Reinstalling drivers and the operating system, Drivers, What is a driver – Dell OptiPlex SX280 User Manual
Page 67: Identifying drivers
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Reinstalling Drivers and the Operating System
Dell™ OptiPlex™ SX280 User's Guide
Using Microsoft® Windows® XP System Restore
Reinstalling Microsoft Windows XP
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.
Many drivers, such as the keyboard driver, come with your Microsoft Windows
operating system. You may need to install drivers if you:
l
Upgrade your operating system.
l
Reinstall your operating system.
l
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.
Windows XP
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.
6.
Scroll down the list to see if any device has an exclamation point (a yellow circle with a [!]) on the device icon.
If an exclamation point is next to the device name, you may need to
CAUTION:
Before you begin any of the procedures in this section, follow the safety instructions in the Product Information Guide.
NOTICE:
You must use Microsoft® Windows® XP Service Pack 1 or later when you reinstall Windows XP.
NOTE:
If you installed a unique image on your computer or if you had to reinstall your operating system, run the DSS utility. DSS is available on your
Drivers and Utilities CD and at support.dell.com.
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.