Drivers!

[latrosicarius]

This is a conceptual problem I'm having. Maybe someone knows.

1.) The OS is supposed to be in charge of drivers (it can add/remove/update them, etc)
2.) The Chipset & CPU are controlled by the BIOS.
3.) But then I know you can install your own Chipset and CPU drivers.
4.) That would mean that the OS is running off of those drivers that it just installed for the Chipset and CPU.
5.) This means that those drivers are actually on a more fundamental (lower) level than the OS.
6.) So:
- How can the OS be in charge of it?
- How do you know that a driver from a malicious company won't take over your computer since it is given direct permission to access the hardware, and it is more fundamental than the OS itself?

[Blitzen]

If its just chipset drivers then only download from the manufacturer of your board.
YOu should then be confident there is no nasties there.

[aidanjt]

This is a conceptual problem I'm having. Maybe someone knows.

1.) The OS is supposed to be in charge of drivers (it can add/remove/update them, etc)

Correct, it is, what you have to remember is, drivers are simply pieces of software that bridge the kernel subsystems, and the hardware.

2.) The Chipset & CPU are controlled by the BIOS.

Not really, the chipset and CPU are initialised by the BIOS on boot, after that the Operating System takes over, a properly designed Operating System need not make *any* BIOS calls post-boot. The only job the BIOS should have is bootstrapping the hardware and establish an environment that installer programs and bootloaders can work with so they can load a proper Operating System.

3.) But then I know you can install your own Chipset and CPU drivers.

Correct.

4.) That would mean that the OS is running off of those drivers that it just installed for the Chipset and CPU.

Correct.

5.) This means that those drivers are actually on a more fundamental (lower) level than the OS.

Absolutely correct

6.) So:
- How can the OS be in charge of it?
- How do you know that a driver from a malicious company won't take over your computer since it is given direct permission to access the hardware, and it is more fundamental than the OS itself?

Easy, the kernel (the core protected mode software) controls module and driver loading, ergo if it refuses to load a given module, that module wont be able to cause harm to the system. But what we have is a principle of trust with hardware developers to provide clean (I've given up the hope of bloat free Windows drivers) drivers that wont do anything nasty or harm our systems (which is more than I can say for some of the DRM that gets slapped into Games these days).

[latrosicarius]

Hmm, I think i understand a bit better now.
Thanks