Dell Dimension 2350 Dell Dimension 2350 Owner's Manual - Page 59

Drivers - drivers windows 7

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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 the programs that use the device. Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes. 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 If you experience a problem with any device, perform the steps in the following sections to identify whether the driver is the source of your problem and if necessary, to update the driver. Identifying Drivers 1 Click the Start button and click Control Panel. 2 In the Control Panel window, under Pick a Category, click Performance and Maintenance. 3 In the Performance and Maintenance window, click System. 4 In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab. 5 Click Device Manager. 6 In the Device Manager window, scroll down the list to see if any device has an exclamation point (a yellow circle with a [!]) on the device icon. If an exclamation point is next to the device name, you may need to reinstall the driver or install a new driver. Advanced Troubleshooting 59

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Advanced Troubleshooting
59
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 the programs that use the device. Each
device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes.
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
If you experience a problem with any device, perform the steps in the following sections to
identify whether the driver is the source of your problem and if necessary, to update the
driver.
Identifying Drivers
1
Click the
Start
button and click
Control Panel
.
2
In the
Control Panel
window, under
Pick a Category
, click
Performance and
Maintenance
.
3
In the
Performance and Maintenance
window, click
System
.
4
In the
System Properties
window, click the
Hardware
tab.
5
Click
Device Manager
.
6
In the
Device Manager
window, scroll down the list to see if any device has an
exclamation point (a yellow circle with a [
!]
) on the device icon.
If an exclamation point is next to the device name, you may need to reinstall the driver
or install a new driver.