USB (Port) Drivers
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is a standard built-in computer component that permits the interfacing between your computer and the external devices (i.e. printer, digital camera, I-pod, flash drive) connected to your computer system.
Every hardware component (including the USB) installed into a PC or laptop requires specific "device drivers" that allow it to interface with operating system software and applications installed on the system. The operating system (i.e. Windows XP, Vista, Linux) must detect and install the hardware device before the device can be used.
USB drivers are basic programs that will allow the computer's operating system to connect the USB port with the external device (printer, camera, MP3 player) and exchange. Once the USB and external device connect you can download or transfer information between the PC or laptop and the external device.
In most cases, a USB is made up of two components, the:
- USB endpoints found on the connected device
- host controllers found on the PC or laptop
In most cases, the operating system should provide a default USB driver for any device attached to the computer - this should certainly be the case for the following devices:
- an unspecified Device (requires drivers to function)
- Audio Interface (speaker, microphone, sound expansion card)
- Communications and CDC Control
- Human Interface Device (keyboard, mouse, joystick)
- Physical Interface Device
- Imaging Device (digital cameras)
- Printer Device
- Mass Storage Device
- USB Hub
- Video Interface
The above devices are known to installed automatically using the built-in USB drivers installed in the computer operating system (i.e. Windows XP or Vista).
It is not advised to depend on the USB drivers automatically installed by the operating system since the USB device driver version may not necessarily match the actual specification of the USB component. This means there is a good chance that certain external devices attached through the USB will not be detected by the operating system and will not function.
In most cases this problem occurs because the USB drivers installed in the operating system are out-of-date or incompatible with the device attached to the USB port. The solution is to download a current set of drivers from the Internet
Download USB Drivers Online
The best way to reduce the probability of this problem from occurring is to download the latest USB drivers from their manufacturer's website. You will need to download a specific driver based on the model of the motherboard or model of chipset installed in your computer.
Given the number of drivers, devices and operating systems available today, you may find it helpful to download a driver updating application. These applications automatically search out the most current driver and install it correctly into your PC or laptop operating system. Not only will this save you time but also ensure the right driver is installed in the right location within the operating system.
There are instances where USB 2.0 is installed with a USB driver older than the recommended version. This could cause slow interfacing between the external device and the computer system. As a solution, determine if your USB is 2.0 before downloading and installing the necessary drivers. This is where a driver updating utility program would likely be helpful.
- Acer Drivers
- APPLE Drivers
- Asus Drivers
- ATI Drivers
- Audio Drivers
- BIOS Drivers
- CD Drivers
- Canon Drivers
- Chipset Drivers
- Compaq Drivers
- Dell Drivers
- Digital Camera Drivers
- Display Drivers
- DVD Drivers
- eMachines Drivers
- Epson Drivers
- Flash Drive Drivers
- Gateway Drivers
- Graphics Card Drivers
- HP Drivers
- iMac Drivers
- Intel Drivers
- Jump Drive Drivers
- Keyboard Drivers
- Laptop Device Drivers
- Leopard O/S Drivers
- Lexmark Drivers
- Linksys Drivers
- Logitech Drivers
- Microsoft Drivers
- Modem Drivers
- Monitor Drivers
- Motherboard Drivers
- Mouse Drivers
- MSI Drivers
- Network Card Drivers
- nVIDIA Drivers
- Operating System Drivers
- PC Device Drivers
- Printer Drivers
- Realtek Drivers
- Scanner Drivers
- Sound Card Drivers
- Toshiba Drivers
- USB Drive Drivers
- USB (Port) Drivers
- Video Card Drivers
- Vista Drivers
- Webcam Drivers
- Windows Drivers