How drivers can help your computer run more smoothly

Drivers are small, behind-the-scenes programs that play a crucial part in keeping a computer – and most of the devices attached to it – ticking along smoothly and efficiently.

Most of the time, though, you will be unaware of their presence: they sit quietly in the background, making sure that Windows and applications that run on it can ‘talk’ properly to the hardware components that go to make up a typical home PC.

In this Back to Basics guide we will explain how drivers work, where to get them, how to keep them up to date and what to do when they go wrong.

What is a driver?
New or old, your PC will be full of drivers. Almost every attached device, from the graphics card to the hard disk, from the network connector to the sound card, has a set of these little programs that beaver away in the background, making sure that the hardware knows what the operating system wants it to do – this is why they are sometimes called ‘device drivers’.

We will begin by looking at a driver already installed on your PC. In Vista and Windows 7, click on the Start button, right-click Computer and choose Properties. When the window opens, click the Device Manager option in the left-hand panel, then click the arrow next to one of the devices on the list - Sound, video and game controllers is as good as any.

Now right-click a listed device and choose Properties. When the dialogue box appears, click the Driver tab at the top and then click the Driver Details button.

In XP, right-click the My Computer icon on the Windows Desktop and choose Properties. At the dialogue box, click the Hardware tab and then click the Device Manager button – then follow the same instructions (except the devices in the list have ‘+’ signs next to them instead of arrows). The driver details are duly displayed.

Installing drivers
When it comes to installing drivers for some devices, such as USB memory keys, Vista and Windows 7 do most of the work for you; just plug in the gadget and, after a few moments, a message should appear above the Notification Area at the foot of the screen. This will explain that the device driver software is being installed and, when it’s done, a second message will appear to confirm this.

If the device is something like a printer or a scanner, it will come with a CD or DVD that contains the necessary drivers. This disc may contain other software, such as trial or cut-down versions of commercial applications.

Depending on the way the disc has been made, you may be forced to install everything whether you want it or not, or save space by just installing the drivers. After that, if you have Windows Update set to ‘automatic’, Vista and Windows 7 do a good job of keeping an eye out for new drivers for common devices – just keep an eye on those updates marked as ‘optional’, as these often include new device drivers.

If using XP click Start, then point to All Programs and then click Windows Update. When the Windows Update website appears, click the Custom button and select the Hardware, Optional item from the panel on the left. The website will then list any missing drivers and offer the option to download and install them.