Installing
Software (3)
INSTALLING DEVICE DRIVERS
NICOLA TURING
REFERENCE: Form 3, Unit 2. Pages 55-57.
Senior Secondary Computer Studies, Andrew Nasalangwa.
What is a device driver?
“A device driver is a utility program that
controls a device installed in a computer”
A device driver acts as a translator between
the device and programs that use the device
E.g. between Word and a printer
Device drivers in Windows 7
❖Contains pre-loaded device drivers for most popular devices such as
printers and memory cards
❖If the device is certified with Microsoft, then the drivers are either pre-
loaded or come with Windows updates
❖Windows automatically installs USB devices when you plug them in
(Plug and Play or PnP)
❖Most common way of installing the drivers is using a Wizard so you are
guided through the process
Installing a
printer driver
in Windows 7
(1)
1. Check whether the printer
drivers are available in
Windows
2. Go to Control Panel from
the start menu
3. Click on add printer to see
the drivers that are already
pre-loaded in Windows 7
as shown in this screenshot
(pick a manufacturer on
the left to see their printer
drives in the right panel)
Installing a
printer driver in
Windows 7 (2)
If the drivers are not available
in Windows 7:
➢Check Windows update for
more drivers.
➢Use the CD that came with
the printer. Windows will
automatically run the disk and
show a list of installation
options.
➢Download the driver from the
internet – this will be available
on the printer manufacturer’s
website.
Note: Windows automatically
installs USB printers when you
plug them in (Plug and Play or
PnP)
Go to the printer manufacturer’s website and search for
driver downloads
You will be asked to enter the details of your printer
Find the correct driver (you may be asked to choose
between 32 and 64 bit versions)
Installing a
printer driver Click on download to download the .exe file
from the Click on the .exe file at the bottom right of your screen (or
internet from the downloads folder) and click run to extract the files
Select appropriate options and accept the license
agreement
Your driver (and any other associated software you
selected) will be installed
The printer installation software will start and give you on
screen instructions to guide you through the process
Screenshots to show how to download a printer driver from the internet (1)
OR …… if you prefer not to continue as soon
as you have installed the printer driver,
instructions on how to do it later!
Screenshots to show how to download a printer driver from the internet (2)
Installing a printer driver in
Windows 7 (3)
❖ You have confirmed that the printer driver is available in Windows
❖ From the start menu, click on Devices and Printers
❖ Click Add Printer
❖ Click Add local printer
❖ Click Next
❖ Choose the printer port from the drop down menu (note Windows
automatically installs USB printers when you plug them in (Plug and
Play or PnP), so you may not find USB as an option in this menu). Click
Next
❖ Type in the name of your printer and click Next to start the
installation process
❖ Give your printer a name if you want to share it on a network
❖ Once the drivers are installed, a test print page dialog box appears.
Use this to confirm that the printer drivers have been successfully
installed.
❖ Click finish
Click
Add a printer
Click
on the
correct
driver
Click
on the
correct
port
Screenshots to show how to install a printer driver in Windows 7
Upgrading drivers for a pre-existing
device in Windows
❖ Locate, download, and extract the latest drivers for the hardware. (You
should always check with the hardware manufacturer first when looking for an updated driver. When downloaded direct
from the hardware maker, you'll know the driver is both valid and the most recent for the hardware).
❖From the start menu search for and open Device Manager.
❖In the Device Manager, locate the device you want to update.
❖Right-click the device and click Update Driver Software.
❖Either browse your computer to point Windows to the location of the
updated driver files on your hard drive or search automatically for updated
software on your computer and on the internet (if you are connected)
❖If you have selected search automatically, Windows will complete the
update or tell you that you already have the latest driver.
❖If you have selected the driver update file, there will be a brief installing
software screen, followed by a “Windows has successfully updated your
driver software” window
Once drivers have been installed, reboot the computer.
Tips on device drivers
❖ Plug and Play (PnP) in Windows 7 and above means that you are
unlikely to have to install drivers for common devices
❖ Device driver installation may require you to restart your computer to
complete the process – remember to save your work before you do this!
❖ Device driver installation in Windows is usually Wizard driven, so you
are guided through the process
❖ Device driver installation in Linux is more complicated
❖ Linux is an open source operating system, so there are hundreds of Linux distribution variations.
Each Linux operating system handles the driver installation process a different way.
❖ Most default Linux drivers are open source and integrated into the system, which makes
installing any drivers that are not included quite complicated, even though most hardware
devices can be automatically detected.
❖ License policies vary among the different Linux distributions. For example, Ubuntu asks users
to avoid using proprietary or closed hardware.
