What are Drivers anyway?
The average personal computer contains tens of thousands of different files, from essential operating system files and hidden system files to precious and irreplaceable user data. Keeping all of these files working smoothly is quite a task, and given the complexity of modern systems it is amazing things work as well as they do.
Of course problems do arise from time to time, and when that happens it is a good idea for the computer user to have some idea what is going on behind the scenes. Understanding a bit about how the various files and systems interact can help PC owners pinpoint the source of the problem and resolve it before major issues arise.
One of the most important class of files PC owners should understand are device drivers. These files are generally quite small, but they are very important. When there is a problem with a device driver printers, scanners and other pieces of hardware may suddenly stop working, putting a major crimp in productivity and causing other problems.
So just what are device drivers, and why are these tiny files so important? Simply put, device drivers help the computer’s operating system - the software - talk to the various pieces of hardware installed on the system. These pieces of hardware include everything from printers and scanners to digital cameras and external backup drives. The device drivers allow the computer’s operating system to “see” each piece of hardware and effortlessly send instructions to it.
In addition to printers, scanners, digital cameras and the like, a number of other system components generally require device drivers in order to operate properly. These components can include keyboards, mice, game controllers, sound boards, graphics cards, CD and DVD readers or burners and more.
Of course most of this is transparent to the end user, and many computer owners never know that all those device drivers are working so hard to make the hardware work. Creators of computer operating systems like Microsoft’s Windows family of products already include a wide array of device drivers in their code. This makes it easy for the operating system to recognize and load the appropriate driver as each new piece of hardware is added to the system.
When the operating system is first installed it looks for installed pieces of hardware and loads the appropriate driver. When new hardware is added later on the operating system again searches for device drivers and loads them automatically.
While most of the time device drivers will be loaded automatically and everything will work as intended, occasionally the operating system will not be able to find the proper device driver. When that happens computer owners will need to find the appropriate driver and load it themselves. Sometimes the device driver can be found on the CD-ROM that came with the hardware. Other times the driver can be downloaded at the manufacturer’s website.
After the driver has been found computer owners can simply follow the instructions provided to load the driver and get the hardware up and working.
It is also a good idea for computer owners to check for updated device drivers from time to time. Hardware manufacturers often write updated drivers to help their products work better and eliminate potential conflicts with other programs.
Keeping those drivers up to date can help ward off potential problems and keep the system humming along. We suggest Drivercure and Driver Detective as suitable free tools to automatically check for all your system updates
