ITPEC IP October 2023 Question 12
Which of the following is required for an application program to use the peripheral equipment that is connected to a PC?
Explanation
Device driver — the software that lets the OS, and through it an application, control a particular peripheral.
An application does not talk to a printer or scanner directly: it asks the OS to print or read, and the OS passes the request to the device driver, which turns it into the commands that specific device understands and handles its responses. Each device model needs a driver matching both the device and the OS; without one the device cannot be used.
Answer (b)
Why not others:
- •(a) Compiler — translates source code into machine language; it plays no part in operating a connected device
- •(c) Plug and play — makes the OS detect a new device and install and set up its driver automatically; convenient, but the driver is what is needed
- •(d) Hot plug — lets a device be connected or disconnected while the PC is running; it concerns connecting, not using the device
Key rule: The device driver is what makes a peripheral usable; plug and play and hot plug only make installing and connecting it easier.
Computer Component · AI-written, may contain errors
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