Just like program leftovers, junk files and hard disk fragmentation, drivers can also cause their own series of errors and performance issues, slowing down your system or making it unstable. This can happen with outdated drivers, leftovers from uninstalled drivers such as files, folders, registry entries and other data, wrong version of drivers and other reasons.
Driver Fusion is a free driver manager and uninstaller that can solve any driver related issues by allowing you to manage all your hardware and fully uninstall outdated drivers, removing even the data left behind after the default uninstall process. It provides a clean slate to reinstall any driver and it’s also is a simple way of making sure all your hardware devices are working properly.
Installation & Requirements
Besides the usual settings, Driver Fusion’s installation is bundled with a few adware windows, including one that offers Nitro PDF Reader to be installed. All of them are optional and have no connection with Driver Fusion’s functionality.
Any computer running under Windows XP, 7 or 8 is supported by Driver Fusion as long as it has Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 or higher on it.
Interface
The Spartan appearance of Driver Fusion’s interface doesn’t undermine the program’s purpose. In fact, such a clean layout makes it easier to spot the features and other information you’re interested in.
The program’s options are organized into three categories, Maintenance, Computer and Management, each with its own sub-categories. Since there’s only one version for both Driver Fusion (free) and Driver Fusion Premium (paid), all the features for the Premium edition are present within the free one but they are disabled. This review focuses on the free Driver Fusion so those features will not be analyzed.
Driver Fusion automatically detects all the drivers present on your system and displays the complete list in the Driver Inspection tab under Maintenance. From here you can select the ones you’re interested in and press the Analyze button. The application will display all the exiting data related to the previously selected drivers, such as files and registry values and allow you to delete individual entries or all of them. Under the Computer section, the Desktop option allows you to backup and restore your screen resolution and desktop icon layout with support for multiple monitors included.
The Maintenance section comes with its own collection of useful tools, specifically the Log and Restore tabs that allow you to view and restore any previous maintenance action, like removing system drivers. Driver Fusion detects the drivers present in your system based on a default set of filters but you can add custom ones in the Filters tab. While no one can deny the usefulness of custom filters this is probably appealing for power users, not so much for beginners.
Last, but not least, the behavior of Driver Fusion can be tweaked further through its Settings. The two tabs, General and Cleaning provide various options for customizing the program such as choosing which notifications should appear, enabling automatic updates, enable/disable blocking of processes and services before deleting them from your system and which types of entries should be included in backups before removal.
Pros
– Clean, functional interface with easy to understand options.
– Simple and painless analysis and deletion of system drivers.
– Backup and restore option for desktop icon layout and screen resolution.
– All maintenance action are logged with the possibility to restore previously removed system drivers.
Cons
– Adware-bundled installation.
– The help manual is available as a PDF document in the installed program’s folder but the Help option available within Driver Fusion’s interface sends the user to the developer’s website.
Conclusion
Driver Fusion’s ability to completely remove system drivers so quick and easy is enough to make this tool a valuable asset for anyone that wants to keep their computer in optimal shape. When you add the fact that it’s free and it comes with other useful features like the backup & restore functions for desktop icon layout, it’s a must-have.
