"use driver cleaner"

[imported_BikeDude]

In various discussion forums, I have seen people recommend using "driver cleaner" to completely wipe any remnants of the old driver prior to installing a new one.

I have never done this, but have installed countless versions of nVidia drivers, dating back to Windows NT4. I have downgraded, upgraded and sidegraded. No issues. No use for any "cleaners".

So I am curious: In which cases does the driver cleaner help? Upgrading the drivers will hopefully replace all relevant files (downgrading will ask to replace newer files, so if you answer "no" you will naturally have issues). One problem, I guess, is that the meaning of certain settings may change. But that would be a pretty stupid design decision on the driver vendor's part. (I do recall some artifacts at one point with video overlays, but that was a couple of years ago and not critical)

Another potential problem is stupid installers. The proper way to install a driver is by using Device Mgr, yet almost all hardware OEMs pushes an ugly looking installer onto the unsuspecting public. (and many of the installers cover the entire screen! as if I don't want to do other stuff while running a one minute installer!) Some of these installers do not look foolproof to me.

But back to my question: Has it ever helped? And how come? ("voodoo"?)

 

[mruffin75]

I've never used a driver cleaner and have always just installed "over the top" of previous drivers... no issues so far.. but I usually use ATI cards... the most recent being Radeon 9000, 9200 (mobile), 9600XT, X800GT, X1600 Pro, and 2900XT..

Also had an older GeForce3 Ti200, which I never used a driver cleaner on either...no problems there either..

 

[tigersty1e]

Have you ever run benchmarks?

I suppose you won't have problems, but your fps MAY drop in some games.

Someone should do a benchmark test.

 

[Borealis7]

why can NVidia and ATI simply provide us with a WORKING uninstaller??? i mean seriously! is there such a thing as quality assurance department in these companies?

it cant be that difficult! they know exactly which files and which registry entries are created during installation. just make a process that removes them! i bet thats exactly what Driver Cleaner does.

lazyassnogoodmoneygrubbingelectricityeatingworthlessscum.

 

[AzN]

I uninstall manually and wipe my registry myself. I don't use driver cleaner.

 

[Keysplayr]

Originally posted by: Borealis7
why can NVidia and ATI simply provide us with a WORKING uninstaller??? i mean seriously! is there such a thing as quality assurance department in these companies?

it cant be that difficult! they know exactly which files and which registry entries are created during installation. just make a process that removes them! i bet thats exactly what Driver Cleaner does.

lazyassnogoodmoneygrubbingelectricityeatingworthlessscum.

There is always something left in the registry, or straggler files left behind that can affect stability/performance issues on either Nvidia or AMD/ATI cards. Is it really so difficult to run driver cleaner? Is the world full of impatient people who want nothing but short cuts throughout life? Ok, so that was over the top, but the sentiment prevails. Just run DC. It won't kill ya.

 

[ayabe]

I've been running my current XP install for over 3 years, install every ATI driver update on the day of release, never once used driver cleaner or anything else. My machine is stable and performs well.

If someone can provide actual proof beyond their fathers sisters cousins brother heard that not using it causes machine crashes or performance problems then let's hear it, otherwise it's not necessary in my experience.

 

[BernardP]

If you are updating drivers within the same family, ATI or Nvidia, Driver Cleaner is probably more insurance than necessity. Drivers will have many common lines of code and registry settings from one version to the next

However, if you want to move from ATI to NVidia or vice-versa, everything is different and using Driver Cleaner is probably necessary.

I have seen stories here and on Hardforums from people switching from one brand to another that had so many driver problems that they had to do clean OS reinstall. Driver Cleaner might be worth it if it works well enough to avoid having to reisntall Windows.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I run it just because it's like insurance. You may never need it, but it's better to have and not need than need and not have.

In short, if you just install over the top and then get a borked install don't complain here ok? Thanks

 

[shilatoe]

OK, I think I understand the good and bad of a driver cleaner. My question is:
Is there a recommended/reliable driver cleaner to download?
I hate the idea of installing something that will cause more trouble than it cures.
Thanks,

 

[nitromullet]

Interesting... No one who recommends DC, has yet to point out a factual, technical reason why to use it...

When ATI and NVIDIA were a bit more competitive I used to swap NV and ATI cards rather frequently, and I just left both drivers installed. Windows was smart enough to know when I was using which card and would load the appropriate driver. Nor have I ever un-installed an older driver before upgrading to a new driver, and I haven't had any issues.

