What are Drivers?

DRIVERS ARE THE SOFTWARE PROGRAMS THAT CONTROL HARDWARE DEVICES.

All devices (printer, disk drive, keyboard, mouse) must have a driver software program.

Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with the operating system; for other devices, you may need to “load” a new driver when you connect the device to your computer.

• In DOS systems, drivers are files with a.SYS extension
  In Windows environments, drivers often have a.DRV extension

Each device has its own set of special commands that only its driver knows. In contrast, most programs access devices by using generic commands. Almost all drivers can be “downloaded” directly from the manufacturer’s website, to ensure that you have the most current DRIVER installed on your system.

If a device isn't working correctly - such as your printer, scanner, webcam etc. - go to the manufacturer's website and "download" the driver again - it will see that you have software on your computer already for the hardware and will simply modify the instructions/software already on your computer.

Personally I do this twice a year (such as when the clocks change) to make sure my driver software is always the most up-t-date. it's quick and easy and it's free..