
Reinstalling Software
99
1
Reinstalling Software
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 like a translator between the device and any other programs that use the device. Each
device has its own set of specialized commands that only its driver recognizes.
Dell ships your computer to you with required drivers already installed—no further installation or
configuration is needed.
NOTICE:
The
Drivers and Utilities
media 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 Windows operating system. You
may need to install drivers if you:
• Upgrade your operating system.
• Reinstall your operating system.
• Connect or install a new device.
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.
Microsoft
®
Windows
®
XP
1
Click
Start
→
Control Panel
.
2
Under
Pick a Category
, click
Performance and Maintenance
, and click
System
.
3
In the
System Properties
window, click the
Hardware
tab, and click
Device Manager
.
Microsoft Windows Vista™
1
Click the Windows Vista start button,
, and right-click
Computer
.
2
Click
Properties
→
Device Manager
.
Summary of Contents for Latitude D631
Page 1: ...w w w d e l l c o m s u p p o r t d e l l c o m Dell Latitude D631 User s Guide Model PP18L ...
Page 26: ...26 About Your Computer ...
Page 38: ...38 Using a Battery ...
Page 48: ...48 Using the Display ...
Page 66: ...66 Using Cards ...
Page 106: ...106 Reinstalling Software ...
Page 110: ...110 System Setup Program ...
Page 130: ...130 Adding and Replacing Parts hard drive foam packaging ...
Page 132: ...132 Adding and Replacing Parts ...
Page 134: ...134 Dell QuickSet ...
Page 164: ...164 Getting Help w w w d e l l c o m s u p p o r t d e l l c o m ...