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   What is a Device Driver?
  </title><base href=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/driver.htm><link href=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/driver.htm rel=canonical><link href=https://www.computerhope.com/ch.css rel=stylesheet><script async src=https://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js></script><meta content=text/html;charset=utf-8 http-equiv=Content-Type><meta content=width=device-width,initial-scale=1.0 name=viewport><meta content="Computer dictionary definition for what device driver means including related links, information, and terms."name=description><meta content="What is a Device Driver?"itemprop=name><meta content="Computer dictionary definition for what device driver means including related links, information, and terms."itemprop=description><meta content=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/driver.htm property=og:url><meta content="Computer dictionary definition for what device driver means including related links, information, and terms."property=og:description><meta content="What is a Device Driver?"property=og:title><meta content=article property=og:type><meta content=summary name=twitter:card><meta content="What is a Device Driver?"name=twitter:title><meta content="Computer dictionary definition for what device driver means including related links, information, and terms."name=twitter:description><meta content=@computerhope name=twitter:creator><meta content=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/drivercd.jpg property=og:image><meta content=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/drivercd.jpg itemprop=image><link href=https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/d/drivercd.jpg rel=image_src><link href=https://feeds.feedburner.com/LatestNewPagesOnComputerHope rel=alternate title=RSS-Feed type=application/rss+xml><link href=https://www.computerhope.com/cdn/apple-touch-icon.png rel=apple-touch-icon><link rel="shortcut icon"href=https://www.computerhope.com/cdn/favicon.ico type=image/x-icon><script>(function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':
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Without drivers, the computer could not send and receive data correctly to hardware devices, such as a <a href=/jargon/p/printer.htm> printer </a> .<div class="pagenav contents"><ul><li><a href=#driver> What devices need drivers? </a><li><a href=#needed> What devices may not need drivers. </a><li><a href=#install> What happens if a driver is not installed? </a><li><a href=#more> Can a driver make my computer do more? </a><li><a href=#free> Are computer drivers free? </a><li><a href=#safe> Are computer drivers safe? </a><li><a href=#related> Related pages. </a></ul></div><h2 id=driver>What devices need drivers?</h2><p class=tab>Hardware devices that are unknown by the operating system or have features unknown by the operating system all require drivers. Below is a list of hardware devices and <a href=/jargon/p/peripher.htm> peripherals </a> that require drivers.<ul><li><a href=/jargon/c/cardread.htm> Card reader </a><li><a href=/jargon/c/controll.htm> Controller </a><li><a href=/jargon/m/modem.htm> Modem </a><li><a href=/jargon/c/chipset.htm> Motherboard chipset </a><li><a href=/jargon/n/nic.htm> Network card </a><li><a href=/jargon/p/printer.htm> Printer </a><li><a href=/jargon/o/optiscan.htm> Scanner </a><li><a href=/jargon/s/souncard.htm> Sound card </a><li><a href=/jargon/t/tape.htm> Tape drive </a><li><a href=/jargon/u/usb.htm> USB devices </a><li><a href=/jargon/v/video-card.htm> Video card </a></ul><h2 id=needed>What devices may not need drivers</h2><p class=tab>Today's operating systems have many generic drivers that allow hardware to work at a basic level without needing drivers or software. However, if that device has features unknown to the operating system, it will not work without drivers. For example, you could plug any keyboard into a computer and expect it to work. However, if that keyboard has any <a href=/jargon/s/special-key.htm> special keys </a> or features, they will not work until the drivers are installed.