Device Manager overviewA hardware profile is a set of instructions that tells Windows 2000 which devices to start when you start your computer or what settings to use for each device. When you first install Windows 2000, a hardware profile called Profile 1 (for laptops, the profiles would be Docked Profile or Undocked Profile) is created. By default, every device that is installed on your computer at the time you install Windows 2000 is enabled in the Profile 1 hardware profile.
Hardware profiles are especially useful if you have a portable computer. Most portable computers are used in a variety of locations, and hardware profiles will let you change which devices your computer uses when you move it from location to location. For example, you may have one profile named Docking Station Configuration for using your portable computer at a docking station with hardware components such as a
You can manage hardware profiles by double-clicking System in Control Panel, clicking the Hardware tab, and clicking Hardware Profiles. If there is more than one hardware profile, you can designate a default profile that will be used every time you start your computer. You can also have Windows 2000 ask you which profile to use every time you start your computer. Once you create a hardware profile, you can use Device Manager to disable and enable devices that are in the profile. When you disable a device in a hardware profile, the device drivers for the device are not loaded when you start your computer.