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I am new to Ubuntu. Can you please tell which drivers to install for basic and proper functioning of the system?

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closed as too broad by Pilot6, amc, Videonauth, MadMike, Luís de Sousa Jul 18 '16 at 9:38

Please edit the question to limit it to a specific problem with enough detail to identify an adequate answer. Avoid asking multiple distinct questions at once. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
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Ubuntu is likely to work out of the box for you. If it doesn't, please come back with more specific questions and problems that you encounter. Your current question is too vague. – edwinksl Jul 7 '16 at 14:24
    
also see askubuntu.com/questions/795617/… – Rinzwind Jul 7 '16 at 14:28
up vote 2 down vote accepted

You usually do not need any additional drivers, Ubuntu is able to handle most common devices out of the box. This is unless you experience any problems like a not properly working wireless network.

In some cases, you might want to replace the default open source drivers with the proprietary ones provided by the device manufacturer for better performance or support of special features though. This usually applies to graphics cards, mainly nVidia and AMD ones.

You check whether there are additional proprietary drivers available for your specific system by opening the System Settings and clicking on Software & Updates. Navigate to the Additional drivers tab. It takes a while to scan your device and will then offer you a list of devices for which you may chose one of multiple drivers.

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up vote 1 down vote

Most of the time, there's no need to install additional drivers. The main three exceptions to this are:-

  • GPU - nVidia and AMD have their own drivers providing accelerated 3D capabilities.
  • Wifi - Some Wireless chipset drivers aren't installed by default.
  • Printers - Many printer drivers will be auto detected and installed, but some require drivers from the manufacturer website.
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