What Is A Driver; Identifying Drivers; Reinstalling Drivers; Using Windows Xp Device Driver Rollback - Dell XPS 710 Owner's Manual

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 as a translator between the device and any programs that use the device. Each device has a set of specialized commands that only driver for
that device recognizes.
Required drivers are already installed on your computer—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
Upgrade your operating system.
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Reinstall your operating system.
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Connect or install a new device.
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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 Start, then 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 of devices and check for an exclamation point (a circle with a [!]) next to the device name.
If an exclamation point appears next to the device name, you may need to reinstall the driver or install a new driver (see Drivers).

Reinstalling Drivers

NOTICE: The Dell Support website at support.dell.com and your Drivers and Utilities CD provide approved drivers for your Dell computer. If you install
drivers obtained from other sources, your computer may not function properly.

Using Windows XP Device Driver Rollback

If a problem occurs on your computer after you install or update a driver, use Windows XP Device Driver Rollback to replace the driver with the previously
installed version.
1. Click Start, then 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. Right-click the device for which the new driver was installed, then click Properties.
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Windows operating system. You may need to install drivers if you: