The Paradox of the OS

Isn’t it irritating to see a subject being repeatedly discussed in almost every forum imaginable? If you’re an IT enthusiast but is not that enthusiastic about Vista, then this article might be another bead of salt to your wound.

But you have to admit that it is only appropriate, if not extremely necessary, that every PC user should be talking about Microsoft’s new Operating System. We know how influential Bill Gate’s company is. I don’t know the exact estimate, but I guess it’s safe to say that nearly 90% of all PCs around the globe run on Windows.

But this article is not all about Bill Gate’s latest software. Every operating system that is released to the market influences the IT industry. And as not everybody likes the way Microsoft is muscling its way around the business, you can be sure that there will be PCs which would not bear the famous seal from Redmond, Washington.

It’s ironic that driver or compatibility issues usually plague the release of new operating systems. It just doesn’t make sense at first glance. I mean it’s a new software. Hence, its developers should have been able to review and consider the existing and necessary drivers that are needed for their product to work on all computers and its peripherals. But surprisingly, the OS manufacturers have ignored this dilemma and have instead passed it on to the maker of the hardware.

So why are consumers given the burden of looking for the necessary drivers when the OS maker could’ve just included all available or fathomable drivers? I’m not sure. Maybe because it’s a logistical nightmare for the manufacturer. Consumers won’t be too happy either if they’ll be informed that their hard drives would be fed with files that theywon’t probably ever need.

Software and hardware makers have been apprised by Vista’s arrival long enough to come up with a driver that would make their product work seamlessly in the new OS. In fact, many hardware manufacturers have already released Vista drivers even before the XP successor went out in the market. There’s no dearth of Vista drivers. Every existing and soon-to-be-released PC component can run in Microsoft’s latest offering.

There’s just one catch, though. The drivers are usually scattered around the Web. You have to find it first. The problem or the challenge is not just simply confined to the act of searching alone. Not only should you be able to find the location of the drivers, but you should also determine the appropriate one for your PC or its components.

Don’t be too complacent even if your OS claims to have the driver for a specific peripheral that you have. It is possible that new updates have been released since the time the driver has been included by the OS maker in its installation CD. Hence, you might still end up using the wrong kind or version of the driver.

I’m not discouraging you to shift from your current OS. I’m sure that the one you’re using right now is still constantly being updated. What I am suggesting is that you should invest in a reliable device driver finder whenever you’re discarding your old OS for a new one. Let such service or application take care of the driver dilemmas that you’ll certainly be having.

Entry Filed under: Device Drivers