We kept talking and talking of computer drivers in our articles, but what is a driver? What is it good for and from where should we get a good driver? Does my computer has all the drivers installed when I buy the computer or do I have to download the drivers from the manufacturer site or do I have to buy a certain CD to make for example my printer run smoothly?
These answers will be responded to in this article. A driver is a computer software that allows the operating system to work with a certain hardware component, which is installed in the computer, like the motherboard, or it is at the exterior of the computer, like it is for example, a printer or a scanner. The drivers are collections of files that contain everything you need to use a hardware component.
The manufacturer of a hardware equipment must write also the driver. Because the driver is a computer program or a piece of software, the one that has the responsibility of writing the codes in the software is the manufacturer of the driver. Perhaps this is the reason for which Apple writes their own pieces of software and here I am referring to the iOS. They do not only produce the hardware components, but they also write the software and not only for the operating system, but for all the components inserted into the computer, such as the motherboard, the memory, the system bus and all the others.
What is weird is that the majority of the computers don’t use the iOS, but they still work excellent. Why this is happening? Because the producers of computers and Microsoft simply work great together, whatever the computer are we talking about.
It is natural for a hardware manufacturer to create the software of using that certain hardware, because only the manufacturer knows best the component that it produced. There are manufacturers who even keep it secret the method of creating the hardware, so it is difficult for others to write a software to make that component to work with the operating system and all.
This is a good thing when talking about drivers. There are some components, usually inserted in the computer, which do not need the existence of a specific software program. They work with a driver installed in the operating system along with the OS itself. For example, the big companies, like Microsoft have installed in their operating systems drivers for keyboards, for mice, for card readers, for hard disks which are part of the ATA group and so on.
The drivers that you need to make a component work are usually delivered on a CD, but there are cases in which you can download the driver from the manufacturer’s site. If you lose the software that the manufacturer provided in the first place, when you bought the computer, you need to address to the Support section on the official Website of the brand from where you got the computer.
If you are wondering how much time a driver lasts, you should know that the evolution of a computer driver is the same as of any computer program. So, when you feel that the driver is outdated, you should replace it with a new one, or you should simply upgrade the driver, if this is possible. There are cases when the manufacturer doesn’t bring any enhancement to the initial driver. In this situation, it is recommended to select another hardware component, thus another software manufacturer.
The rule says that when you buy a new component for your computer, you should install the latest version of the software that is suitable for that hardware. If your keyboard is working hard, perhaps the problem doesn’t come from the keys, nor from the connectors with the motheboard. Perhaps the problem comes from the fact that the driver is not updated. Have you ever thought that when a hardware component is working with difficulty, the problem might be a software one? This is the case of a battery which doesn’t work. Have you ever thought that the battery may have a software caused problem? Generally, you tend to think that there is a problem with the battery itself, with the outlet in which the computer is plugged (if the battery doesn’t hold a charge), with the connectors to the computers or with the connectors that are on the AC adapter, with the conductors in the cable that connects the computer with the adapter and forward with the wall power source, from where the electric current comes? Have you thought of that? Well, I have to admit that I haven’t. When I had a problem with my battery, I always thought that there is a hardware issue that generates that problem.
If we would be able to think differentely in some situations, we might solve a lot of problems. Of course, you have to start with the easiest solution. In the example above, you can change the outlet with another outlet, to see if the battery is now working correctly. Or you can remove the battery from the battery bay and place it again in that bay, to see if the problem was not caused by the fact that the battery was not in the right position. The problem may have multiple causes and multiple consequences. You have to find the solution that helps you quickly and that will be effective in a long term. Not an easy task, but not an impossible one.