Originally posted by: Borealis7
why can NVidia and ATI simply provide us with a WORKING uninstaller??? i mean seriously! is there such a thing as quality assurance department in these companies?

it cant be that difficult! they know exactly which files and which registry entries are created during installation. just make a process that removes them! i bet thats exactly what Driver Cleaner does.

lazyassnogoodmoneygrubbingelectricityeatingworthlessscum.

Is this rant/bitch based on fact/experience...? Do you have some sort of evidence that shows that the driver installation apps aren't working? They seem to work pretty well for me, and most of the time I'm running beta drivers so I'd even expect an install error or snag every now and then.

 

[JBT]

I usta use Driver cleaner, I havn't for quite some time now though. If I am just swapping ATI cards or drivers I don't see any point and have never noticed a difference. If I was swapping a NV for ATI or vice versa I would probably just do a reinstall of Windows... if there were any issues.

 

[CP5670]

I use it when switching between AMD and Nvidia drivers, but if it's a driver upgrade then I just install on top of the old one. Never had any issues that way.

I believe the newer DC versions cost money though, and it's not something worth paying for. There is another, similar program called Driver Sweeper that is free.

 

[aka1nas]

I've personally experienced a few instances where installing drivers on top of each didn't proceed smoothly and I actually needed driver cleaner. Nvidia's drivers used to not always play well when going to an older version from a newer-numbered version, for example. I think both IHV's drivers have improved significantly the last few years and I haven't run into any such issues with graphics drivers in Vista so far.

 

[novasatori]

I don't anymore, I used to back with 8500 + GF2/3/4 days, but since then I don't, and haven't had any problems.

Not even when switching ATI/AMD to Nvidia

 

[imported_BikeDude]

Originally posted by: aka1nas
I've personally experienced a few instances where installing drivers on top of each didn't proceed smoothly and I actually needed driver cleaner. Nvidia's drivers used to not always play well when going to an older version from a newer-numbered version, for example. I think both IHV's drivers have improved significantly the last few years and I haven't run into any such issues with graphics drivers in Vista so far.

Yours is the first first-hand experience reply I have seen so far.

Was your issues with a modern Windows version? (NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista) I do not count Win9x/ME issues, because they were many and not too relevant now...

And what kind of issues did you notice? Stability? Performance? Weird settings?

 

[Borealis7]

Originally posted by: nitromullet
Interesting... No one who recommends DC, has yet to point out a factual, technical reason why to use it...

When ATI and NVIDIA were a bit more competitive I used to swap NV and ATI cards rather frequently, and I just left both drivers installed. Windows was smart enough to know when I was using which card and would load the appropriate driver. Nor have I ever un-installed an older driver before upgrading to a new driver, and I haven't had any issues.

Originally posted by: Borealis7
why can NVidia and ATI simply provide us with a WORKING uninstaller??? i mean seriously! is there such a thing as quality assurance department in these companies?

it cant be that difficult! they know exactly which files and which registry entries are created during installation. just make a process that removes them! i bet thats exactly what Driver Cleaner does.

lazyassnogoodmoneygrubbingelectricityeatingworthlessscum.

Is this rant/bitch based on fact/experience...? Do you have some sort of evidence that shows that the driver installation apps aren't working? They seem to work pretty well for me, and most of the time I'm running beta drivers so I'd even expect an install error or snag every now and then.

yes it is a rant based on experience for the countless times i had to reinstall CCC since it crashes on windows startup and when i start it manually (and i also suspect it "took away" my administrative rights for one user and i had to create another).
i know CCC isnt mandatory and i have used ATITool instead, but i like my driver suite to work without 3rd party applications.
i work for a software company that handles multi-million $ projects and we'd be damned if our clients had to use 3rd party software to make our application work.

in any case, i used DC once, and it also uninstalled my TV Tuner which really pissed me off! its not even an ATI Tuner! WTH!?

thats all i got........FOR NOW!

 

[Brunnis]

Never used it. Switched between different Nvidia and ATI cards and have never hade any performance or stability issues. That's not really surprising, though. When you install a new driver it will update all the files and registry keys it needs. It doesn't matter if there are stray registry keys or files, since those won't be accessed anyway. Sure, it may be neater to remove everything, but it's hardly necessary.

