What is a Driver?

The material on his page provided by Ray Thorne and was originally from a HP web site.

A driver is, simply, a program that allows your computer to communicate with an attached device, such as a printer, disk drive, or keyboard. Because each of these devices utilize a unique set of commands, the driver is needed to translate the generic commands sent by your application (a word processor or photo editor, for example) into something that the device can understand. Without it, the two machines might as well be speaking in tongues.

Whenever you install a new device on our computer, it is necessary to install the proper driver as well. Usually the driver is included on a disk packaged with the device, and will be installed automatically in the correct place on your computer. Sometimes you might be prompted to download the correct driver from the Internet. Always be sure to read the documentation that comes along with a driver, and follow the accompanying instructions for installations.

Update regularly

A common suggestion given to computer users when a device starts to function incorrectly is to make sure they have the current driver installed. Device vendors regularly upgrade their driver programs in order to eliminate bugs and to allow the device to function more efficiently with new software. Making sure you have the most current drivers for each of piece hardware attached to your computer will keep your entire system running at its peak.

Most vendors make driver updates available for no cost on their websites; in addition, a number of download sites have large repositories of drivers from numerous vendors. Before you start looking for the new drivers, however, you'll need to determine which drivers are currently installed.

Once you have located and downloaded the driver, you will need to install it. If the file you downloaded is an executable file then all you need to do is double-click and follow whatever instructions appear.

Extra hints

When replacing a device on your computer, always uninstall the software that came with the old one before installing the new software.
Avoid installing Beta versions of drivers, or installing drivers that have been released for less than a month. Untested versions can frequently cause more problems then they solve.
Never interrupt a driver installation or update. If you change your mind, let the process finish and then uninstall, as canceling it mid-installation can change or damage key system files.
If it's not broken, don't fix it. If your device seems to be functioning properly, there's no need to install new drivers, unless the vendor offers compelling justification for doing so. Always read the documentation that comes with the driver update.