Chapter 1. Loading and Configuring Device Drivers
Exam Objectives
Device driver requirements and installation
Identification and use of signed drivers
Working with drivers and diagnosing driver errors
The United Nations' goal is for the nations of the world to work together and achieve common goals. They achieve this end by communicating with each other, but they first have to overcome the language barrier, which is done by employing hundreds of translators. Device drivers serve a similar role for computers that translators serve for the UN, converting information between the operating system and various pieces of hardware. Device drivers are responsible for establishing and maintaining communication links between an operating system and the various hardware devices on a computer. Each hardware device has its own language. The job of the device driver is to translate data from the device into something that the OS can understand, and then translate the OS data into something that the device can understand.
Even with the advent of Plug and Play, an A+ Certified Professional still needs to understand how drivers work and how to diagnose driver-related problems. Even though Plug and Play may allow for default drivers to be automatically selected and loaded, the entire process of managing drivers is not a hands-off process, and intervention will be required on many occasions.
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