Most likely, most users are aware that specialized computer programs, often called drivers and utilities, are provided for all modern computer devices. That's just the difference between these two categories of software is far from understood by all novice users. Let's try to figure out what they are, what they are for and how to use them in practical terms.
What is a driver?
Let's start with understanding the terms themselves and the first thing we will focus on is the drivers. What are computer drivers?
Based on the official interpretations that can be found on the Internet, drivers are a special type of software designed for the correct interaction of both the operating system and application programs with all the hardware and some virtual components installed in the computer system. If you want, this is a kind of layer or bridge connecting the Hardware (Hardware) with the software environment (Software). At the same time, drivers can perform not only the role of connectors, but still often act as control software that allows you to make some settings for installed devices.
What is a computer utility?
Utilities most often mean a separate type of software designed to serve a computer system in all directions.
For example, system utilities allow you to diagnose a computer system, both hardware and software, and then either fix possible crashes and malfunctions yourself, or offer the most optimal solution to fix errors, or optimize the system and its components at all levels, etc. In general, a lot of tools can be attributed to the utilities class, but often even combined solutions can be found among them.
What are drivers and utilities for? Combined sets.
So, as already mentioned, the main purpose of the drivers is to ensure the interaction of hardware with the software part of the computer, and utilities to maintain and / or optimize the system. But sometimes you can find a combination of drivers and utilities in one piece. The easiest way to understand the structure of such sets is by the example of installing control software for graphics adapters.
Have you noticed that during the installation of drivers for discrete graphics cards, for example, NVIDIA not only the main driver is installed, but also several related applications, among which you can find a special control panel or optimizers for fine-tuning accelerators in games? In this case, the “Control Panel” of NVIDIA allows optimizing not the entire computer system, but only a separately taken component - a video card. That is, it is impossible to access the options for working with Windows, but through the use of such software, you can fine-tune the optimal mode. And this is far from the only example.
Utility Examples
With a common understanding of drivers and utilities, clarity has been introduced. Now let’s focus on utility programs. Directions in their application can be found quite a lot. Among the main ones, one can single out the system tools and third-party applications designed to troubleshoot or troubleshoot, means for checking and cleaning disks or memory, system optimizers that speed up the OS by disabling unnecessary services and processes, anti-virus utilities to check the system for availability threats, programs for configuring individual software or hardware components, applications that monitor the timely updating of programs or drivers, tools for completely removing programs in a place with leftovers, etc. Absolutely everything is impossible to enumerate even in principle. However, as the most striking example of the maintenance software, one can cite the so-called optimizer programs, which allow performing comprehensive system maintenance using the automatic mode.
Applications like CCleaner, Advanced SystemCare, Windows Manager, etc. can be called the most popular. Such programs can detect problems with the registry, disable unnecessary system components and processes to speed up the computer, remove computer junk, check and defragment hard drives and removable drives media, test or optimize the use of RAM, delete applications completely and completely, and much more.
Programs for automatic driver installation
Utilities for finding and installing drivers, which for the most part are almost completely automated, deserve special attention. Their application seems completely logical. Agree, after all, searching and installing the necessary software for each device yourself is a hell of a job, especially when you consider that drivers may be needed not only for hardware, but also for some virtual devices. The use of such programs can solve this problem in two ways. Separately, it is worth saying that many of them, in particular, the popular DriverPack Solution package, have a much more extensive database of drivers than the operating system, and can find and install drivers even for a large number of non-standard equipment, support for which Microsoft has not been announced.
Also very interesting are applications like Driver Booster, which are used to automate the process of updating drivers and keeping them up to date (Windows itself not only does not monitor the update of the control software, but also executes it on demand in half). Applications of this category apply exclusively to the official Internet resources of equipment manufacturers or driver developers, which eliminates the penetration of viruses into the system, download drivers and integrate them into the system without user intervention. All that is required of him is to give consent to the installation of updates.
Conclusion
All of the above only to a very small extent reflects all the information about the scope of drivers and utilities, however, with an understanding of the purpose of such software, I think no one will have any questions. It is difficult to advise which optimizers or applications that work with drivers to use, since here everyone chooses for himself exactly what suits him best. And each specific situation plays an important role in these matters. Roughly speaking, first you need to decide which actions you need to perform, and then look for the most acceptable solution in the form of some kind of program.