38
Workshop
27 April – 10 May 2022 • Issue 630STEP
2Allow SDIO to make changes to your system, then click
Agree to the the Licence Agreement. You’ll now be
prompted to install the driver packs or indexes that the
program needs to work properly. To get all the drivers you could
ever need, so you can install them even when you’re offline,
click Download All Driver Packs. Be aware that this involves
downloading a 26GB file, which can take a long time and will
eat into your drive space. A better idea, while you’re still getting
a feel for SDIO, is to click Download Indexes Only^2 , which
scans your PC to determine which drivers need to be installed
or updated.STEP
3SDIO will now download the indexes file – this is only
20MB, so shouldn’t take long – and use it to identify
missing and outdated drivers on your PC. The results
will appear in the main program window and tell you where
updated drivers are available for specific devices^1 , and – in
some cases – list older drivers, though these are best ignored.
Hover your cursor over an entry and press Ctrl on your
keyboard to view a pop-up comparing the installed driver with
the new one^2. This includes details of which manufacturer
issued the driver, the date it was released and whether it’s
actively running on your PC.Install missing drivers and
update old ones for free
What you need: Snappy Driver Installer Origin
Time required: 20 minutesD
evice drivers allow hardware
connected to your computer, including
your keyboard, mouse, graphics card and
network adapter, to interact with Windows
so it’s important you have the correct
versions to keep everything running
smoothly. In theory, your drivers should
update automatically via Windows
Update, but this may not always happen,
especially on older PCs, so it’s a goodidea to get a second opinion. Snappy
Driver Installer Origin (SDIO) is one of
the few driver updaters that doesn’t
charge you to identify missing and
outdated drivers and install new or
superior versions. If you download its
extensive set of driver packs, you can
even install them when you’re offline.
SDIO is a portable tool, which means you
don’t need to install it and can run itSTEP
1Download Snappy Driver Installer Origin (SDIO)
from its developer’s website at http://www.snipca.
com/41568. Avoid searching for the program
using Google, because results may include malware-
infected downloads with a similar name – see page 21 for
more on this. Extract the contents of the ZIP file, open the
SDIO folder and double-click the ‘SDIO_x64_R742’ file^1 -
or SDIO_R742 if you’re using a 32bit PC. If Microsoft
Defender SmartScreen shows a warning, click ‘More info’
then ‘Run anyway’^2. SDIO is completely safe to use – you
can see its 100-per-cent clean bill of health from
VirusTotal at http://www.snipca.com/41569.1
2
1
2
1
2
from a USB stick – see our Cover Feature
on page 50 for details of more portable
programs.