Peripherals and drivers: teaching the system about new devices
Week 6 · Lesson 4 Installing and Removing Software and Digital Peripherals (2) · 3 lessons
1
Peripherals and drivers: a translator for each device
ICT Prep 1 Term 1, Lesson 4: pp. 30–40
GoalExplain what a peripheral and a driver are and why a device needs a driver.
New words
peripheral · a device attached to a computer, such as a printer, a webcam or a scannerdriver · a small program that lets the system and a device understand each otherport · a socket on a computer where the cable of a device is plugged insetup disc · a disc that comes with a new device and holds its driver files
Explanation
A computer is often used with other devices attached to it, called peripherals. A printer, a webcam and a scanner are peripherals. An operating system supports many of them. When you attach a new peripheral, the system notices it and installs the right driver, so that you can use all the features of the device. A driver is a small program that lets the system and the device understand each other, like a translator between two people who speak different languages. Do not mix up two similar Arabic words: the operating system manages the whole device, while the driver (in Arabic, “the running program of a device”) helps one device to talk to the system. Many new devices come with a setup disc. It holds the driver files and helper programs. The setup program copies the driver files into a special folder on the computer, and then the device is ready.
Worked examples
Marwan speaks Arabic, and a visitor speaks only another language. A translator stands between them. The translator is not Marwan and not the visitor; the translator is the helper that lets them understand each other. A driver does this job between a system and a printer.
setup disc→setup program copies driver files→system can talk to the webcam
Mariam’s new webcam comes in a box with a setup disc. The disc holds the driver files. When the setup program runs, it copies these files into a special folder on the computer. Then the system knows how to talk to the webcam.
Term
What it is
Looks after
operating system
the main software of the whole device
the hardware and all programs
driver
a small program for one device
the talk between that device and the system
Be careful with two look-alike terms. This table keeps them apart.
Class activity
Draw your computer in the middle of a page and three peripherals around it (printer, camera, scanner). Between the computer and each device draw a small box labelled “driver”. Then explain, with the translator story, why the box is needed. No device is needed.
Practice
1
What is a peripheral? Give two examples.
A device attached to a computer, for example a printer and a webcam.
2
What does a driver do?
It lets the system and one device understand each other, like a translator.
3
Which one is the operating system and which one is the driver: “the main software of the whole device” and “a small program for one device”?
The first is the operating system. The second is the driver.
