Troubleshooting Device Installation with the SetupAPI Log File
Updated: October 24, 2003
This download white paper provides information about debugging device installation for Microsoft Windows XP and later versions of the operating system. Specifically, the paper provides guidelines for driver developers and testers to interpret the SetupAPI log file.
Windows XP and later versions log system operations more extensively than previous versions of Windows do. One of the most useful log files for debugging is the SetupAPI log file (setupapi.log). This plain-text file maintains the information that SetupAPI records about device installation, service-pack installation, and hotfix installation. Specifically, the file maintains a record of device and driver changes, as well as major system changes, beginning from the most recent Windows installation. This paper focuses on using the SetupAPI log file to troubleshoot device installation; the paper does not describe the log-file sections that are associated with service-pack and hotfix installations.
Included in this white paper:
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How Is the SetupAPI Log File Organized?
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Windows Installation Header Section
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Device-Setup Class Installation Sections
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Driver-Installation Sections
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Device-Removal Sections
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Common Device-Installation Problems
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Appendix A: Setting the SetupAPI Logging Level
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Appendix B: Message Formats
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Appendix C: Section Markers
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Appendix D: Definition of Example Placeholders
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Call to Action and Resources
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