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Computer Software A device driver is the term given to a small software program written to handle the communication between the Operating System and a particular hardware component. Each installed hardware device other than the CPU and memory requires a device driver to properly communicate with other system components and for other software programs to use it. A device driver is the last link in the long chain of software commands that begins with the initial request from the software program, through the various operating system tasks and finally to the hardware device for execution. Operating systems usually have thousands of device drivers built-in or ready to be installed when any new hardware is added to the computer system. Manufacturers normally supply a device driver on CD or diskette with hardware devices. If the Operating System does not have access to the applicable device driver from its own sources, it can be installed from this copy. The most reliable source for the latest revision of a device driver will be available for download from the Internet. |