Users know that for the correct functioning of absolutely all components of the computer, sometimes called “hardware”, and some virtual devices in the system, special software called the driver must be present. But what is a device driver? The answer to this and some other questions can be found in the material below.
Driver: what is it in general understanding?
It was possible, of course, to cite a huge number of technical terms and definitions about what constitute control programs of this type, but this is not necessary for the average user. Therefore, we will speak, so to speak, in human language.
The generally accepted interpretation of this term says that a driver is a program that allows the operating system to identify a hardware or virtual device and make it workable in a computer environment. But this is only one side of the coin. In fact, we can say that the driver is a bridge connecting the hardware or virtual component of the computer with the operating system and applications installed in it, and ultimately with the user.
Device driver installation issues
Now a few words about the installation. Since the driver is the link between the hardware of the computer and the existing software environment, for each device such software must be installed without fail (otherwise it will not work, or its functionality will be impaired).
Windows-systems install the main drivers at the stage of their installation, identifying devices automatically. But this does not always work, and sometimes unidentified components remain in the system for which, unfortunately, no suitable software was found in the system’s own database. What to do in this case?
First of all, you need to view the entire list of installed equipment in the "Device Manager", which is easiest to call with the devmgmt.msc command through the "Run" console. You can also use the standard “Control Panel” or the administration section through the PCM menu on the computer icon.
To see all the devices, the list must be expanded using the command to display hidden devices. All equipment for which drivers are not installed, outdated, or malfunctioning will be marked with a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark. There can be two options in the description: either the device is recognized (its name is displayed) or not (unknown device). For such components, it is necessary to reinstall the appropriate software using its own system database, and if the driver cannot be found, the original disk supplied when purchasing a computer. But it so happens that there may not be a disk.
How and where to find the right driver if it is not in Windows?
For example, the system does not have a network driver. For most Ethernet network adapters, the management software installs without problems. But in the case of non-standard equipment or a network card from a little-known manufacturer, it may not be. You have to download the driver yourself. But how to find exactly what you need?
For this, special identifiers are provided that correspond to a specific device (DEV and VEN). To find them, you need to call the property section through the PCM in the properties menu and go to the information tab, where the equipment ID is selected in the information list. The longest line and will fully correspond to the description of the device. Thus, the same network driver can be found on the Internet by specifying exactly this combination in the search.
After downloading the driver, you can install it yourself. If this is an EXE file - there is no problem, only run the installer as administrator.
In the case of an .inf file, the driver can be installed via the PCM menu or you can tell the system to install from the specified location when updating the driver in the “Device Manager”.
Using Automated Utilities
However, as practice shows, even a search by identifiers may not give the desired result. But somewhere should the driver be? After all, such control software is issued for all equipment without any exceptions (otherwise it would not have gone on sale).
Here specialized software packages come to the rescue for automatic search and installation of drivers like Driver Booster, DriverPack Solution and the like. But such utilities, having determined all the devices that are present in the computer system, do not access to their own or third-party databases, but directly to the resources of equipment manufacturers and developers of the corresponding software, downloading and installing it without the visible participation of the user (his participation is reduced only to agree to the offer of installation or update). In addition, these programs monitor the current status of drivers, constantly checking for new versions (which Windows, with all due respect to these systems, can’t do).
Conclusion
Now it’s already clear that the driver is a required component of the program class, without which no device will be recognized by the operating system, not to mention the operability of the hardware itself. About virtual devices, we can only say that they are some analogues of hardware made in the form of certain emulators, but, in fact, their functionality also depends on the availability and correct installation of control software called drivers.