Preinstallation of INF File

Hello

When an unknown USB device is plugged in, Windows 7 doesn't ask the user for
a driver disk. But this was the way we recommended for our users on Windows
XP.

So I think on Windows 7 I need something like a setup.exe that preinstalls
the driver INF file before the user plugs in the device.

What is the easiest way to preinstall a USB driver on Windows 7?
Do I have to write my own setup program and call some magic API functions?
Or can I in some way use the Microsoft Installer?

Any help appreciated.

TIA

--
Michael Reim
Michael DOT Reim AT helmut-fischer DOT de

"Michael Reim"
<> wrote:
>
>When an unknown USB device is plugged in, Windows 7 doesn't ask the user for
>a driver disk.

Correct. Most users are brain-dead, and those dialogs just confused them.

>But this was the way we recommended for our users on Windows XP.

Well, it's not that much harder to tell them to go to Device Manager and do
a manual update.

>So I think on Windows 7 I need something like a setup.exe that preinstalls
>the driver INF file before the user plugs in the device.
>
>What is the easiest way to preinstall a USB driver on Windows 7?
>Do I have to write my own setup program and call some magic API functions?
>Or can I in some way use the Microsoft Installer?

I use a small NSIS script with DPInst.exe. The NSIS script unpacks the
driver package plus DPInst, and then launches DPInst, which does the
pre-installation. Easy as pie.
--
Tim Roberts,
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

Hello Tim,

see my comments below.

"Tim Roberts" <> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:...
> "Michael Reim"
> <> wrote:
>>
>>When an unknown USB device is plugged in, Windows 7 doesn't ask the user
>>for
>>a driver disk.
>
> Correct. Most users are brain-dead, and those dialogs just confused them.
>
>>But this was the way we recommended for our users on Windows XP.
>
> Well, it's not that much harder to tell them to go to Device Manager and
> do
> a manual update.

This is what we don't want our "brain-dead" users to do.


>>So I think on Windows 7 I need something like a setup.exe that preinstalls
>>the driver INF file before the user plugs in the device.
>>
>>What is the easiest way to preinstall a USB driver on Windows 7?
>>Do I have to write my own setup program and call some magic API functions?
>>Or can I in some way use the Microsoft Installer?
>
> I use a small NSIS script with DPInst.exe. The NSIS script unpacks the
> driver package plus DPInst, and then launches DPInst, which does the
> pre-installation. Easy as pie.

Thank you for this excellent hint. DPInst is exactly what I was looking for.