removing device drivers

Hi All,

I search for a way to implement a driver removal into a tool. I know that
by default drivers registered once should resist in the system. Can someone
explain me a way to remove, deregister, etc. drivers ? Is there a manual
from microsoft or someone else available ?
How can I determine which files and entries belong to which driver ? (I did
not develope them but need to remove them). I believe that I should be able
to get this information out of the inf files but as far as I know there are
some dynamic entries e.g. in the registry and the oem*.inf files. If it is
not possible to remove the driver in a spotlessly clean way, is there a
possibility to disable drivers?
I need to know this for modem and network card device classes.

Your help is much appreciated.

Thanks & Best Regards,
Darius

You can't, there is no way to determine if all the users of a file. In
particular, a second INF can reference your INF etc. So bottom line is at
present, for the general case, you should not remove the files for your
driver.


--
Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
Remove StopSpam from the email to reply



"darius" <> wrote in message
news:1km89mb7juifn.gmk088mnimu4$....
> Hi All,
>
> I search for a way to implement a driver removal into a tool. I know that
> by default drivers registered once should resist in the system. Can
> someone
> explain me a way to remove, deregister, etc. drivers ? Is there a manual
> from microsoft or someone else available ?
> How can I determine which files and entries belong to which driver ? (I
> did
> not develope them but need to remove them). I believe that I should be
> able
> to get this information out of the inf files but as far as I know there
> are
> some dynamic entries e.g. in the registry and the oem*.inf files. If it is
> not possible to remove the driver in a spotlessly clean way, is there a
> possibility to disable drivers?
> I need to know this for modem and network card device classes.
>
> Your help is much appreciated.
>
> Thanks & Best Regards,
> Darius

System Restore will wipe everything, but tatis predicated on a restore point
being set before youinstall your software.

Gary G. Little

"darius" wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> I search for a way to implement a driver removal into a tool. I know that
> by default drivers registered once should resist in the system. Can someone
> explain me a way to remove, deregister, etc. drivers ? Is there a manual
> from microsoft or someone else available ?
> How can I determine which files and entries belong to which driver ? (I did
> not develope them but need to remove them). I believe that I should be able
> to get this information out of the inf files but as far as I know there are
> some dynamic entries e.g. in the registry and the oem*.inf files. If it is
> not possible to remove the driver in a spotlessly clean way, is there a
> possibility to disable drivers?
> I need to know this for modem and network card device classes.
>
> Your help is much appreciated.
>
> Thanks & Best Regards,
> Darius
>

This is a problem that needs a solution. There are cases when driver files
need to be removed.

For instance, there are cases when the system has native drivers for a
device that have to be replaced by an IHV to make third party software
available for the device. However, it is often the case that without the
IHV's software installed the device is dead. Thus it is necessary for the
IHV to remove the IHV's driver and get the original driver installed upon
removal of the IHV's software. There is no legitimate path for doing this
today, and that is a problem. I have run into this three times in the last
year and a half and we have always just broken the rules and deleted our
INFs and other driver files. If this were not done customers would be
certainly be calling.

I think a procedure for removing ALL installed files needs to be created.
If this isn't possible in a safe manner, then it seems to me this needs to
be fixed somehow.

Bill M.


"Don Burn" <> wrote in message
news:%...
> You can't, there is no way to determine if all the users of a file. In
> particular, a second INF can reference your INF etc. So bottom line is at
> present, for the general case, you should not remove the files for your
> driver.
>
>
> --
> Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
> Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
> Remove StopSpam from the email to reply
>
>
>
> "darius" <> wrote in message
> news:1km89mb7juifn.gmk088mnimu4$....
>> Hi All,
>>
>> I search for a way to implement a driver removal into a tool. I know that
>> by default drivers registered once should resist in the system. Can
>> someone
>> explain me a way to remove, deregister, etc. drivers ? Is there a manual
>> from microsoft or someone else available ?
>> How can I determine which files and entries belong to which driver ? (I
>> did
>> not develope them but need to remove them). I believe that I should be
>> able
>> to get this information out of the inf files but as far as I know there
>> are
>> some dynamic entries e.g. in the registry and the oem*.inf files. If it
>> is
>> not possible to remove the driver in a spotlessly clean way, is there a
>> possibility to disable drivers?
>> I need to know this for modem and network card device classes.
>>
>> Your help is much appreciated.
>>
>> Thanks & Best Regards,
>> Darius
>
>

Bill,

I haven't kept up to date on this as much as I should. Microsoft was
working on an approach for this for Longhorn, but I do not know if it is
still in there. I concur it is a problem.


