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If only part of the display is readable
Drivers
What Is a Driver?
A driver is a program that controls a device such as a printer, mouse, or keyboard. All devices require
a driver program.
A driver acts like a translator between the device and any other programs that use the device.
Each device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes.
Dell ships your computer to you with required drivers already installed—no further installation or
configuration is needed.
NOTE: Any third party product used with your Dell computer may require an updated driver from the
third party manufacturer.
NOTICE: Ensure that you are installing software appropriate for your operating system.
Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with your Microsoft
®
Windows
®
operating
system. You may need to install drivers if you:
• Upgrade your operating system.
• Reinstall your operating system.
• Connect or install a new device.
Identifying Drivers
If you experience a problem with any device, identify whether the driver is the source of your
problem and, if necessary, update the driver.
1
Click the
Start
button and click
Control Panel
.
2
Under
Pick a Category
, click
Performance and Maintenance
.
3
Click
System
.
4
In the
System Properties
window, click the
Hardware
tab.
5
Click
Device Manager
.
CONNECT AN EXTERNAL MONITOR —
1
Shut down your computer and connect an external monitor to the computer.
2
Turn on the computer and the monitor and adjust the monitor brightness and contrast controls.
If the external monitor works, the computer display or video controller may be defective. Contact Dell
(see page 92).