 

[nitromullet]

yes it is a rant based on experience for the countless times i had to reinstall CCC since it crashes on windows startup and when i start it manually (and i also suspect it "took away" my administrative rights for one user and i had to create another).
i know CCC isnt mandatory and i have used ATITool instead, but i like my driver suite to work without 3rd party applications.
i work for a software company that handles multi-million $ projects and we'd be damned if our clients had to use 3rd party software to make our application work.

in any case, i used DC once, and it also uninstalled my TV Tuner which really pissed me off! its not even an ATI Tuner! WTH!?

thats all i got........FOR NOW!

Agreed that CCC should work properly, but what does CCC not working properly have to do with the driver (un)install software and the supposed need for Driver Cleaner?

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: CP5670
Driver Sweeper that is free.

Driver Sweeper

Driver Sweeper is a fast tool to remove driver leftovers from your system. It's very important to remove your drivers on a proper way, because driver leftovers can cause problems like stability and startup problems. You can use it if you want to update/remove drivers from your system.

Download

It is freeware and it was updated less than a month ago. The last freeware version of driver cleaner is considerably older.

 

[imported_Slimy]

Originally posted by: keysplayr2003
There is always something left in the registry, or straggler files left behind that can affect stability/performance issues on either Nvidia or AMD/ATI cards.

Which is exactly why fully functional uninstallers should be a standard practice among driver developers.

Is it really so difficult to run driver cleaner?

It has nothing to do with difficulty. The fact of the matter is that most people don't know they need to do this. Most people are going to expect that an uninstaller will actually uninstall the program/driver, rather than uninstall part of that program/driver. And really, why would anyone assume that they would have to install a third-party program to compensate for poor design on the part of developers.

Is the world full of impatient people who want nothing but short cuts throughout life?

This isn't about looking for a shortcut. This is about a function of the software actually performing the job that is expected to perform, as opposed to half-assing it. When I uninstall a program, I expect it to be removed, in it's entirety, from my system. No program files, no configuration files, no registry entries, no init-file entries.

An analogy: If most word processors shipped with built-in spell-checkers that typically only caught 75% of spelling mistakes, would you suggest that people who complained were whiners, and that everyone should just download Aspell, and run their documents through that? Anyone who didn't use a third-party spell checker is just lazy, and looking for a shortcut?

 

[1ManArmY]

I use the old free driver cleaner, seems to work well. Thanks for the link to driver sweeper I will give it a try.

 

[Nnyan]

The only issue I've run into is that occasionally a driver update "keeps" some older files. This doesn't happen all that often (how many people actually check the version of files?). I think most people are would be just fine doing an automated update. If you have issues then I would do a clean removal of the drivers.

 

[Auric]

Driver cleaners' heyday was prolly the early 00's when enthusiasts upgraded en masse from graphics by flash-in-the-pan company 3dfx. Their uninstaller was as bad as their products at that point, especially due to a hodgepodge of hacks like MiniGL's littered all over ze place.

ATI has included a good uninstaller for years. Nvidia's seems fine these days too. So, DC's are prolly most useful for other devices and particularly saving a bit of file space and not so much with registry entries as a general cleaner combined with a bit of manual deletion will do a better job.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Originally posted by: Auric
Driver cleaners' heyday was prolly the early 00's when enthusiasts upgraded en masse from graphics by flash-in-the-pan company 3dfx. Their uninstaller was as bad as their products at that point, especially due to a hodgepodge of hacks like MiniGL's littered all over ze place.

ATI has included a good uninstaller for years. Nvidia's seems fine these days too. So, DC's are prolly most useful for other devices and particularly saving a bit of file space and not so much with registry entries as a general cleaner combined with a bit of manual deletion will do a better job.

When there was NO such thing as a GPU or 3d accelerated cards specifically for gaming the Voodoo cards from 3dfx were the best thing. Once Nvidia released the GeForce (first real gpu?) things were different and 3dfx was starting to hurt (Voodoo3 with no T&L support). When the Voodoo 4 and 5 came out they were done. Trying to use brute force and gimmicks (motion blur and other features that were never used in any game). Their FSAA was the best in the business back then but they did not have any cards supporting T&L so their performance in OpenGL games was bad, Glide only supported 16bit color at that time and things were not looking good for them one bit.