Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 73 Chapter 2 Operating Systems Antivirus programs are a classic example of a software application that must match the system type: 32-bit or 64-bit. Software Driver A software driver is a small package of programs that allow proper communication between the computer and a peripheral device. Common devices that require drivers are printers, modems, monitors, and storage devices. Software drivers act as transla- tors, converting common commands issued from the CPU to the device in use. PC and software systems are constantly evolving, but not necessarily in the same time frame. For example, you may install a printer that is much newer than the soft- ware installed on a computer. Th e computer may not have the software programs necessary to communicate correctly with the printer. A typical scenario is when a new printer is installed on a PC and the self-test runs perfectly. However, when a fi le you have created on the PC is sent to the printer, it prints out a garbled set of mean- ingless symbols or an endless stream of blank pages. Th is is a classic case of incorrect driver software. Software drivers are typically classifi ed as 32-bit or 64-bit and are not inter- changeable. You must match the driver to the type of operating system. Microsoft operating systems require 64-bit driver software to be digitally signed. A digitally signed driver contains a security code that identifi es and verifi es the developer of the software driver. Because the driver is verifi ed, Microsoft recognizes it as a driver from a legitimate software vendor and that does not contain malware. Windows operating systems incorporate options to allow you to run legacy soft- ware applications and legacy drivers. Th e screen capture in Figure 2-28 shows the options for confi guring a program to run as if it were installed on a previous version of Windows. In this example, the PagePlus 7X publishing tool installed in Windows 10 is confi gured to run as if it were installed on a Windows 8 version of the operating Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 2-28 Windows operating systems provide compatibility options for confi guring legacy software applications.