Computer Hardware Device Drivers: What they are and Where to get them

If you’ve been tinkering with computers for a while now, chances are you’ve stumbled upon the inconveniences caused by computer device drivers. Most likely, this has happened when you bought new hardware devices to attach to your computer, such as a new webcam or printer. Or perhaps you needed to reformat and reinstall your computer. In such cases, you had to deal with device drivers.

So what are device drivers anyway?

Device drivers are computer programs that control the hardware connected to your computer. Basically, it makes your devices work.

Let’s say you buy a new printer and attach it to your computer. Naturally, it wouldn’t work right away. Your computer can detect that you plugged something (the printer) in, but cannot use it because it doesn’t know how to communicate with the device yet. This is where device drivers come in. They act as translators between your computer and the device. It translates what the computer wants into a language that the device can understand so it can perform the task.

Each piece of hardware has a special “language” with which the computer must use to communicate. These languages are written in very low-level commands, such that the average computer user or even the tech-savvy ones cannot understand. These languages are programmed by the manufacturers of the devices themselves. They are in the best position to create drivers because they have better information regarding the design of the devices than any outsiders, and hence only drivers that come from these entities can really be trusted. One must always be wary of using drivers that do not come from the original manufacturer of the hardware device. This can cause problems ranging from not being able to get the device to work, or destroying it completely.

Some hardware devices that need drivers include printers, graphics cards, modems, network cards, and sound cards. Meanwhile, hardware devices that need drivers that can automatically be provided by your operating system usually include keyboards, mice, USB flash drives and most other USB devices.

If you ever find the need to install device drivers for your hardware, here are some of the most common solutions.

1. Plug in the device to your computer. Your operating system (say, Windows, Mac or Linux) will automatically try to search its database of drivers for a match. If a perfect one is found, it is automatically installed and your device is ready to use after just a few seconds. However, if your operating system was not able to find a suitable driver for your device, it will ask you if you’d like to connect to the Internet to find one, which usually does not work for Windows, but works for Linux. You can give it a try, or go to step 2.
2. Insert the installer discs that came with your hardware device. Use the drivers provided by your hardware manufacturer. These drivers are usually stored on CDs or DVDs. You can either have your operating system search for the drivers on the disc, or open the disc yourself and find the “Install” or “Setup” icon.
3. Go to the hardware manufacturer’s website. Usually these websites provide a way for users to search for drivers of the devices that they have created. Be sure to look for the specific model and one that have been created especially for your operating system and its version.
4. Go to driver search websites, the most popular of them being driverguide.com. You can specify what you are looking for: the type of hardware, brand, model and your operating system. They even have a software program you can install, which detects the drivers that you need and automatically download and installs them. Other driver search sites include driverzone.com, driversplanet.com and drivershq.com.
5. When all else fails, goggle it. Chances are, if you still haven’t found the driver you need, someone else has also experienced the same problem. Just try to search for the drivers using Google or your favorite search engine, and hopefully you will stumble upon websites or forums that will guide you on where to find that elusive driver you’ve been looking for.

Finding and installing device drivers can be an excruciating experience if you do not know what they are, what they do and where to find them. Hopefully, you are now fully equipped to start your quest for the perfect driver.

Happy searching!