<ul><li><a href=/jargon/c/cpu.htm> CPU </a><li><a href=/jargon/o/optidisc.htm> Disc drive </a><li><a href=/jargon/f/fan.htm> Fan </a><li><a href=/jargon/h/harddriv.htm> Hard drive </a><li><a href=/jargon/h/heatsink.htm> Heat sink </a><li><a href=/jargon/j/joystick.htm> Joystick </a><li><a href=/jargon/k/keyboard.htm> Keyboard </a><li><a href=/jargon/m/mouse.htm> Mouse </a><li><a href=/jargon/m/monitor.htm> Monitor </a><li><a href=/jargon/p/power-supply.htm> Power supply </a><li><a href=/jargon/r/ram.htm> RAM </a><li><a href=/jargon/s/speaker.htm> Speakers </a><li><a href=/jargon/j/jumpdriv.htm> Thumb drive </a><li><a href=/jargon/u/ups.htm> UPS </a></ul><div class="tip tab"><span class="title note"> Note </span><p>The operating systems' generic driver may not be updated as often as the drivers from a hardware manufacturer or computer manufacturer.</div><h2 id=install>What happens if a driver is not installed?</h2><p class=tab>If the appropriate driver is not installed, the device may not function properly, if at all. With some devices, the device may work, but all of its features may not work. For example, a computer mouse usually works without drivers, but if it has more buttons than the traditional mouse, those extra buttons will not work until the drivers are installed.<p class=tab>For <a href=/jargon/w/windows.htm> Microsoft Windows </a> users, missing drivers may cause a driver conflict or an error in the <a href=/jargon/d/devicema.htm> Device Manager </a> . If problems or conflicts are encountered with drivers, the <a href=/network/computer.htm> computer manufacturer </a> or <a href=/network/hardware.htm> hardware manufacturer </a> releases a driver update to fix the problems. If updated drivers are available, those drivers need to be installed to replace the existing driver code.<h2 id=more>Can a driver make my computer do more?</h2><p class=tab>Installing a driver only makes the hardware installed in the computer function properly. If the correct driver is not installed, installing the latest driver for the hardware can take full advantage of the device. However, you cannot install a driver for hardware not installed in the computer and expect it to make your computer faster or more capable. In other words, installing <a href=/jargon/v/video-card.htm> video card </a> drivers for a video card that's not installed in the computer does not give your computer all the capabilities of that video card. In this example, you'd need the video card hardware and the video card drivers to be installed.<h2 id=free>Are computer drivers free?</h2><p class=tab>Almost all computer and hardware manufacturers provide free drivers, updates, and software for their devices. You can find a list of direct links to all company's pages through our <a href=https://www.computerhope.com/drivers/> computer driver </a> page.<p class=tab>However, companies no longer in business or products that are no longer supported may no longer offer free drivers. In this situation, third-party companies may host and offer drivers but charge for them.<h2 id=safe>Are computer drivers safe?</h2><p class=tab>As long the driver you're <a href=/jargon/d/download.htm> downloading </a> comes from a reputable source, like the manufacturer of the device, it is considered safe. If you have to download a driver from a <a href=/jargon/t/thirpart.htm> third party </a> , it's difficult to know if they've modified the driver code. Unfortunately, like any computer <a href=/jargon/s/software.htm> software </a> , drivers can also be infected with <a href=/jargon/v/virus.htm> viruses </a> and other <a href=/jargon/m/malware.htm> malware </a> . We recommend having an <a href=/jargon/a/antiviru.htm> antivirus </a> installed and running on a computer before you download and install a driver from a third party.<h3 class=tab>What if I download the wrong driver?</h3><p class=tab>If you mistakenly download the wrong driver and attempt to install it on your computer, it will fail during the install. However, it's possible to install a driver for a device that does not exist. However, even if this is done, you'd only get errors about the device not being detected or see problems with the non-existent device in <a href=/jargon/d/devicema.htm> Device Manager </a> . Installing the wrong driver on a computer that's working would not cause it to stop working. However, if you removed a working device and then installed the wrong drivers, that may cause problems.