--
Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
Remove StopSpam from the email to reply



"Bill McKenzie" <bm01_REMOVE_@csr.com> wrote in message
news:...
> This is a problem that needs a solution. There are cases when driver
> files need to be removed.
>
> For instance, there are cases when the system has native drivers for a
> device that have to be replaced by an IHV to make third party software
> available for the device. However, it is often the case that without the
> IHV's software installed the device is dead. Thus it is necessary for the
> IHV to remove the IHV's driver and get the original driver installed upon
> removal of the IHV's software. There is no legitimate path for doing this
> today, and that is a problem. I have run into this three times in the
> last year and a half and we have always just broken the rules and deleted
> our INFs and other driver files. If this were not done customers would be
> certainly be calling.
>
> I think a procedure for removing ALL installed files needs to be created.
> If this isn't possible in a safe manner, then it seems to me this needs to
> be fixed somehow.
>
> Bill M.
>
>
> "Don Burn" <> wrote in message
> news:%...
>> You can't, there is no way to determine if all the users of a file. In
>> particular, a second INF can reference your INF etc. So bottom line is
>> at present, for the general case, you should not remove the files for
>> your driver.
>>
>>
>> --
>> Don Burn (MVP, Windows DDK)
>> Windows 2k/XP/2k3 Filesystem and Driver Consulting
>> Remove StopSpam from the email to reply
>>
>>
>>
>> "darius" <> wrote in message
>> news:1km89mb7juifn.gmk088mnimu4$....
>>> Hi All,
>>>
>>> I search for a way to implement a driver removal into a tool. I know
>>> that
>>> by default drivers registered once should resist in the system. Can
>>> someone
>>> explain me a way to remove, deregister, etc. drivers ? Is there a manual
>>> from microsoft or someone else available ?
>>> How can I determine which files and entries belong to which driver ? (I
>>> did
>>> not develope them but need to remove them). I believe that I should be
>>> able
>>> to get this information out of the inf files but as far as I know there
>>> are
>>> some dynamic entries e.g. in the registry and the oem*.inf files. If it
>>> is
>>> not possible to remove the driver in a spotlessly clean way, is there a
>>> possibility to disable drivers?
>>> I need to know this for modem and network card device classes.
>>>
>>> Your help is much appreciated.
>>>
>>> Thanks & Best Regards,
>>> Darius
>>
>>
>
>

Just how to uninstall ( first step in your long custom priocedure... )
look at devcon or install projects in DDK
Arkady

"darius" <> wrote in message
news:1km89mb7juifn.gmk088mnimu4$....
> Hi All,
>
> I search for a way to implement a driver removal into a tool. I know that
> by default drivers registered once should resist in the system. Can
> someone
> explain me a way to remove, deregister, etc. drivers ? Is there a manual
> from microsoft or someone else available ?
> How can I determine which files and entries belong to which driver ? (I
> did
> not develope them but need to remove them). I believe that I should be
> able
> to get this information out of the inf files but as far as I know there
> are
> some dynamic entries e.g. in the registry and the oem*.inf files. If it is
> not possible to remove the driver in a spotlessly clean way, is there a
> possibility to disable drivers?
> I need to know this for modem and network card device classes.
>
> Your help is much appreciated.
>
> Thanks & Best Regards,
> Darius

I used to work at CNXT on AR drivers, and the customers always insisted that
the device uninstallation removed all the files.

"Bill McKenzie" <bm01_REMOVE_@csr.com> wrote in message
news:...
> This is a problem that needs a solution. There are cases when driver
> files need to be removed.
>
> For instance, there are cases when the system has native drivers for a
> device that have to be replaced by an IHV to make third party software
> available for the device. However, it is often the case that without the
> IHV's software installed the device is dead. Thus it is necessary for the
> IHV to remove the IHV's driver and get the original driver installed upon
> removal of the IHV's software. There is no legitimate path for doing this
> today, and that is a problem. I have run into this three times in the
> last year and a half and we have always just broken the rules and deleted
> our INFs and other driver files. If this were not done customers would be
> certainly be calling.
>
> I think a procedure for removing ALL installed files needs to be created.
> If this isn't possible in a safe manner, then it seems to me this needs to
> be fixed somehow.
>
> Bill M.
>
>