Perform basic setup and support of a
range of input and output devices
What are I/O devices?
2
What is a driver?
3
What is driver signing?
3
Installing a device driver
4
Upgrading device drivers
7
Removing device drivers
8
Summary
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Check your progress
Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
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What are I/O devices?
Input (I) and output (O) devices are pieces of computer hardware that
perform specific functions. Input devices allow information to be entered
into the computer. The two main input devices a computer uses are a
keyboard and a mouse. An output device displays information after it has
finished being processed by the computer. Two main output devices
include the monitor and the printer.
Input and output devices are connected to the computer’s system unit. Each
is connected using at least one cable. Some devices, such as a mouse, may
also connect to the system unit using cordless technology. This means the
cable is replaced with an electronic signal between the device and the
system unit.
Figure 1: Example of an input device – keyboard
Figure 2: Example of an output device – printer
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Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
What is a driver?
A driver is a small software program designed to control an input or output
hardware device. Every device needs a driver in order to interact properly
with the operating system. Drivers provide the instructions for the operating
system to understand how the device works. There are drivers that are used
to control devices such as the mouse, CD-ROM drive and printer. Each time
you add or change a device you may need to include a driver.
Many drivers, such as the driver for the keyboard, are automatically
contained within the operating system. These devices are known as ‘plug
and play’. For other devices, such as a printer, you may need to load a new
driver when you connect the device to your computer.
When you buy a new input or output device to use with your computer, the
device usually comes with either a CD-ROM or floppy disk which contains
the driver software. Although some operating systems may already have a
list of available drivers for you to use, chances are that not all the available
drivers are up-to-date. It is better to use the driver that you have received
from the device manufacturer.
What is driver signing?
In recent versions of the Windows operating system, Microsoft has
introduced a new standard of driver which incorporates a procedure called
driver signing. Driver signing is a guarantee to the user that the driver has
been tested by Windows for compatibility.
Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
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Figure 3: Screenshot of Windows XP – the green tick indicates a signed driver
Installing a device driver
The device that is to be installed and the operating system that you are
currently using will determine how you will install a device driver. Two
possible ways a device driver may be installed are to:

install

manually install the driver.
Install using the driver disk from the manufacturer
After you have plugged your new device into the computer’s system unit,
many operating systems will automatically detect that a new device has
been installed. After recognising that there is a new device, the operating
system will prompt you to install a driver. It is at this point that you can
either choose from a list of the operating system’s list of devices or choose
the driver disk provided by the manufacturer.
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Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
Sometimes a manufacturer’s driver disk may also self load. Once you have
inserted the disk, a program will run automatically. It may ask you a couple
of questions, then it installs the driver for you.
Manually installing the driver
Some operating systems and drivers do not load in an automatic manner.
Sometimes you may need to manually install a driver. Many graphical user
interfaces include a function that allows you to manage your device drivers.
It is here that you can install a new driver.
Figure 4: Screenshot of Microsoft XP Device Manager – this will allow you to add,
upgrade and delete I/O devices and their drivers
In a command line user interface, there may be a specific file (such as
CONFIG.SYS) that contains the names of all device drivers. The below
example displays the instruction to include a CD-ROM device driver within
the DOS operating system:
DEVICE = C:\HXCD-ROM\CDROM.SYS
It is important that you read any instructions from the manufacturer of the
device before trying to change these types of files.
Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
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Testing a device driver
Once you have installed a driver it is important that you test the device to
ensure that it is working correctly. Try testing all different functions of the
device to check that it will work correctly in all circumstances. Examples
could include:
Mouse

Make sure that you can perform basic functions such as click, doubleclick, and drag.

Make sure that you can configure the mouse for both a left and righthanded user.
Monitor
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
Ensure that you can change the resolution of the screen.

Ensure that you can change the available colours.
Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
Upgrading device drivers
Sometimes it may be necessary to update some of your device drivers. This
could be due to any of these reasons:

you install a new version or different operating system

you need to fix problems that may currently exist with an old version of
the driver or hardware

you want to improve the reliability of the hardware device.
In order to upgrade an existing device driver you will have to find a new
driver. The Internet provides the easiest way of searching for a driver. Steps
to follow include those listed below.
1
Ensure that you know the manufacturer and model of the device driver
you are trying to find.
2
Use a search engine to:
–
3
find the manufacturer’s website — this website should include a
driver’s page that allows you to download any drivers, or
– find a device driver website — search by entering the
manufacturer’s name, model and word ‘driver’ to find any
specialised driver websites.
Download any relevant drivers to your own computer. Make sure that
the driver that you download has been designed for the same device
model and is compatible for your operating system. Don’t be tempted
into downloading a driver that may be for a slightly different model of
device or for a different version of your operating system – it is unlikely
that will work properly on your computer.
4
Install the upgraded driver.
The upgraded driver should be able to be installed in a similar manner
to installing a new driver. Some operating systems also have a facility
that allows you to upgrade your driver automatically over the Internet.
5
Test the device and driver.
Like when you install a new driver, an upgraded driver should also be
tested to ensure that the device correctly functions in all circumstances.
Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
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Removing device drivers
If you remove a current hardware device or upgrade drivers, it may be
necessary to remove an old version of a driver. It is very easy to accidentally
remove the wrong driver, so extreme caution needs to be taken before you
proceed with removal. Once you have removed a driver, the change you
have made will be permanent and it will be very difficult to restore the
system.
Some powerful operating systems (such as Windows XP) provide functions
that will allow you to uninstall a driver and also Roll back driver. The
Uninstall Driver function will delete any reference to the driver on the
current computer system. This is a better option than trying to manually
remove the driver yourself. The Roll back function will allow you to go
back to using the driver that was being used previously. This is a great tool
if you have accidentally installed an incorrect driver as it can easily return
you to the old driver version.
If you are using an operating system with a command line interface,
removing a driver will need to be done manually. Before deleting a driver
ensure that you have read any manuals that came with the driver to make
certain you are deleting the correct file. An example of a command to delete
a driver using the DOS operating system is:
DEL CDROM.SYS
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Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
Summary
Device drivers are essential programs that allow all your input and output
devices to communicate with the operating system. Without a correct driver,
a device such as a keyboard, mouse, printer or monitor would not be able to
function properly. Most devices include a driver disk that you can use to
install the device. Sometimes, however, it will be necessary to go to the
Internet to upgrade the current device driver. At a later time you may not
need to use the device anymore, so you may have to remove the driver.
Check your progress
Now you should try and do the Practice activities in this topic. If you’ve
already tried them, have another go and see if you can improve your
responses.
When you feel ready, try the ‘Check your understanding’ activity in the
Preview section of this topic. This will help you decide if you’re ready for
assessment.
Reading: Perform basic setup and support of a range of input and output devices
2005
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