Windows XP drivers in ROM

Hi,
Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I come from the Mac environment and
am new to windows drivers.

There is a mechanism in the Mac to carry an OS device driver in the firmware
of a PCI card, in addition to the "BIOS" drivers. It's nice because the
customer can just plug his card in, and the OS Driver automatically loads.

I'm sort of familiar with the automatic device detection in XP; that's what
we are currently doing. But the user still has to have a disk or copy the
driver and .inf file to the system, right? Is it possible to embed the XP
driver in the firmware of the PCI card, so that it is automatically located
when the automatic device detection takes place? Any other ways to get the
driver in without having to load a disk?

We currently have the user go into the device manager, find the new PCI
device, update the driver, etc, etc. - not surprisingly we are getting
complaints it is too clumsy!

What does it take to trigger XP to automatically search for drivers? Is is
something in the PnP portion of the PCI firmware?

Thanks very much for any help!

Doron
Thu Jun 22 21:44:27 CDT 2006

no such support exists in windows. the driver has to come from media.

d

--
Please do not send e-mail directly to this alias. this alias is for
newsgroup purposes only.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.


"hkannapell" <hkannapell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:08E9DE47-CC74-40FA-9ED0-1926698C8693@microsoft.com...
> Hi,
> Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I come from the Mac environment
> and
> am new to windows drivers.
>
> There is a mechanism in the Mac to carry an OS device driver in the
> firmware
> of a PCI card, in addition to the "BIOS" drivers. It's nice because the
> customer can just plug his card in, and the OS Driver automatically loads.
>
> I'm sort of familiar with the automatic device detection in XP; that's
> what
> we are currently doing. But the user still has to have a disk or copy the
> driver and .inf file to the system, right? Is it possible to embed the XP
> driver in the firmware of the PCI card, so that it is automatically
> located
> when the automatic device detection takes place? Any other ways to get the
> driver in without having to load a disk?
>
> We currently have the user go into the device manager, find the new PCI
> device, update the driver, etc, etc. - not surprisingly we are getting
> complaints it is too clumsy!
>
> What does it take to trigger XP to automatically search for drivers? Is is
> something in the PnP portion of the PCI firmware?
>
> Thanks very much for any help!

David
Fri Jun 23 01:06:10 CDT 2006

You can run an install from CD that will put the files on the HD so when the
hardware is installed the driver will be loaded automatically. This will
require that it be signed by Microsoft.

"hkannapell" <hkannapell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:08E9DE47-CC74-40FA-9ED0-1926698C8693@microsoft.com...
> Hi,
> Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I come from the Mac environment
> and
> am new to windows drivers.
>
> There is a mechanism in the Mac to carry an OS device driver in the
> firmware
> of a PCI card, in addition to the "BIOS" drivers. It's nice because the
> customer can just plug his card in, and the OS Driver automatically loads.
>
> I'm sort of familiar with the automatic device detection in XP; that's
> what
> we are currently doing. But the user still has to have a disk or copy the
> driver and .inf file to the system, right? Is it possible to embed the XP
> driver in the firmware of the PCI card, so that it is automatically
> located
> when the automatic device detection takes place? Any other ways to get the
> driver in without having to load a disk?
>
> We currently have the user go into the device manager, find the new PCI
> device, update the driver, etc, etc. - not surprisingly we are getting
> complaints it is too clumsy!
>
> What does it take to trigger XP to automatically search for drivers? Is is
> something in the PnP portion of the PCI firmware?
>
> Thanks very much for any help!

Pavel
Fri Jun 23 13:04:42 CDT 2006

Have you visited this resource for Windows driver installation ?
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/install/default.mspx

In Windows PnP does not run any code resident on the device,
the process is triggered by the bus driver and entirely runs on the OS
itself.

Automatic software installation from the device is an attractive idea
for Windows hardware OEMs as well, it's been revisited from time to time.

The main arguments against this AFAIK are:
- how to update? ( only MAC developers can get the driver right from the first time?)
- added cost of storage on the device. Windows hardware market is competitive;
any added cost will prohibit this feature.

You can add to the device a storage function of predefined type (flash disk).
After Windows installs this "disk", an autorun program starts from it and completes
the driver installation for the other function.
This isn't good because autorun from flash disk can be disabled; and even if
users run the setup manually, they need admin rights.

There is another solution based on HID instead of storage, patented by one company
where I've worked. AFAIK they don't use it - because demand is low, price high,
and admin rights still required.

