Lecture

Device Driver
In computing, a device driver is a computer program that operates or controls
a particular type of device that is attached to a computer. A device driver is
a program that controls a particular type of device that is attached to your
computer.

A device driver is a particular form of software application that is designed to

enable interaction with hardware devices. A driver provides a software interface to
hardware devices. A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices. A
driver communicates with the device through the computer bus. Without the
required device driver, the corresponding hardware device fails to work. A device
driver acts as a translator between the hardware device and the programs or
operating systems that use it. A device driver may also be called a software driver.

There are device drivers for printers, displays, CD-ROM readers, diskette

drives, and so on. When you buy an operating system, many device drivers are
built into the product. However, if you later buy a new type of device that the
operating system didn't anticipate, you'll have to install the new device driver.
There are various types of device drivers for I/O devices such as keyboards, mice,
CD/DVD drives, controllers, printers, graphics cards and ports. They enable to
access the same hardware without a conflict.

When first turning on a computer, the OS works with device drivers and the
basic input/output system (BIOS) to perform hardware tasks. Without a device
driver, the OS would not be able to communicate with the I/O device.
Some Windows programs are virtual device drivers. These programs interface
with the Windows Virtual Machine Manager. There is a virtual device driver for
each main hardware device in the system, including the hard disk drive controller,
keyboard, and serial and parallel ports.
Drivers may interface with:
 Printers
 Video adapters
 Network cards
 Sound cards
 I/O buses of various sorts (for pointing devices such
as mice, keyboards, USB, etc.)
 Computer storage devices such as hard disk, CD-ROM, and floppy
disk buses (ATA, SATA, SCSI)
 Image scanners
 Digital cameras etc.