70 Troubleshooting Tools
4
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.
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 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.
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
1
Click
Start
, then click
Control Panel
.
2
Click
System
.
3
In the
System Properties
window, click the
Hardware
tab.
4
Click
Device Manager
.
Configuration Displays your hardware configuration for the selected device.
The Dell Diagnostics obtains configuration information for all
devices from system setup, memory, and various internal tests,
and displays the information in the device list in the left pane of
the screen. The device list may not display the names of all the
components installed on your computer or all devices attached to
your computer.
Parameters Allows you to customize the test by changing the test settings.
Tab Function
DIM_book.book Page 70 Monday, October 15, 2007 11:04 AM