A network system enables monitoring the status of peripheral devices from computers without concentrating a load on the network. A specific device driver that runs on a specific computer connected to the network has an initialization command transmission unit that sends a first initialization command to the specific printer when a process command is sent to a specific printer, and an operating status monitoring unit that, after initialization based on the first initialization command is completed, monitors the operating status of the specific printer until the printer power turns off. Because the specific computer does not initialize and does not monitor the operating status of the specific printer until the computer sends a process command, concentrating a load on the network is avoided when the network system starts up.