What are system drivers?

A driver is specially coded software that allows hardware such as a sound card to communicate and function with the operating system software such as Windows XP or Vista. You can think of a driver as a translator where the operating system and the hardware talk two completely different languages. The better the translator is the better the understanding is between the hardware and the software. This is why hardware manufactures are constantly updating driver software.

Problems with drivers.

Poorly written drivers can cause all kinds of system problems. It could keep a hardware device from completely working. It could cause your system to freeze up or even cause the "Blue Screen of Death" (BSOD). Often updating your driver versions on your computer can solve one or multiple problems you may be having.

Common hardware that needs drivers.

The most common hardware that needs drivers are: Motherboard chipset, Sound card, Network Card, Video card, modem, Mouse, Keyboard, and WiFi adapter. Windows has some drivers built right into it and things like mice and keyboards work well using the Microsoft drivers. When you use the software drivers that comes with your mouse and keyboard you are able to add features that won't come with the Microsoft drivers. The same holds true for other generic Microsoft drivers.

How to update your drivers.

Soon I will produce some documentation on how to identify the hardware within your computer, how to find out which driver version you are currently using, how to locate and download updated drivers and how to install them. So check back hear at a later date.