How Computers Work · How an Operating System Works · Lesson 4 of 5

Drivers and Updates

The small programs that let Windows talk to your hardware.

A translator for hardware

Your computer is full of hardware, the physical parts you could touch. The graphics chip, the Wi-Fi card, the speakers, the webcam and the printer are all hardware.

Each piece of hardware speaks its own language. Windows can't know every one. So it uses a driver.

A driver is a small program that works like a translator. Windows says "print this page." The printer driver turns that into the exact signals that one printer model understands. Without the right driver, the device may not work at all.

Drivers run very close to the heart of the operating system. That gives them a lot of power. It also means a broken driver can cause big problems. Think of a frozen screen or a sudden restart.

Most of the time you never think about drivers. Windows already includes thousands of them. When you plug in a mouse or a flash drive, Windows finds a driver and sets it up in seconds.

To see your drivers, open Device Manager. Right-click the Start button and choose it from the menu. It lists your hardware by type, like Display adapters and Network adapters.

A small yellow warning sign next to a device means something is wrong. Often the driver is missing or not working. Just look for now. Don't remove or change drivers here unless a trusted guide tells you to.

On a Mac, you rarely see drivers at all. Apple builds the ones you need into macOS and updates them with the system.

Keeping drivers current, safely

Drivers get updates, just like apps. Makers fix bugs, close security holes, and make devices work better with new versions of Windows.

An outdated driver is an old version that hasn't been updated. It can cause problems like:

• No sound, or sound that crackles
• Wi-Fi that keeps dropping
• A screen that flickers, or games that crash
• A printer that suddenly stops working after a Windows update

There are two safe places to get drivers.

1. Windows Update. It delivers many drivers on its own. To see more, go to Settings > Windows Update > Advanced options > Optional updates. Driver updates are listed there.
2. The maker. This means your computer's brand, like Dell, HP or Lenovo. It can also be the part's maker, like Intel, AMD or NVIDIA. Use their official website or their own update app.

Now a warning. Many websites push driver updater apps. They promise to scan your PC and fix everything. Often the free scan finds dozens of "outdated" drivers in scary red letters, then asks you to pay.

Skip these apps. They can install the wrong driver, which makes things worse. Some bundle extra junk software. Microsoft treats programs that use alarming warnings to push payment as unwanted software. Microsoft Defender can remove them.

If everything works, you don't need to chase new drivers. Update when something breaks, or when the maker offers a fix.

On a Mac, keep macOS current in System Settings > General > Software Update.