More commonly known as a driver, a device driver or hardware driver is a group of files that enable one or more hardware devices to communicate with the computer's operating system. Without drivers, the computer would not be able to send and receive data correctly to hardware devices, such as a printer.

Find HP laptop and desktop support and customer service options including driver downloads, diagnostic tools, warranty check and troubleshooting info. Another form of the driver is the virtual device driver. These drivers usually end in the.VXD file extension and are used with virtualization software.They work similar to regular drivers but in order to prevent the guest operating system from accessing hardware directly, the virtual drivers masquerade as real hardware so that the guest OS and its own drivers can access hardware much like non. Locate drivers, user guides and product specifications for your Gateway technology. Recycle your PC, peripherals, electronics and batteries. Learn more about our environmental commitment. Get support via your Windows 10 device Learn More. Acer’s product range includes laptop and desktop PCs, tablets, smartphones, monitors, projectors and cloud solutions for home users, business, government and education.

What devices need drivers?

Hardware devices that are unknown by the operating system or that have features that are unknown by the operating system all require drivers. Below is a list of hardware devices and peripherals that require drivers.

What devices may not need drivers

Today's operating systems have a lot of generic drivers that allow hardware to work at a basic level without needing drivers or software. However, if that device has features unknown to the operating system, it will not work without drivers. For example, you could plug any keyboard into a computer and expect it to work. However, if that keyboard has any special keys or features, they will not work until the drivers are installed.

The operating systems generic driver may not be updated as often as the drivers from a hardware manufacturer or computer manufacturer.

What happens if a driver is not installed?

If the appropriate driver is not installed, the device may not function properly, if at all. With some devices, the device may work, but all of its features may not work. For example, a computer mouse usually works without drivers, but if it has more buttons than the traditional mouse, those extra buttons will not work until the drivers are installed.

For Microsoft Windows users, missing drivers may cause a driver conflict or an error that is shown in the Device Manager. If problems or conflicts are encountered with drivers, the computer manufacturer or hardware manufacturer releases a driver update to fix the problems. If updated drivers are available, those drivers need to be installed to replace the existing driver code.

Hp Desktop Drivers

Can a driver make my computer do more?

Installing a driver only makes the hardware installed in the computer function properly. If the correct driver is not installed, installing the latest driver for the hardware can take full advantage of the device. However, you cannot install a driver for hardware not installed in the computer and expect it to make your computer faster or more capable. In other words, installing video card drivers for a video card that's not installed in the computer does not give your computer all the capabilities of that video card. In this example, you'd need the video card hardware and the video card drivers to be installed.

Related pages

• Full listing of computer drivers and help documents relating to drivers.

Disk driver, DLL, Drivers CD, Hardware terms, INF, Input driver, Instructions, Mouse driver, Network device driver, Patch, Printer driver, Software terms, System software

Where is the serial number located on my laptop?

Your SNID and serial number are located on a label on the bottom of your product. These numbers can be used online to help locate downloads and other resources for your product. They also help us correctly identify your product specifications and warranty, so please have them at hand when you contact us.

Desktop Driver Check

Acer SNID numbers are 11 or 12 digits and do not contain letters. Acer serial numbers are 22 alpha-numeric characters, and will always use zero and never the letter O.

Note: Acer 2-in-1 Switch products are labeled on the bottom edge of the tablet.

Your serial number is also available in your system BIOS, and accessible via the Acer software programs listed below:

Serial Number Detection Tool (All Windows Versions)

1. Download and run the Serial Number Detection tool
2. Both serial number and SNID will be displayed.

Acer Care Center:

1. Press the Windows () key
2. Type care center and press Enter.
3. Both serial number and SNID will be displayed in the application.

Acer Identity Card (Windows 7):

1. Double-click the Acer Identity Card icon available on the desktop.
2. Both Serialnumber and SNID code will be displayed.