What is the driver

driver is a small piece of code that is added to the operating system and contains information about the hardware device. With this information, the computer can communicate with the device. The driver is a configuration file written by the hardware manufacturer according to the operating system. It can be said that there is no driver, and the hardware in the computer cannot work. The operating system is different, the hardware drivers are different, and each hardware manufacturer will continuously upgrade the driver in order to ensure hardware compatibility and enhance hardware functions. For example, Nvidia graphics chip companies will upgrade the graphics driver 2-3 times a month. Drivers are part of the hardware, and drivers are an indispensable component when you install new hardware. When installing a hardware device that is not part of your computer, the system will ask you to install the driver and connect the new hardware to the computer system. The driver plays the role of communication, tells the computer system the function of the hardware, and also communicates the instructions of the system to the hardware to get it working.

When you install new hardware, you will always be asked to put "this hardware driver", many people start to have a headache. I don't find the driver's platter, I can't find the location of the file, or I don't know what the driver is. For example, if you install a hardware peripheral such as a printer, it is not completed by connecting the cable. If you start using it at this time, the system will tell you that the driver cannot be found. How to do it? The reference manual may not be able to be installed smoothly. In fact, there are certain practices and general rules in the installation, these can help you to achieve barrier-free installation.

In Windows, you need to install a complete set of drivers such as motherboard, CD-ROM, graphics card, and sound card. If you need to connect other hardware devices, you need to install the corresponding driver, such as: external game hardware to install the driver, steering wheel, joystick, dance pad, etc., external printer to install the printer driver, Internet or access LAN should install NIC, Moden and even ISDN, ADSL drivers. Having said so many drivers, do you have a headache? The following is a description of the drivers for various hardware devices in the Windows system, hoping to let you see the cloud.

Under Windows 9x, drivers can be divided into: sound card drivers, graphics drivers, mouse drivers, motherboard drivers, network device drivers, printer drivers, scanners. Drivers and more. Why are there no CPUs or memory drivers? Because the CPU and memory can be used without a driver, most keyboards, mice, hard drives, floppy drives, monitors, and standard devices on the motherboard can be driven by the standard drivers that come with Windows, except for other specific functions. . If you need to use the CD-ROM drive in DOS mode on Windows systems, you also need to install the CD-ROM driver in DOS mode. Most graphics cards, sound cards, network cards and other built-in expansion cards and peripherals such as printers, scanners, and external modems need to be installed with drivers that match the device model. Otherwise, some or all of them cannot be used. Drivers can generally be obtained in three ways. One is that the purchased hardware comes with a driver; the other is that the Windows system comes with a large number of drivers; the third is to download the driver from the Internet. The last way is often to get the latest drivers.

The driver package for Windows 9x usually consists of some .vxd (or .386), .drv, .sys, .dll or .exe files. During the installation process, most files will be Copy to the "Windows System" directory.

How does Windows know what devices are installed and which files to copy? The answer lies in the .inf file. .inf is a file that describes device installation information introduced since the Windows 95 era. It uses specific syntax text to describe the type of device to be installed, the manufacturer, model, file to be copied, target path to copy to, and The information to be added to the Registry
. By reading and interpreting these words, Windows knows how to install the drivers. Currently, almost all hardware vendors provide drivers for Windows 9x with installation information files. In fact, the .inf file can be used not only to install drivers, but also to install software that has nothing to do with the hardware. For example, Windows 98 supports the "Windows Update" function. The system components downloaded during the update are explained by the .inf file. How to install the part.

When installing the driver, Windows usually copies the .inf file to the "Win-dowsInf" or "WindowsInfOther" directory for future use. In the Inf directory, in addition to the .inf file, there are two special files, Drvdata.bin and Drvidx.bin, and some .pnf files, which are binary files automatically generated by Windows to speed up processing. Drvdata.bin and Drvidx.bin record all the hardware devices described in the .inf file. Maybe friends will have the impression that when we install some devices, we often see a "Create Driver Information Library" window. Windows is generating these two binaries.

Windows 9x provides "Add New Hardware Wizard" (hereinafter referred to as Hardware Wizard) to help users install hardware drivers. The user's job is to tell the hardware wizard where to find the hardware model when necessary. Matching .inf files, the vast majority of the rest of the installation work will be done by the hardware installation wizard itself.

Installing drivers for hardware devices is not a stranger for Windows 9x users. Drivers are required to install or reinstall Windows. Drivers are also required after purchasing some new hardware. . Some hardware in the system may not work properly if the driver is not installed properly. Although Windows 9x supports plug-and-play, it can save a lot of work for users. However, because PC devices have many brands and models, and various new products are constantly coming out, Windows cannot automatically identify all devices. Manual intervention is required when installing many devices.//This article comes from the computer software and hardware application network www.45it.com reproduced please specify