Dell D830 Reinstalling Software, What Is a Driver?, Identifying Drivers, Microsoft Windows XP

Reinstalling Software

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 CD 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.

Microsoft Windows XP

1Click Start→ Control Panel.

2Under Pick a Category, click Performance and Maintenance.

3Click System.

4In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab.

5Click Device Manager.

Microsoft Windows Vista

1Click the Windows Vista Start button,, and right-click Computer.

2Click Properties→ Device Manager

NOTE: The User Account Control window may appear. If you are an administrator on the computer, click Continue; otherwise, contact your administrator to continue the desired action.

Reinstalling Software

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