Is Softpedia a safe place to download drivers from?

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  1. Posts : 275
    Windows 10
       #1

    Is Softpedia a safe place to download drivers from?


    Is Softpedia a safe place to download drivers from? I have a scanner which is no longer supported by the manufacturer (HP Scanjet 4500c). I downloaded a driver for it from Softpedia and ran it through Virustotal. It got the all clear on every test except Comodo, which said "heur.suspicious". My guess is that this is a false positive, but I want to be sure before I try to install it.
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  2. Posts : 1,621
    Windows 10 Home
       #2

    I always do a custom or an advanced install of anything I download from Softpedia, and from all other sources as well. I just now noticed you mentioned drivers -- it is best to get drivers directly from the manufacturers' or next best from the desktop/laptop's maker such as Dell, HP, Toshiba, Asus, Acer, etc.
    Last edited by RolandJS; 08 Mar 2017 at 15:06.
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  3. Posts : 275
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #3

    HP don't offer drivers for anything older than 10 years, so I have no alternative but to look elsewhere.
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  4. Posts : 7,254
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
       #4

    I prefer to get drivers direct from the manufacturer then you can be 100% certain its safe.
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  5. Posts : 275
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #5

    swarfega said:
    I prefer to get drivers direct from the manufacturer then you can be 100% certain its safe.
    If it were at all possible, that's what I would be doing too, but as I said earlier, HP have taken all drivers for products older than ten years, such as my scanner, off their web site.
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  6. Posts : 27
    Windows 10 Pro V 1803 Build 17134.556
       #6

    You could try going http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/home.aspx . Then do a search for the printer you have. One thing is you have to use Edge to get the site to work properly.
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  7. Posts : 31,471
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #7

    ricecrispies said:
    HP don't offer drivers for anything older than 10 years, so I have no alternative but to look elsewhere.
    Not quite....

    This document describes scan software alternatives that users might consider as solutions for use with HP Scanjet scanners in Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. While HP neither directly supports nor endorses these solutions, HP does acknowledge that these are good solutions that might satisfy some user needs.
    HP Scanjet - Third-party scan software solutions | HP(R) Customer Support
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  8. Posts : 275
    Windows 10
    Thread Starter
       #8

    merkxr said:
    You could try going http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/home.aspx . Then do a search for the printer you have. One thing is you have to use Edge to get the site to work properly.
    Thanks! I didn't know about that resource. I'm a bit perplexed though. I know that a driver used to ship with earlier versions of Windows because the scanner used to work on a Windows 10 machine that had been upgraded from Windows 7, but when I search for "Scanjet 4500c" I don't find anything. There are several drivers for the 4500 Pro, but that's not the same thing.
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  9. Posts : 31,471
    10 Home x64 (22H2) (10 Pro on 2nd pc)
       #9

    merkxr said:
    You could try going http://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/home.aspx ... One thing is you have to use Edge to get the site to work properly.
    It used to only work in IE (not Edge) but MS have now rewritten the site to work in all browsers.
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  10. Posts : 2,716
    Windows 10
       #10

    It is not supported for Windows 10 nor 8.1
    I had a Scanjet 4370 same scenario for that, it was disposed of.
    I understand you can get drivers from VueScan at a cost, too much. I would rather buy a new scanner.
    VueScan Scanner Software for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux
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