A Level Computer Science • 1.2 Operating Systems and Systems Software

Device Drivers

Device drivers are specialist programs that allow the operating system to communicate with hardware devices and control how they work.

Task 1

Driver Jigsaw

Drag the driver and device pieces into each jigsaw stack so they snap beneath the operating system in the correct order.

Driver pieces

Device pieces

Task 2

Device Manager Evidence

Study the screenshots from Device Manager and driver properties, then answer the quick questions below.

A screenshot of Windows Device Manager showing connected device categories.
Device Manager showing devices that require drivers.
A screenshot of a HID-compliant mouse properties window with the Driver Details and Update Driver buttons.
Driver properties window showing update and details controls.

Task 3

Inkjet vs Laser

Sort the key points first, then explain how the same print job can still be sent correctly to two different printers.

Statements

Inkjet printer

Laser printer