Overview

Device Drivers are the type of software that controls a particular computer hardware device attached and configured to the computer system. Many hardware devices require a device driver to connect to a system. Hardware devices that require a driver are:

• Computer monitor
• Sound cards
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Hard disk
• USB stick/Pen drive

Device Drivers Examples

Examples of device drivers are as follows:

• Motherboard Drivers
• BIOS Drivers
• Display Drivers
• Sound Card Driver
• ROM Drivers
• Printer Drivers
• USB Drivers

Plug and Play

A set of specifications developed by Intel that allows a computer system to automatically detect and configure a hardware device and install the appropriate device drivers. Many operating systems like Windows support the plug-and-play feature. Windows automatically installs the device and its appropriate device driver when the device is connected to the computer.

Device Manager

On the Windows operating system, Device Manager provides information about the computer hardware that is installed and configured. With Device Manager, users can update the device drivers for the hardware devices installed on the computer, scan for hardware changes, uninstall device drivers, modify hardware settings, and troubleshoot hardware problems.