A VGA driver controls video devices on PCs and mobile phones, allowing the OS to communicate with hardware. It supports low resolution graphics and is often included as a backup. VGA mode can be used for diagnostic purposes or when other display drivers fail.
A Video Graphics Array (VGA) driver is a type of software on a Personal Computer (PC) or cell phone that controls a video device. A driver is essentially a set of digital instructions that allows the operating system (OS) to communicate with physical hardware. VGA drivers are used specifically to control information sent to a monitor or other visual display.
Services
VGA drivers are specific to Microsoft Windows® compatible computers and mobile phones running a Windows® operating system. They support graphics with a standard resolution of 640 pixels horizontally and 480 pixels vertically and can display up to 256 different colors. By most modern standards, this is a low level of resolution, as many newer drivers can support horizontal resolutions of 1,024 pixels or more. For this reason, these drivers are often considered obsolete for PC use, but are still commonly used on mobile phones, which have smaller screens.
Common use
A VGA driver is still commonly included on PCs, despite being dated. It acts as a backup, allowing the computer to display visual information if no other drivers are installed or if a monitor is connected to a computer and is using a standard that the computer does not recognize. The standard 640 x 480 resolution is also used to display system information during the boot process when the computer is first turned on.
Some mobile devices also come with this type of driver. The small screens found in cell phones and other portable devices don’t require high resolutions, so VGA is often sufficient for these devices. Manufacturers typically include the correct display driver within the mobile operating system so users don’t have to install it themselves, but downloads are available for phones that don’t come with them.
There are also different types of VGA drivers compatible with different types of software, such as Windows® XP or Windows® Mobile, which can be downloaded for both PCs and phones. A person may need to download them if they upgrade their Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) or switch to a different operating system that doesn’t come with a VGA driver already installed.
VGA mode
Computers also have the ability to run in VGA mode, where it uses only the VGA driver instead of any other type of graphics display system. This can be useful if there is a problem with one of the other display drivers or when changing a graphics card, which can prevent Windows® from starting correctly. If this happens, the user can put the computer into VGA mode, ignoring the problem and still allowing the display to work so they can use the computer to fix the problem. This mode can also be used diagnostically, as a user can be pretty sure there is a problem with the VGA driver if they try to put the computer into VGA mode and can’t.
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