Where to install device drivers so that USB device finds them when it's first connected

I'm creating an installer for an application. This application uses a
special type of printer that we'll supply to the client as part of a package
with the software. I'd like to install the USB drivers that come with the
printer into a location where the printer will find them as soon as it's
plugged in - i.e. the client won't have to browse to a directory to select
the drivers. Is this possible - and, if so, where should I install the
drivers.

I guess I'm asking if there's a default USB driver search path that Windows
traverses in search of a driver before it gives up and ask the user for
help. Does a USB device generally know the *name* of the file it's looking
for, if not the location?

I'm only interested in XP and Vista.

Pavel
Wed May 07 20:28:22 CDT 2008

<Debbie.Croft@nospamforme.com> wrote in message
news:OrGu6IGsIHA.3804@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> I'm creating an installer for an application. This application uses a
> special type of printer that we'll supply to the client as part of a
> package with the software. I'd like to install the USB drivers that come
> with the printer into a location where the printer will find them as soon
> as it's plugged in - i.e. the client won't have to browse to a directory
> to select the drivers. Is this possible - and, if so, where should I
> install the drivers.
>
> I guess I'm asking if there's a default USB driver search path that
> Windows traverses in search of a driver before it gives up and ask the
> user for help. Does a USB device generally know the *name* of the file
> it's looking for, if not the location?
>
> I'm only interested in XP and Vista.

Have you read this?
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/install/app_drv.mspx

--PA

Tim
Thu May 08 01:30:24 CDT 2008

<Debbie.Croft@nospamforme.com> wrote:
>
>I'm creating an installer for an application. This application uses a
>special type of printer that we'll supply to the client as part of a package
>with the software. I'd like to install the USB drivers that come with the
>printer into a location where the printer will find them as soon as it's
>plugged in - i.e. the client won't have to browse to a directory to select
>the drivers. Is this possible - and, if so, where should I install the
>drivers.

You can copy the drivers to a convenient location, then use SetupCopyOEMInf
to "register" that location with the operating system.

>I guess I'm asking if there's a default USB driver search path that Windows
>traverses in search of a driver before it gives up and ask the user for
>help. Does a USB device generally know the *name* of the file it's looking
>for, if not the location?

USB doesn't have any special considerations here. All drivers in Windows
are the same.

No, the device doesn't know anything about the driver. In the case of USB,
Windows uses the VID and PID from the descriptors to look for a device in
its list of known INF files.
--
Tim Roberts, timr@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.