We all know the importance of device drivers. These small files help operating systems communicate with the hardware devices and peripherals installed on a PC. Most of your devices will not work in the absence of proper drivers, no matter how expensive those devices are. Driver files usually come in disks with any new hardware device or peripheral that you may purchase. However, if you wish to upgrade your device drivers in order to make your system function more efficiently, you will have to download those from the internet.

file extensions include:

1. DLL – The extension DLL is an abbreviation of the term Dynamic Link Library. DLL files are executable files, meaning these can be called and run by a loader program, either belonging to the operating system itself, or a third party software utility. One noticeable plus point of DLL files is that most of these can be replaced in case of a file corruption, without having to reinstall the entire driver file. DLL files can contain data, resources and code in any combination, and are built into many operating systems, including Microsoft Windows and OS/2.
2. INF – An INF file is a plain text file that Microsoft Windows uses in order to load software packages and device drivers for hardware components. The INF file resembles the INI file in structure. It contains information stating which way the Windows registry should be modified and the files that have to be copied during the installation. These files are part of the Setup API of Windows.
3. OCX – If you have Microsoft Windows loaded in your PC, then you will definitely find a number of files with the extension ocx in your Windows folder. These files are special programs, created to allow certain functions, such as, resizing of a window or defining how scroll bars will be used in a custom-made program. The use of OCX files in programs improves the overall quality of those programs.
4. VXD – These files are meant to help the executable files of certain programs to run efficiently, as well as enhancing the features of the program. Every version of Windows has some VXD files built into it. If these files get corrupted somehow, Windows may not boot up at all. In that case, the files need to be repaired or replaced using a Windows installation disk.

Driver files are some of the most important files in your PC, besides the operating system. These files should be updated at regular intervals in order to keep your PC running in a problem-free, efficient manner.