System Drivers

Every computer has system drivers. Each sub-system or device in your computer has at least one driver and sometimes many more. The average computer today has a monitor, a video card, a sound card, a printer, USB ports, Bluetooth accessories, optical and hard drives, SD slots, memory chips, keyboards, mice, etc.

Each one of the parts listed above has its own individual driver and then the operating system itself has hundreds of different drivers of its own. Drivers can be broken down into two different types. Lower-level system drivers are typically device drivers that allow devices hooked to the computer to communicate with other devices hooked into the network. Higher-level system drivers are generally software drivers that allow the operating system and all other applications to communicate with the devices connected to the computer through device drivers. All system drivers are hardware and operating system specific modules of code that operate in concert to produce the computing environment you are reading this article on today.

Common System Drivers Problems

Common system driver problems are a very broad subject that would be virtually impossible to cover in an article short enough to keep your interest. You would be best advised to narrow your search here to a more specific device or driver for more detailed information concerning your specific needs and wants. A system error can be a minor annoyance or cause your entire operating system to be unusable. Some common problems that indicate you may problems with your system driver are:

1. Inability of your operating system to recognize a specific device.

2. Inability to boot your computer up successfully.

3. No visuals on your monitor.

4. No sound coming from your speakers.

5. No reaction from your mouse or keyboard.

6. Inability to read or write from your hard drive or optical device.

7. Inability to print, scan, copy, or fax with your printer.

8. Inability to access the internet using your modem.

9. Any one of hundreds of other problems that have no explanation.

The list above barely scratches the number of errors you may encounter on your computer that could be the result of a system driver. Diagnosing a system driver issue can be a difficult and tricky task even for tech support personnel and an absolute nightmare for the end-user but there are a few things you can try to fix the problem quickly.

Troubleshooting System Drivers

The first thing you should do when you suspect you have a system driver error is to restore your computer to a previously working state by using the system’s restore feature. If this procedure does not work then try disconnecting the device that has a problem and see if your computer works fine.

After trying the above two solutions you should try reinstalling your operating system and carefully monitoring the installation of all drivers and applications for corruptive influence upon your system drivers. System driver troubleshooting can be very difficult and you may have to take your PC to your friendly neighborhood IT professional and have him resolve the issue for you.