Which of the following is a software program designed to control a particular hardware device attached to computer?

The correct answer is Device driver.

Key Points

• A device driver is a specialized software program that allows higher-level computer programs to interact with a hardware device.
  • Device drivers act as a translator between the hardware device and the applications or operating systems that use it.
  • They provide an interface for the operating system and application software to communicate with the hardware device.
  • Without the proper device driver, the operating system or application would not be able to communicate with the hardware properly.
  • Common examples include drivers for printers, graphics cards, network cards, and sound cards.
  • Device drivers help in managing the input/output operations and ensuring the correct and efficient functioning of the hardware device.

Additional Information

• Device drivers can be classified into two categories: kernel-mode drivers and user-mode drivers.
• Kernel-mode drivers operate with high privileges and can directly interact with the operating system kernel.
• User-mode drivers run with lower privileges and interact with the hardware through the operating system.
• Updating device drivers can improve the performance, compatibility, and stability of hardware devices.
• Developers typically provide driver updates to fix bugs, add new features, or support new operating system versions.