What is a driver? Easily explained

There are numerous drivers on each computer. You can find out exactly what this is and what you need these drivers for in this article. In some cases, the drivers are requested by the computer, in other cases they are the causes or solutions of everyday computer problems.

What are drivers and how do they work?

• A driver is software that you and your PC can use to control individual hardware parts. A computer without a driver would only be usable to a limited extent.
• There are several components in each computer. This hardware consists of a graphics card, CD drive and monitor. External hardware such as a mouse and printer are also used by the computer.
• In order for the computer to work with the individual components, it needs drivers for each device. They install the hardware so that the computer has full access to the components.
• For example, if you connect a wireless mouse to your computer for the first time, the required driver will be searched for and installed first. The driver reveals all important information to your computer during installation, so that the mouse and computer can now communicate correctly with each other.

Install and update drivers - how it works

• If you connect an external device to your computer for the first time, Windows tries to find the required driver yourself. In most cases, the driver is installed directly without your intervention.
• If this does not work, you have to install the driver manually. Many manufacturers send a CD with the hardware on which the driver is located. Alternatively, you can find the drivers on the manufacturer's website.
• Drivers should always be up to date so that there are no complications with the operating system. You can either update your drivers manually or search for driver updates via software.
• To keep your computer from slowing down, you should also find and delete old, unused drivers. You can find out exactly how this works in our video: