Drivers 101: A Simple Guide to Keeping Your Hardware Running Smoothly
“They call me Baby Driver…and once, upon a pair of wheels”… No, not that kind of driver, more’s the pity. Today I’m going to tell you about drivers of a different type. They’re small programs that let your operating system talk to your hardware. We need to know about drivers because outdated drivers can cause glitches and crashes, and they may be missing some beneficial features. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines!
What Drivers Actually Do
A driver acts as a translator between hardware and software. Every component has a driver, from your keyboard to the Graphics Processing Unit. Drivers take the high-level commands from your operating system (“Print this page”) and convert them into commands that the hardware can understand. Then they take the response from the hardware (“Page printed”) and deliver it back to the operating system in a form that the operating system can understand.
That’s why you can plug in a printer but you can’t print to it, or why you may attach a device but it only functions with the basic stuff, none of the stuff it’s supposed to be able to do. Windows has a lot of basic drivers for most types of hardware, but manufacturers write more comprehensive drivers for their devices to make more use of the features they’ve built in.
When (and Why) You Might Need to Update Drivers
Device manufacturers and operating system developers (Microsoft, Apple, and RedHat, for example) make periodic updates to the drivers they use. The updates might fix bugs, handle security vulnerabilities, or repair some compatibility problems. So what might indicate it’s time to update a driver?
First, if the manufacturer says you should do it because they’ve plugged a security hole, you should do it. Otherwise, drivers don’t usually encounter issues on their own. You might see misbehavior in the device or an application that uses the device, or you might see some sluggish performance in a device after an operating system update. In the case of misbehavior, it’s likely the result of corruption in the driver code. Sluggishness can creep in when the operating system update introduces an incompatibility between the update and the driver.
Drivers are one area where you can take the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach – unless the manufacturer says you need to update for security. If the device is working, you can leave it alone. You don’t need to update a driver just because an update is available, especially if the device is doing exactly what it should be doing.
How to Check for Driver Updates
Windows Updates, macOS updates, and Linux updates will handle updates for drivers under their respective care. However, for specialized gear, like super video cards, you’ll want to visit the manufacturer’s website. My laptop often alerts me when Dell has published driver updates. A word of warning – don’t just blindly trust third-party driver updater sites. If they work as they say they do, they may save you a few minutes. However, you’re relying on someone else to tell you that the driver they find is the right one for your system and its devices, and they really can’t say that definitively.
For all the devices that are a part of my computer, I let Microsoft handle the driver updates. The exception is my graphics card, and NVidia lets me know when I need to update. But it’s pretty safe to say that you can leave everything alone as long as it’s working.
Your Turn
The good thing about drivers is that we don’t need to obsess over them. We just need to know when to pay them the attention they want (they’re really low-maintenance). You don’t need a pit crew for these drivers – just a little information, and now you have it.
Have you ever had a bad experience with a driver, computer-based or otherwise? Let’s talk about it, post a comment below the Related Posts section.
My photography shops are https://www.oakwoodfineartphotography.com/ and https://oakwoodfineart.etsy.com, my merch shops are https://www.zazzle.com/store/south_fried_shop and https://society6.com/southernfriedyanqui.
Check out my New and Featured page – the latest photos and merch I’ve added to my shops! https://oakwoodexperience.com/new-and-featured/
Curious about safeguarding your digital life without getting lost in the technical weeds? Check out ‘Your Data, Your Devices, and You’—a straightforward guide to understanding and protecting your online presence. Perfect for those who love tech but not the jargon. Available now on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Your-Data-Devices-Easy-Follow-ebook/dp/B0D5287NR3
