Dell Latitude D631 (Early 2009) - Manual (Page 101)

Reinstalling Software 101
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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 media 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, and click System.
3 In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager.
Microsoft Windows Vista ®
1 Click the Windows Vista start button, , and right-click Computer.
2 Click Properties→ Device Manager.