Hardware includes any physical device that is connected to your computer and is controlled by your computer's microprocessor. This includes equipment that was connected to your computer when it was manufactured, as well as peripheral equipment that you added later. Modems, disk drives, CD-ROM drives, printers, network adapters, keyboards, and display adapter cards are all examples of devices. Devices (Plug and Play and non-Plug and Play) can be connected to your computer in several ways. Some devices, like network adapters and sound cards, are connected to expansion slots inside your computer. Other devices, like printers and scanners, are connected to ports on the outside of your computer. Some devices, known as PC Cards, connect only to PC Card slots on a portable computer. For a device to work properly with Windows 2000, software known as a device driver must be loaded onto the computer. Each device has its own unique device driver, which is typically supplied by the device manufacturer. However, some device drivers are included with Windows 2000. You can configure devices using the Add/Remove Hardware wizard in Control Panel or the Device Manager. ImportantYou must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to configure a device using the Add/Remove Hardware wizard in Control Panel or Device Manager. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from installing hardware. NoteTo update all drivers at once, use Windows Update. For information about updating your system files using Windows Update, see Related Topics. Related Topics ...
