What is the primary role of a driver in a computer system?

The primary role of a driver in a computer system is to facilitate communication between the operating system and the hardware. Drivers act as translators that convert the instructions from the OS into a format that the specific hardware device can understand and act upon. Without drivers, the operating system would not have a way to correctly interact with the hardware components, such as printers, graphics cards, or storage devices.

By installing the appropriate drivers, users enable the OS to leverage hardware capabilities, ensuring that commands are executed properly and efficiently. This relationship is vital for system performance, as the OS relies on these drivers to manage device operations and to take advantage of all features provided by the hardware.

In contrast, managing power consumption is often handled by the OS itself or through specific hardware features; protecting against malware typically involves security software rather than drivers; and managing internet connectivity is usually the responsibility of network-related services and protocols, rather than the drivers themselves.