Q: In the “old days,” I remember installing hardware into my computer before I installed the software. Now that seems to be reversed: most things I have installed ask you to install the software first, then install the hardware. Why the change?

A: With modern operating systems, if you install the hardware first, the OS will automatically load its own generic drivers, which may then conflict with the dedicated drivers the hardware manufacturer has created. To prevent this, the software is installed first, then when the hardware is later installed, the correct, dedicated drivers are available.