Dell 531S owner manual What Is a Driver?, Identifying Drivers

5When the tests are complete, close the test screen to return to the

Main Menu screen. To exit the Dell Diagnostics and restart the computer, close the Main Menu screen.

6Remove the Drivers and Utilities media (if applicable).

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 its driver recognizes.

Dell ships your computer to you with required drivers already installed—no further installation or configuration is needed.

NOTICE: The Drivers and Utilities media may contain drivers for operating systems that are not on your computer. Ensure that you are installing software appropriate for your operating system.

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.

NOTE: You must be logged in with Administrator privileges to perform this procedure.

Windows® XP:

1Click Start, then click Control Panel.

2Click System.

3In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab.

4Click Device Manager.

Troubleshooting Tools

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