Installing drivers

Your driver installation method

How do you install your drivers after an OS reinstall? Do you use any particular software othe than the cd/dvd that comes with your system?

 

I download the latest drivers from the manufacturers website before reinstall.
Dont see the point in using old dated drivers from a disc.

 

Latest drivers from driver manufacturers, sometimes with the help of Driver Detective -http://www.driverdetective.org/-.

I know DD is considered a scam by many, but one time, after extensive manual research, I gave it a try and it found for me the only appropriate driver for a faulty wireless card that started to refuse to work with its manufacturer's available driver package.

Not saying that it shouldn't be used with caution, though.

 

That's the best way!

 

Driverdetective screwed up my old laptop bigtime =p but that was my own fault for using it.

If you can get them from the manufacturer... do so.

 

Driver Detective is a reasonable but program, but like all driver update software it occasionally recommends an incompatible driver update.

Personally I use DriverHound (paid) and DriveTheLife (free) and sometimes Advanced Driver Updater (also paid) (along with others from time to time) to keep my drivers updated.

Currently DriverHound seems to be the best driver update software, but as I said you have to pay for it, and the trial version only scans for but does not update drivers.

 

Thank you all for the replies!
The thing is that sometimes drivers from manufacturers come as exe's, so they install drivers among other things (panels, utilities and whatnot) that screw my startup, which is not a big deal, but the also mess with my registry, which I do not appreciate at all.
Lately I've been dealing with a Nvidia driver update that created a whole new user account on my machine, WTF? I've personally used DriverPack but I've noticed that sometimes the drivers are not the correct ones. Also, Windows Update often seems to install the drivers plus other stuff.
What I'm looking for is for a website or a software that installs pure drivers, without utilities (like NVidia, VIA, etc...).
Thank you all for your help!

EDIT: Just to clarify, when I refer to "website" I mean a website to download drivers from, not to have the website install them for me.

 

Even Raxco, who make the PerfectDisk defrag utility, now have a driver update program. It's called PerfectUpdater. I don't know how good it is though.

 

It is a renamed version of Systweak's Advanced Driver Updater, which is a very good program.

 

You're out of luck there, there is no such software or websites.

 

THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT:

http://www.station-drivers.com/

 

Drivers that's hard to find or slow downloading from manufacturer *cough* Realtek *cough* I use Driver Genius to find and install, I was very curious if Driver Genius would actually work as it should, found out it's actually very accurate and stable.

 

Driver Genius has been successful for many people I know.
DriverForge 5 ,too.

I've also used:
http://www.3dpchip.com/index_eng.html

http://driverpacks.net/

 

Thank you all for the suggestions! I'm gonna have the chance to test'em out soon. Gotta do a clean OS reinstall on my dad's pc...

 

You are welcome!
Please, refer back and share your experience after you finish your testing/work.