Week 5 - Device Drivers

 Week 5 - Importance of managing drivers

This week, I thought a good topic to address was the importance of managing drivers on a computer system. Often, we install things or use devices without even thinking about what else may be installed on the computer. This often happens with peripherals such as computer mice, keyboards, and headsets. For the most part, installations and drivers that are left alone won't cause any major issues. But should you leave them alone? I would say it is best to get rid of drivers you do not utilize. 

So what are device drivers exactly? Well, they are the work of the operating system and the hardware being used working together. As a matter of fact, when you plug in a new device (such as a computer mouse) there is a notification that appears. This notification lets you know the device is getting installed onto the device driver through windows. Windows has a hardware certification program that allows hardware manufacturers to have devices that work on their operating systems. This program is meant to ensure that the driver appropriately will run and function through the operating system.

This happens with a large number of devices, but what happens when you continue to install drivers? Well considering devices such as monitors, printers, and USB devices all require drivers, it can lead to a lot of space being taken up. If you use a lot of devices in your system or make upgrades commonly, this can cause old drivers to build up over time which ultimately affects storage and disk space. This storage and disk space, if close to maximum capacity, can show signs of slow speed and function. This is why you want to manage drivers. If you delete old drivers, you may be able to get a bit of a performance boost. 

If you would like to delete old drivers, I will give a quick tutorial below:

Search "Device Manager" in Windows > Go to view at the top > Show Hidden Devices > Double click the drive you wish to uninstall > Driver tab > Uninstall driver

Once you show the list of devices shown, you can double-click to see if the device is functioning in windows. The icon next to the text of the drivers should be faded if it is not currently on as well.