of the hard drive and OS reload.

The link you provided for Driver-Pro is the same as Driver Detective. MajorGeeks is mentioned no-where on that page, and for good reason. Driver Detective has long been considered adware (at the very least) or a full blown virus (at the very worst) depending on who you talk to. Again, stay VERY far away from Driver Detective (also known as Driver HQ, DriverUpdatePro, DriverPro, Driver Headquaters, and some others).

But this is all just my personal opinions and my thoughts on the topic of updating drivers, and I'm sure someone else will have different thoughts on the subject.

As to the headset issue, uninstall and re-install the sound driver with the headset plugged in to the PC. You can download the latest RealTek HD driver for Vista from here. It was actually just updated today. If you have continued issues, contact the headset maker for more information.

 

A little bit of research tells me that the headset relies on the built-in Windows USB drivers. So you shouldn't really be having any issues. I did find some info at Plantronics about "cleaning the device manager after a failed installation" of the headset. Read more at this link. You can find out more about the analog/digital issue at this link. I also found the following statement at Plantronics which reflects what I already mentioned above:

Also, more info can be found here. Additionally, reloading your motherboard chipset drivers before reloading the sound drivers (with the head set connected) may help.

Good luck!

and Welcome to Major Geeks! :wave :major

(have you tried not using the USB adapter, and just plugging directly in to the microphone jack and the speaker/headphone jack?)