ITPEC IP October 2021 Question 12

Topic: Computer ComponentAlso asked in April 2019

Which of the following is an appropriate description about a device driver?

Explanation

Software for controlling and operating peripherals connected to a PC — that is a device driver.

The OS offers applications general functions such as print or read. Each peripheral (printer, scanner, graphics card) has its own commands, so a device driver made for that device translates the OS's general requests into the device's own control. Installing the right driver is what lets a newly connected device work.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

  • •(b) — describes the BIOS (or UEFI), firmware that runs at power-on and provides basic input/output before the OS starts
  • •(c) — describes a plug-in, a component added to a Web browser to extend it, for example to play video
  • •(d) — describes an archiver, which packs several files into one and restores them

Key rule: A device driver sits between the OS and one kind of device; the BIOS starts the hardware before the OS, and a plug-in extends an application.

Computer Component · AI-written, may contain errors

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