Deep analysis of device-driven management for Windows 7

The ability to provide good support for hardware is a tough test for Windows 7 and is also an important indicator of whether users choose Windows 7. The so-called hardware support, in the final analysis is the device driver problem. What are the new features of Windows 7 in hardware drivers? How do I troubleshoot driver failures in Windows 7? I think this is a user-related issue, the author will combine their own Windows 7 experience and their own understanding of windows 7 device-driven problem for a more in-depth analysis, I hope to help.

1, Windows 7 device driver file interpretation

A wide range of driver libraries are included in Windows 7. In the basic installation of the operating system, these drivers are saved in the driver store, and they are located in the%systemroot%\system32\driverstore\filerepository directory. In addition, subfolders that correspond to the localized driver information are saved in the Driverstore folder, and for each language configured on the system, there is a subfolder for the folder. For example, the author installs the English version of Windows 7, and the localized English driver information is located in the en-US subfolder. (Figure 1)

In the driver store, each device driver is certified and ensures that it is fully compatible with the Windows 7 system, with the digital signature of Microsoft, which ensures that the driver is absolutely available in the operating system. When you install a new compatibility Plug and Play device, Windows 7 checks for available compatible device drivers in the driver store. If found, the device is automatically installed by the operating system.

Each device driver has an associated installation information file with an. inf extension that contains detailed configuration information about the device you are installing. In addition, there are all the source files that the information file identifies for each driver to use, and these files are extended with. sys. The driver is also associated with the component manifest file, which is written in Extensible Markup Language, contains details about the driver digital signature, and may also include configuring itself to automatically use Plug and Play information for the device.

The source files for each driver that Windows 7 system installs are stored in the%systemroot%\system32\dirvers directory. When a new device driver is installed, the driver is written to the%systemroot%\system32\dirvers subfolder and the configuration information is saved in the registry. The. inf file for the driver can be used to control the installation and the settings information to be written to the registry. If the driver you need is not saved in the driver store, or if you do not use the. inf file, or if you lack other system files, the driver's. inf file and other related files are written to%systemroot%\system32 \ When the device is installed. Driverstore\filerepository under subfolders. (Figure 2)