15.1 INF Files - Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista

Device information (INF) files are text files that provide information used by the Plug-and-Play mechanism in Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista to install software that supports a given hardware device. INF files are required for hardware that identifies itself, such as USB and PCI. An INF file includes all necessary information about a device and the files to be installed. When hardware manufacturers introduce new products, they must create INF files to explicitly define the resources and files required for each class of device.

In some cases, the INF file for your specific device is supplied by the operating system. In other cases, you will need to create an INF file for your device. WinDriver's DriverWizard can generate a specific INF file for your device. The INF file is used to notify the operating system that WinDriver now handles the selected device.

You can use the DriverWizard to generate the INF file on the development machine - as explained in section 4.2 of the manual - and then install the INF file on any machine to which you distribute the driver, as explained in the following sections.

15.1.1 Why Should I Create an INF File?

• To stop the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard from popping up after each boot.

• To ensure that the operating system can initialize the PCI configuration registers on Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista.

• To load the new driver created for the device.
  An INF file must be created whenever developing a new driver for Plug and Play hardware that will be installed on a Plug-and-Play system.

• To replace the existing driver with a new one.

15.1.2 How Do I Install an INF File When No Driver Exists?

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	NOTE
	You must have administrative privileges in order to install an INF file on Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista.

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• Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista:

  On Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista you can use the wdreg utility with the install command to automatically install the INF file:
  wdreg -inf <path to the INF file> install
  (for more information, refer to section 13.2.2 of the manual).

  On the development PC, you can have the INF file automatically installed when selecting to generate the INF file with the DriverWizard, by checking the Automatically Install the INF file option in the DriverWizard's INF generation window (see section 4.2).

  It is also possible to install the INF file manually on Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista, using either of the following methods:

  • Windows Found New Hardware Wizard: This wizard is activated when the device is plugged in or, if the device was already connected, when scanning for hardware changes from the Device Manager.

  • Windows Add/Remove Hardware Wizard: Right-click the mouse on My Computer, select Properties, choose the Hardware tab and click on Hardware Wizard....

  • Windows Upgrade Device Driver Wizard: Select the device from the Device Manager devices list, select Properties, choose the Driver tab and click the Update Driver... button. On Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista you can choose to upgrade the driver directly from the Properties list.

  In all the manual installation methods above you will need to point Windows to the location of the relevant INF file during the installation.
  We recommend using the wdreg utility to install the INF file automatically, instead of installing it manually.

• Windows 98/Me:

  On Windows 98/Me you need to install the INF file for your PCI/PCMCIA device manually, either via Windows Add New Hardware Wizard or Upgrade Device Driver Wizard, as explained below:

  • Windows Add New Hardware Wizard:

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    	NOTE
    	This method can be used if no other driver is currently installed for the device or if the user first uninstalls (removes) the current driver for the device. Otherwise, Windows New Hardware Found Wizard, which activates the Add New Hardware Wizard, will not appear for this device.

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    (1)

    To activate the Windows Add New Hardware Wizard, attach the hardware device to the computer or, if the device is already connected, scan for hardware changes (Refresh).

    (2)

    When Windows Add New Hardware Wizard appears, follow its installation instructions. When asked, point to the location of the INF file in your distribution package.

  • Windows Upgrade Device Driver Wizard:

    (1)

    Open Windows Device Manager: From the System Properties window (right-click on My Computer and select Properties) select the Device Manager tab.

    (2)

    Select your device from the Device Manager devices list, choose the Driver tab and click the Update Driver button.
    To locate your device in the Device Manager, select View devices by connection. For PCI devices, navigate to Standard PC | PCI bus | <your device>.

    (3)

    Follow the instructions of the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard that opens. When asked, point to the location of the INF file in your distribution package.

15.1.3 How Do I Replace an Existing Driver Using the INF File?

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	NOTE
	You must have administrative privileges in order to replace a driver on Windows 98/Me/2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista.

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1. On Windows 2000, if you wish to upgrade the driver for PCI/PCMCIA devices that have been registered to work with earlier versions of WinDriver, we recommend that you first delete from Windows INF directory (%windir%$\backslash$inf) any previous INF files for the device, to prevent Windows from installing an old INF file in place of the new file that you created. Look for files containing your device's vendor and device IDs and delete them.

2. Install your INF file:
   • On Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista you can automatically install the INF file:

     You can use the wdreg utility with the install command to automatically install the INF file on Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista:
     wdreg -inf <path to INF file> install
     (for more information, refer to section 13.2.2 of the manual).

     On the development PC, you can have the INF file automatically installed when selecting to generate the INF file with the DriverWizard, by checking the Automatically Install the INF file option in the DriverWizard's INF generation window (see section 4.2).

     It is also possible to install the INF file manually on Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista, using either of the following methods:

     • Windows Found New Hardware Wizard: This wizard is activated when the device is plugged in or, if the device was already connected, when scanning for hardware changes from the Device Manager.

     • Windows Add/Remove Hardware Wizard: Right-click on My Computer, select Properties, choose the Hardware tab and click on Hardware Wizard....

     • Windows Upgrade Device Driver Wizard: Select the device from the Device Manager devices list, select Properties, choose the Driver tab and click the Update Driver... button. On Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003/Vista you can choose to upgrade the driver directly from the Properties list.

     In the manual installation methods above you will need to point Windows to the location of the relevant INF file during the installation. If the installation wizard offers to install an INF file other than the one you have generated, select Install one of the other drivers and choose your specific INF file from the list.

     We recommend using the wdreg utility to install the INF file automatically, instead of installing it manually.

   • On Windows 98/Me you need to install the INF file manually via Windows Add New Hardware Wizard or Upgrade Device Driver Wizard, as explained below:
     • Windows Add New Hardware Wizard:

       ****************************************************************************************

       	NOTE
       	This method can be used if no other driver is currently installed for the device or if the user first uninstalls (removes) the current driver for the device. Otherwise, the Windows Found New Hardware Wizard, which activates the Add New Hardware Wizard, will not appear for this device.

       ****************************************************************************************

       (1)

       To activate the Windows Add New Hardware Wizard, attach the hardware device to the computer or, if the device is already connected, scan for hardware changes (Refresh).

       (2)

       When Windows Add New Hardware Wizard appears, follow its installation instructions. When asked, specify the location of the INF file in your distribution package.

     • Windows Upgrade Device Driver Wizard:

       (1)

       Open Windows Device Manager: From the System Properties window (right click on My Computer and select Properties) select the Device Manager tab.

       (2)

       Select your device from the Device Manager devices list, open it, choose the Driver tab and click the Update Driver button. To locate your device in the Device Manager, select View devices by connection. For PCI devices, navigate to Standard PC | PCI bus | <your device>.

       (3)

       Follow the instructions of the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard that opens. Locate the INF in your distribution package when asked.