The Adaptec AIC-7860 based PCI SCSI Controller is a hardware device designed for connecting and managing SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) devices such as hard drives, CD-ROM drives, scanners, and other peripherals. It is a PCI SCSI controller card commonly used in older computer systems or servers that require high-speed data transfer between the computer and SCSI devices.

To use the Adaptec AIC-7860 PCI SCSI Controller on a Windows computer, you need to install the correct Windows driver so the operating system can recognize and communicate with the hardware. Installing the driver allows Windows to properly interface with the SCSI controller card, enabling you to use connected SCSI devices.