Dell Drivers
Do you own a Dell computer or are you thinking of buying one? Dell is one of the largest computer manufacturers around and is second in computer sales only to Hewlett Packard.(Wikipedia) One of the areas you may want to look at if you’re considering a Dell is the support and updates available and one of the most important factors in updates is the drivers available.
Why are drivers important for Dell or any computers?
Drivers are what allow your peripheral devices to function, and like any software, they can become damaged or corrupted over time. This is why it is important to update your drivers periodically. Dell notes that driver updates can:
What is a Dell driver update?
A driver update is simply a newer version of the driver or software that a device uses to communicate with Windows or other operating system. Dell provides driver updates for many common components of Dell systems. Dell divides driver updates into three categories—Urgent, Recommended and Optional.
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An Urgent update means “Dell highly recommends applying the update as soon as possible to improve reliability and availability of system”
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A Recommended update says “Dell recommends applying the update during your next regularly scheduled update cycle. It enhances features or provides changes to keep the system or software current and compatible”
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An Optional update “May or may not apply to your system. Dell recommends you review the specifics to determine if it applies to your system” (Dell)
How do I know if I need a Dell driver update?
You can use the Device Manager tool in Windows to check which version of a driver your Dell computer has. You simply go to Start/Settings/Control Panel, and then choose System, Hardware, and Device Manger. From the Device Manager, click the plus (+) sign next to a category such as Display Adapters for video cards and then double-click on a specific device. Click the Driver tab and you will see info on the driver version you have with a provider name, version number and date. “If you see that the driver is more than1-2 years old, checking to see if there is a later version of the driver is a good idea.” (Computer Hope)
Be sure to write down the info on which driver version you have. Then you can determine if a later version is available as newer versions proceed in numerical order. So if you have a 3.8 version and there is a 3.9 or 4.0 version available, you know it is time to update.
Where can I get a Dell driver update?
You can find available Dell driver updates through the Dell website. They have a Drives and Downloads section under Support. You can choose to look for drivers and downloads by product model or by using the Service Tag number. Every Dell computer has a unique identifying Service Tag and this can help you to find the relevant driver updates available.
Actually, in some cases particularly involving Dell laptops, you not only can get driver updates from Dell, but you may have no other choice. “Many laptop manufacturers such as Dell and Compaq won’t allow people to update their video drivers from the NVIDIA website…” (Meta Café) There have been customer complaints regarding the unavailability of recent graphics card driver updates from Dell. (Idea Storm)
If you do a lot of online gaming which requires frequent updating of video drivers to optimize game performance, you ay want to consider this before you purchase a Dell.
Printer Drivers Needed for Most Printers
Setting up a printer on your computer is no different than setting up any other piece of hardware, insomuch that the operating system needs a driver to tell it how to interact with the printer. In the modern world of third-party manufacturers and cheap throw-away hardware, there are basically two kinds of printers out there. Post Script/PCL printers and winprinters.
Post Script/PCL printers are by far the easier to set up because of how they work. The operating system sends the raw data to the printer which in turn interprets it and prints it. Postscript and PCL are standards that carry over between different operating systems and software packages, eliminating the need for additional drivers.
Winprinters on the other hand are not so easy. Also known as GDI printers, these printers got their name from the fact that they use Windows GDI calls to print data. In other words, the operating system essentially draws a bitmap image and sends it to the printer, where it is converted and printed out. Doing things this way eliminates the need for the printer to have its own "processor" and "brains", but it also creates the need for a driver to be installed.
Printer Drivers in Windows
The Windows operating system comes pre-loaded with thousands of printer drivers. Major manufacturers like HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, and Brother are fully supported for most models. With plug-an-play technology most winprinters can simply be plugged in to the USB port and they will be installed automatically. An exception to this are units that combine several pieces of hardware like a printer, scanner, and fax machine into one unit; the Epson Stylus CX7400 and Brother MFC-5460CN are good examples. Windows generic drivers for such units often support only the basic functions. To take full advantage of all the available features the manufacturer supplied drivers need to be installed.
When using manufacturer's drivers, it's a good idea to go to the company website and download the latest available drivers. The drivers that are sold with the hardware are often outdated, especially with the frequency of Windows updates and the problems those updates are susceptible to causing. Most modern printers, like those made by HP, have drivers that include updating software to keep the drivers on track with the Windows system.
Printer Drivers in Linux
Printing in Linux was a great challenge up until a few years ago. With nearly 85%-90% of all printers on the market being winprinters, and manufacturers unwilling to provide the information needed to write drivers, Linux users often had to run Windows on a separate machine in order to print. That has changed due in large part to HP and Lexmark. HP was the first manufacturer to fully and openly support Linux. Just about any HP printer, scanner, or all-in-one unit will work with most Linux distros out of the box. In the rare instance one doesn't, users can check HP's website or www.linxprinting.org for help.
Lexmark followed suit by offering a Linux printing pack which consisted of generic drivers that were suitable for most Lexmark models. Not supported were some of the older low-end units and some of the high-end commercial units. Lexmark continues to develop for the Linux OS.
Other manufacturers are slowly coming on board including Epson, Canon, and Brother. Most are still a long way away from full support, so HP is still the best bet.
Printer Drivers For Mac
Mac's business model stresses the bundling of proprietary hardware, resulting in Apple printers being sold for Mac computers. Obviously the support is built in so external drivers are not needed. For those who chose a non-Apple printer, drivers for Mac can be as much a problem as those for Linux. Hardware manufactures have begun support for the Mac and are increasingly providing drivers for new hardware. Like the Linux support, HP, Lexmark, Brother, and Epson are leading the way. Mac users should check the Mac website for compatible drivers, or the manufacturer website for updated model-specific drivers.
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