What are Device Drivers
Just recently , I had to update  a Realtek driver in my notebook . The procedure  is straightforward , but for those of you that have not done it , this should help out. But first we need to explain device drivers and the updating process .
Device drivers are tiny software applications that allow your computer to interact with different devices and peripherals . Drivers are necessary for virtually everything that is connected to your computer. A driver typically communicates with the device through the computer bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware is connected.
To cut a long story short , drivers tell your computer how to interact with different devices, such as printers, monitors, scanners, cameras etc. For example, if you need to scan a document , your computer will know how to run the scanner via the installed drivers. Without these, nothing will work . There are now system default drivers in place, but these only do an average job .
If you want to update drivers, or see which drivers are currently installed, perform these steps :
- Go to Computer
- Click System Properties
- Click Device Manager
- Click the arrow sign to the left of a specific device
- Right-click on a device and select Properties
- Click the Driver tab
- You can now view driver details or update the driver
Sometimes the update driver function will work . But for many devices you have to go to the manufacturer website and locate the driver yourself. Although , once you have obtained the driver details (as above), it is much easier to find the driver you are looking for. For example, if you want to fix AC 97 drivers, browse to this device in the device manager. Right click and select properties, then locate the driver details. My driver was out of date, so I visited the Realtek site and downloaded the latest version for my hardware (6.111).
Once you find the driver on the manufacturer website , simply download and install. Just follow their instructions and it should only take a couple of minutes . Most drivers will have an installation script that does everything for you. You may need to reboot your computer after the new drivers are installed.