The Intel-based Macs make the transition from PowerPC hardware to Intel hardware as seamless as possible. There are some undeniable differences in the hardware, though, so you might find that your printer or other accessory worked fine on your older Mac but suddenly isn't working on your new Intel-based Mac. If that's the case, you want to check your device drivers.
Some background info:
In Mac OS X, drivers for some printers and other devices are implemented via kernel extensions. These drivers, in the form of kernel extensions, are generally supplied by the manufacturer of the device. Some generic device drivers are included with Mac OS X, but most manufacturers make their own drivers in order to customize the features available through their product.
Kernel extensions are installed in /System/Library/Extensions. Kernel extensions must be in a Universal format to work on an Intel-based Mac. If you're troubleshooting your accessory and aren't sure that its related driver is Universal, follow these steps:
- From the Finder, click on your hard drive to go to the top level of the file structure.
- From there, double-click the System folder to open it.
- From there, double-click the Library folder to open it.
- From there, double-click the Extensions folder to open it.
- Locate the kernel extension for your product and click on it once, to highlight it.
- From the File menu, choose Get Info.
- Find the section labelled General and toggle the triangle, if necessary, to open this section.
- On the Kind line, Universal drivers appear as "Kernel Extension (Universal)", like in the example below. If you find that the kernel extension is not Universal, go to the manufacturer's web site and see if you can locate a Universal driver.
