What Is a Device Driver?
A driver generally refers to a device driver, which is a special program that enables computers and devices to communicate with each other. Equivalent to the hardware interface, the operating system can control the work of the hardware device only through this interface. If the driver of a device is not installed correctly, it will not work properly. Therefore, drivers are likened to "the soul of hardware", "master of hardware", and "bridge between hardware and system".
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- The driver is essentially software code, and its main function is to complete the data transfer function between the computer system and the hardware device. Only with the help of the driver can the two communicate and complete specific functions. If a hardware device does not have a driver, only the operating system cannot perform its unique functions. That is to say, the driver is a medium between the operating system and the hardware. It realizes two-way communication, that is, the functions of the hardware device itself are transmitted to the operation. System, and also communicates the standard instructions of the operating system to the hardware device, thereby achieving a seamless connection between the two [2]
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- How does Windows know what device is installed and what files to copy? The answer lies in an inf file.
- The file named after .inf is a file describing device installation information introduced from the Windows 95 era. It uses specific syntax text to describe the type of device to be installed, manufacturer, model, files to be copied, The destination path to copy to, and the information to add to the registry. By reading and interpreting this text, Windows knows how to install the driver. Nearly all hardware vendors provide drivers for Windows 9x with installation information files. In fact, the inf file can be used not only to install the driver, but also to install software that has nothing to do with the hardware. For example, Windows 98 supports the "Windows Update" function. The system components downloaded during the update use the inf file to explain how to install The parts.
- When installing the driver, Windows generally copies a .inf file to the "Windows \ Inf" or "Windows \ Inf \ Other" directory for future use. In addition to the inf file in the Inf directory, there are two special files Drvdata.bin and Drvidx.bin, as well as some pnf files, which are binary files automatically generated by Windows to speed up processing. Drvdata.bin and Drvidx.bin record all the hardware devices described in the inf file. Maybe friends will have the impression that when we install some devices, we often see a "Create Driver Information Library" window. At this time, Windows is generating these two binaries.
- Windows 9x specifically provides the "Add New Hardware Wizard" (hereinafter referred to as the Hardware Wizard) to help users install hardware drivers. The user's job is to tell the Hardware Wizard where necessary to find a .inf file that matches the hardware model , Most of the remaining installation work will be done by the hardware installation wizard itself.
- Installing drivers for hardware devices is not new to Windows 9x users. You need to install drivers when installing or reinstalling Windows. You also need to install drivers after purchasing some new hardware. If the driver is not installed properly, some hardware in the system may not work properly. Although Windows 9x supports plug and play, it can reduce a lot of work for users, but because PC devices have a lot of brands and models, and various new products are constantly coming out, Windows cannot automatically identify all devices, so Human intervention is required when installing many devices.