Driver Fusion is a Windows utility for managing device drivers, finding missing or outdated drivers, and removing entries left by driver software. It also provides controls for individual devices and tools for preparing driver packages before a Windows reinstall or a move to another computer.
Driver Fusion’s Health Check
Health Check separates its findings into driver updates, driver backups, unused drivers and disconnected devices. The update results show the installed and available drivers side by side, including their providers and release information. Colored indicators distinguish older drivers from nearly current ones, while a separate indicator identifies a generic driver for which a manufacturer driver is suggested.
Driver Fusion lets you exclude individual findings before applying changes. Its unused-driver category targets third-party drivers that are no longer used and leaves drivers supplied with Windows alone. Disconnected-device cleanup removes device registrations for hardware that is no longer attached; Windows can reinstall a device when it is connected again. Running the check is available free, but applying its fixes requires Premium.
Premium also adds scheduled checks and notifications when driver or device issues are found. Driver suggestions can be restricted to digitally signed packages or to WHQL drivers, which have additional Windows compatibility verification.
Device control
The Premium device view connects each piece of hardware with its driver information and available actions. Selecting a device reveals its hardware IDs, status and problem code, followed by driver details and files. Where the device supplies them, Driver Fusion also displays reserved resources and events. An identifier helps determine the class, description and manufacturer of unknown as well as recognized devices.
You can enable, disable, restart or uninstall the selected device, or work with its driver separately. A hardware scan asks Windows to detect changes after devices have been added or removed.
Driver selection includes packages already held by Windows, online alternatives and saved backups. You can add a driver obtained elsewhere to the selection, then choose the package to use for the device. The backup controls similarly offer the installed driver, other locally available packages and online drivers, with a destination you choose for the saved copy.
Device rules
Driver Fusion can create allow and deny rules for a device or an entire device class. Rules can identify hardware through its hardware ID or device GUID. Related settings control whether the rules apply to devices already installed and whether administrators can bypass them. The same area provides controls for Windows’ automatic driver installation and for additional software downloaded alongside drivers.
Driver Toolkit and migration
The Premium Driver Toolkit can retrieve drivers for the current computer or search by the hardware ID of a device on another machine. You can select a different target operating system, choose the packages and set their download destination.
Migration extends that process to a set of devices. Driver Fusion can export packages for the current PC, or use a computer information file saved on another PC to prepare that machine’s drivers. The export includes batch files for applying the packages, and the saved drivers can be used without an Internet connection. The export can prepare drivers ahead of a Windows reinstall, including the network driver needed to regain connectivity.
The toolkit also manages the Windows Driver Store, the local repository of packages Windows can use when setting up hardware. You can add a driver package to that repository or select stored packages for removal.
Driver cleanup
Driver Cleaner searches for software and driver entries associated with a selected driver, grouping the available targets by device class. After the search, you can review the entries and uncheck those you want to retain before cleaning.
The free edition includes cleaning, while removing entries that are in use or protected requires Premium.
Driver recovery
Premium’s protection settings can create a system restore point before critical changes and automatically back up changes for recovery through History. The history view lets you select a saved operation to restore. When an operation contains several changes, such as a group of Health Check fixes, its individual changes can be opened and restored separately.
Driver backup retention is adjustable, but the last remaining driver backup for a device is retained. Saved driver packages can be selected again through Device Control when restoring a particular device’s driver.
Desktop layout backup is also available in the free edition. It records icon positions and screen resolutions, with a restore control for the selected layout. Premium can create this backup automatically when Driver Cleaner cleans a display driver, tying layout recovery to a change that can affect the desktop.
Device Monitor and system report
Premium’s Device Monitor shows graphs for hardware that supports monitoring. Depending on the device, the readings include usage, transfer rate, throughput and temperature, with graphs covering the latest minute. Further details can include speed, voltage and capacity. The available measurements depend on what the hardware exposes.
Driver Fusion also offers a Premium system report covering devices and drivers with a summary of the computer’s main components.