<div class=relatedpages><h2 id=related>Related pages</h2><ul><li><a href=/issues/ch000644.htm> How do I locate software or drivers for my computer? </a><li><a href=/issues/ch000834.htm> How to install and update a computer driver. </a><li><a href=/issues/ch000920.htm> What order should I install my computer drivers in? </a><li><a href=/issues/ch000546.htm> What hardware device drivers should be updated? </a><li><a href=/issues/ch000163.htm> How to roll back a Windows driver to the previous version. </a><li><a href=/issues/ch000868.htm> How do I determine the version of a driver in Windows? </a><li><a href=/drivers/index.htm> Full listing of computer drivers and help documents relating to drivers </a> .<li><a href=/network/drivers.htm> Listing of third-party driver link pages. </a></ul></div><p class=alsosee><a href=/jargon/d/ddriver.htm> Disk driver </a> , <a href=/jargon/d/dll.htm> DLL </a> , <a href=/jargon/d/drivercd.htm> Drivers CD </a> , <a href=/jargon/hardware.htm> Hardware terms </a> , <a href=/jargon/i/inf.htm> INF </a> , <a href=/jargon/i/inputdri.htm> Input driver </a> , <a href=/jargon/c/compinst.htm> Instructions </a> , <a href=/jargon/m/mousdriv.htm> Mouse driver </a> , <a href=/jargon/n/netwdd.htm> Network device driver </a> , <a href=/jargon/p/patch.htm> Patch </a> , <a href=/jargon/p/prindriv.htm> Printer driver </a> , <a href=/jargon/software.htm> Software terms </a> , <a href=/jargon/s/system-software.htm> System software </a></article><div class=bottomad><ins class=adsbygoogle data-ad-client=ca-pub-3999293766533555 data-ad-format=auto data-ad-slot=6514780129 style=display:block> </ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script><div class=related><ins class=adsbygoogle data-ad-client=ca-pub-3999293766533555 data-ad-format=autorelaxed data-ad-slot=9849691723 style=display:block> </ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script></div></div><div class=cf id=meta_wrap><ul class="options cf"><li class=useful-page><span class=nolink> Was this page useful? </span> <a class=first-child href=/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi?yes rel=nofollow> Yes </a> <a href=/cgi-bin/feedback.cgi?no rel=nofollow> No </a><li><ul><li class=feedback><a title="Give us your feedback about this page"href=/feedback/ rel=nofollow> Feedback </a><li class=email><a title="E-mail Computer Hope"href=/contact/ rel=nofollow> E-mail </a><li class=share><a title="Share this page with friends and social networks"href=/share/ rel=nofollow> Share </a><li class="first-child print"><a onclick="window.print();return false;"title="Print a copy of this page"href=# rel=nofollow> Print </a></ul></ul></div></div><footer><form action=https://www.computerhope.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi class=cf method=post><input class=sbar name=q title=Search><button>Search</button></form><ul class=cf><li class=recent-pages><ol><li class=widget-title><h5>Recently added pages</h5><li id=ra1><li id=ra2><li id=ra3><li id=ra4><li id=ra5><li><a href=/whatnew.htm> View all recent updates </a></ol><li class=useful-links><ol><li class=widget-title><h5>Useful links</h5><li><a href=/more.htm> About Computer Hope </a><li><a href=/sindex.htm> Site Map </a><li><a href=/forum/> Forum </a><li><a href=/contact/> Contact Us </a><li><a href=/issues/ch000586.htm> How to Help </a><li><a href=/chtop10.htm> Top 10 pages </a></ol><li class=social-networks><ol><li class="widget-title first-child"><h5>Follow us</h5><li><a class=facebook href=https://www.facebook.com/computerhope/> Facebook </a><li><a class=twitter href=https://twitter.com/computerhope/> Twitter </a><li><a class=pinterest href=https://www.pinterest.com/computerhope/> Pinterest </a><li><a class=youtube href=https://www.youtube.com/user/Computerhope/> YouTube </a><li><a class=rss href=/rss.htm> RSS </a></ol></ul><div class=copyright><a class=blogo href=/> </a> © 2021 Computer Hope <br><a class=legal href=/legal.htm> Legal Disclaimer - Privacy Statement </a></div></footer></div><script async src=https://www.computerhope.com/ch.js></script><div id=tt></div><script>(function(){window['__CF$cv$params']={r:'6a6fa28eab49627b',m:'.YoXynvTr8ISYAutclzobsS3ttPS.bhU1eJFfaEop_o-1635712161-0-AZzXTIeppyqNyKD7s2SRN2sjytMb5usm0/7N0h5KxfgiHN4GrAkligdGRSUg5jApuqrOXIoMs+3SDHfHpMXfMnUqc/KVrbCMGkmXREQ2qjLYepcbo++etptYg4u36NiTqV6aPZUMEh7UjGD5mEZzRVE=',s:[0xbec8d50027,0x02d005ad00],}})();</script>