Device drivers are simple software code that allows a higher level program on your computer such as an operating system to control a device. Today there are many peripherals for home computers and laptops such as printers, scanners, keyboards, etc. All of these devices require the operating system and sometimes other software programs that run on a computer access and control of a device. A device driver offers this access and ultimately makes the use of a device smooth and reliable.

When you buy a peripheral device such as a printer, it usually comes with a CD that includes software. Many times this software has to be first loaded onto your computer so that your computer (operating system) can control the device correctly. Usually device drivers are relatively small compared to applications and other types of software. Device drivers can be less than a megabyte of data or sometimes only a few megabytes of data.

Generally speaking, there is a major effort for new operating systems to be preloaded with a wide variety of device drivers from popular peripheral companies. This means that since the device driver is preloaded when you initially connect the device to your computer, the operating system recognizes it and already has the software loaded to control it- hence no need to load the device driver.

While many devices that are sold come with a CD that includes a device driver, many times, it is better to visit the manufacturer’s home page to see if a new, updated device driver is available for download. Many savvy computer users download the most updated version of the device driver weeding out possible bugs and connection issues. It should also be noted that even if you already have a device driver loaded for a specific device, you might want to check the manufacturer’s home page from time to time to download the most updated device driver for the device you have connected to your computer.