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Reinstalling Software 91
Reinstalling Software
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.
NOTICE: The Drivers and Utilities CD may contain drivers for operating systems that are not on your computer.
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.
Microsoft Windows XP
1
Click
Start
→
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
.
Microsoft Windows Vista
1
Click the Windows Vista Start button, , and right-click
Computer
.
2
Click
Properties
→
Device Manager
NOTE: The User Account Control window may appear. If you are an administrator on the computer, click
Continue; otherwise, contact your administrator to continue the desired action.