Installation and Driver Signing

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To ensure the best possible user experience, installation of both a hardware device and its software driver should run as seamlessly as possible with minimal user intervention. We provide tools and guidelines to help you create installation packages that meet this goal.

FAQs for Device Installation and Signing

	Device Installation FAQ
	Driver Installation for 32-bit and 64-bit Platforms
	Driver Signing Requirements for Windows
	"How Driver Installation Works"

Code Signing in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008

AppInit DLLs in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Device Installation in Windows Vista

	Debugging Device Installation in Windows Vista
	Device Finish-Install Actions in Windows Vista
	Device Installation Rules for Windows Vista
	Driver Package Compatibility for Windows Vista
	Driver Package Integrity During Plug and Play Device Installs in Windows Vista
	Plug and Play Device Driver Deployment in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008
	Plug and Play Device Driver Migration in Windows Vista
	Printer Installation in Windows Vista
	Uninstalling Drivers and Devices on Windows Vista
	WDK Online: How Setup Ranks Drivers in Windows Vista

Installation How-Tos

	Designing Driver Packages for Corporate Deployment
	How to Create Custom Device Icons
	How to Install Windows Drivers with Software Applications
	Installing Drivers and Utilities without Rebooting on Windows
	Installing Test Builds of Inbox Drivers on Windows Vista
	Peter Wieland: Fixing the UMDF USB samples to install both on XP & Vista

Driver Setup and 64-bit Drivers

	Driver Installation for 32-bit and 64-bit Platforms
	INF Requirements for 64-bit Systems
	Print Driver Setup: 64-bit Drivers and Platforms

Troubleshooting Installation Problems

	Debugging Device Installation in Windows Vista
	Installing Test Builds of Inbox Drivers on Windows Vista
	Troubleshooting Device Installation with the SetupAPI Log File
	Windows Setup and Device Installation Logging

Driver Installation - WinHEC 2008

	Common Device Driver Installation Errors [WinHEC 2008; 5.0 MB]
	Creating Deployable Driver Packages for Windows [WinHEC 2008; 3.3 MB]
	Debugging Device Installation [WinHEC 2008; 22.4 MB]
	Device Interfaces Overview [WinHEC 2008; 1.4 MB]
	Extending Device Installation by Using Co-Installers [WinHEC 2008; 1.3 MB]
	Making Drivers Available on Windows [WinHEC 2008; 3.2 MB]
	Plug and Play Key Concepts [WinHEC 2008; 1.1 MB]
	Windows 7 Device Installation Experience [WinHEC 2008; 4.8 MB]

Driver Installation - WinHEC 2007

Deploying Device Drivers for Windows Vista [WinHEC 2007; 1.1 MB]

Device Install Frameworks (DIFx) and Package Distribution

	DIFx FAQ: Information about Driver Install Frameworks Tools
	Driver Install Frameworks Tools Overview
	WDK Online: DIFx Driver Package Requirements
	WDK Online: Driver Install Frameworks API (DIFxAPI)
	WDK Online: Driver Install Frameworks for Applications (DIFxApp)
	WDK Online: Driver Package Installer (DPInst)

See Also

	Machine.inf Update Submission Procedure
	Archived White Papers

Resources

	WDK Documentation Download
	Driver Developer Community Resources
	Driver Signing Requirements for Windows
	Driver Tips: Best Practices for Windows Device Drivers
	Notes from Windows Development Teams
	Support for Developer Kits and Tools
	Driver Developer Blogs
	WDK Documentation on MSDN