By: Charles Carvist
Drivers are essentially a set of instructions that your computer needs to operate hardware, another description is a piece of software that determines how your computer will communicate with a device. If you are not familiar with drivers or a driver download then the following information will help you.
Most hardware devices require a driver in order to operate properly. If you buy a computer brand new, it will already have all the required hardware drivers installed, also your computer should come with a disc containing the drivers.
When you purchase a new piece of hardware, for example a sound card or a printer, it will come with a CD containing the drivers for the device. These drivers are specific to the make and model of your hardware.
Some devices do not come supplied with a driver disc, this could be because the drivers may be an intrinsic property of the device, this means any drivers required are on the hardware. An example is a mobile broadband USB stick. Once the stick is inserted into a USB port, its drivers will auto run and automatically install. It only takes a couple of clicks to confirm where you want the drivers installed, and your new device is ready for use.
Hardware like CD drives and hard drives are simple plug and play, no additional drivers are required. Some gadgets like mp3 players and cell phones come supplied with a driver disc, in many cases your mp3 player or cell phone can be used on your computer without installing any drivers. You may be limited to what functions you can perform. You will be able to perform basic operations like moving music files and pictures etc. But for more in depth activities such as synchronising your device you will need to install the drivers supplied.
There will no doubt come a time when you will need to download a driver. If you take your time to look around the internet you will probably find the driver you need for free. There are hundreds of sites that will let you download drivers for free.
But many sites out there will charge you for downloading drivers. Before paying for drivers always visit the manufacturer web site. Very often they will have drivers for all of their products available for free. When using a search engine to locate the file you want, remember to be specific in your search term. With so many drivers available and probably several different models of your device, it is very easy to download the wrong
one.
If you have exhausted every option and still cannot get your driver for free and your only option is to pay for it, then be sure it is the exact driver you need. Remember drivers are specific to the hardware, if you download the wrong one you will not get a refund, so be careful.
Some manufactures provide updated drivers for your device, these updates can come available some time after you purchased the equipment. So it is always worth checking on their web site for any driver download updates available.
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