Peripherals and drivers: teaching the system about new devices
الأسبوع 6 · الدرس ٤ «تثبيت وإزالة البرامج والأجهزة الرقمية الملحقة» (٢): برامج التشغيل والتوصيل والتشغيل وتثبيت الطابعة · 3 دروس
3
A printer without Plug and Play: port, driver, name, test
ICT Prep 1 Term 1, Lesson 4: pp. 30–40
GoalPut the set-up steps of a printer without Plug and Play in the right order.
New words
local printer · a printer connected directly to the computertest page · a page that the system prints to check that the printer worksdescriptive name · a name that tells people which printer it is, such as “Classroom printer”set-up program · a program in the printer’s package that sets the printer up for you
Explanation
A local printer that supports Plug and Play is easy: you connect it with a USB cable and the system installs it by itself. A printer that does not support Plug and Play needs some extra set-up work, and the order matters. First, add a printer. Second, choose the port the printer is connected to: old printers used an older kind of port, and newer printers use USB. Third, choose the right driver, by the maker and model, from the list. If it is not in the list, you can point to the driver on a disc or storage unit, or update the list. Fourth, give the printer a name. The system suggests a name made of the maker and model, but a descriptive name is better. Fifth, print a test page to check that the printer works. If the printer’s package has its own set-up program, run that program instead. Steps differ on each device, so ask your teacher. No printer is needed in this lesson.
Worked examples
Default name
Descriptive name
maker and model of printer 1
Library printer
maker and model of printer 2
Class 7 printer
A school has three printers. If all are called by their default names, nobody knows which is which. A descriptive name tells people where each printer is. This is why the name step is worth doing well.
print a test page→page prints: it works→no page: check cable, port, driver
At the end of the set-up, Hana asks for a test page. If the page prints, the printer works. If it does not, she checks the cable and the chosen port and the driver, and asks her teacher.
add a printer→port→driver→name→test page
Youssef puts the steps in this order: name, test page, add a printer, port, driver. His teacher says the order is wrong. Put the steps right: add a printer, choose the port, choose the driver, give a name, print a test page.
Class activity
Write the five steps on five paper strips without numbers. Mix them up and put them in order. Then explain to a family member why the test page comes last. Do not try to set up a real printer unless a teacher or grown-up leads.
Practice
1
How is a local printer with Plug and Play connected?
With a USB cable. The system installs it by itself.
2
Put in order: give it a name, add a printer, print a test page, choose the port. What is the last step?
Print a test page. The order is add a printer, choose the port, give it a name, print a test page.
3
Why is a descriptive name better than the default name?
It tells people which printer it is and where it is.
