Drivers
What Is a Driver?
A driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard. All devices require a driver program.
A driver acts like a translator between the device and any other programs that use the device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only the driver for that device recognizes.
Required drivers are already installed on your
Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with your Microsoft® Windows® operating system. You may need to install drivers if you:
•Upgrade your operating system.
•Reinstall your operating system.
•Connect or install a new device.
Identifying Drivers
If you experience a problem with any device, identify whether the driver is the source of your problem and, if necessary, update the driver.
Windows XP
1Click the Start button, then click Control Panel.
2Under Pick a Category, click Performance and Maintenance.
3Click System.
4In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab.
5Click Device Manager.
6Scroll down the list of devices and check for an exclamation point (a circle with a [!]) next to the device name.
If an exclamation point appears next to the device name, you may need to reinstall the driver or install a new driver (see "Reinstalling Drivers" on page 55).
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