The requirement of admin rights can be lifted if the driver is signed, but then a user
needs to go thru some motions - far from "one click" install.

There is yet another recent thing called PNP-X or network connected devices.
Have a look...
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/rally/rallyPnpx.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/netAttach/PnP-X_UI.mspx

Regards,
--PA

"hkannapell" <hkannapell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:08E9DE47-CC74-40FA-9ED0-1926698C8693@microsoft.com...
> Hi,
> Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I come from the Mac environment and
> am new to windows drivers.
>
> There is a mechanism in the Mac to carry an OS device driver in the firmware
> of a PCI card, in addition to the "BIOS" drivers. It's nice because the
> customer can just plug his card in, and the OS Driver automatically loads.
>
> I'm sort of familiar with the automatic device detection in XP; that's what
> we are currently doing. But the user still has to have a disk or copy the
> driver and .inf file to the system, right? Is it possible to embed the XP
> driver in the firmware of the PCI card, so that it is automatically located
> when the automatic device detection takes place? Any other ways to get the
> driver in without having to load a disk?
>
> We currently have the user go into the device manager, find the new PCI
> device, update the driver, etc, etc. - not surprisingly we are getting
> complaints it is too clumsy!
>
> What does it take to trigger XP to automatically search for drivers? Is is
> something in the PnP portion of the PCI firmware?
>
> Thanks very much for any help!

laudraup
Fri Jun 30 02:46:40 CDT 2006

G&D has a new kind of USB Key.
It is said that it needs no driver to be installed working on XP.
But i don't think so,anyone can tell me it's working mechanism?

"Pavel A." <pavel_a@NOwritemeNO.com> дÈëÓʼþ
news:OzUwpeulGHA.2204@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Have you visited this resource for Windows driver installation ?
> http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/install/default.mspx
>
> In Windows PnP does not run any code resident on the device,
> the process is triggered by the bus driver and entirely runs on the OS
> itself.
>
> Automatic software installation from the device is an attractive idea
> for Windows hardware OEMs as well, it's been revisited from time to time.
>
> The main arguments against this AFAIK are:
> - how to update? ( only MAC developers can get the driver right from the
first time?)
> - added cost of storage on the device. Windows hardware market is
competitive;
> any added cost will prohibit this feature.
>
> You can add to the device a storage function of predefined type (flash
disk).
> After Windows installs this "disk", an autorun program starts from it and
completes
> the driver installation for the other function.
> This isn't good because autorun from flash disk can be disabled; and even
if
> users run the setup manually, they need admin rights.
>
> There is another solution based on HID instead of storage, patented by one
company
> where I've worked. AFAIK they don't use it - because demand is low, price
high,
> and admin rights still required.
>
> The requirement of admin rights can be lifted if the driver is signed, but
then a user
> needs to go thru some motions - far from "one click" install.
>
> There is yet another recent thing called PNP-X or network connected
devices.
> Have a look...
> http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/rally/rallyPnpx.mspx
> http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/device/netAttach/PnP-X_UI.mspx
>
> Regards,
> --PA
>
> "hkannapell" <hkannapell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:08E9DE47-CC74-40FA-9ED0-1926698C8693@microsoft.com...
> > Hi,
> > Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I come from the Mac environment
and
> > am new to windows drivers.
> >
> > There is a mechanism in the Mac to carry an OS device driver in the
firmware
> > of a PCI card, in addition to the "BIOS" drivers. It's nice because the
> > customer can just plug his card in, and the OS Driver automatically
loads.
> >
> > I'm sort of familiar with the automatic device detection in XP; that's
what
> > we are currently doing. But the user still has to have a disk or copy
the
> > driver and .inf file to the system, right? Is it possible to embed the
XP
> > driver in the firmware of the PCI card, so that it is automatically
located
> > when the automatic device detection takes place? Any other ways to get
the
> > driver in without having to load a disk?
> >
> > We currently have the user go into the device manager, find the new PCI
> > device, update the driver, etc, etc. - not surprisingly we are getting
> > complaints it is too clumsy!
> >
> > What does it take to trigger XP to automatically search for drivers? Is
is
> > something in the PnP portion of the PCI firmware?
> >
> > Thanks very much for any help!
>
>

Pavel
Fri Jun 30 07:14:53 CDT 2006

"laudraup" <laudraup@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:ux2hllBnGHA.4728@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> G&D has a new kind of USB Key.
> It is said that it needs no driver to be installed working on XP.
> But i don't think so,anyone can tell me it's working mechanism?

They actually mean: "user needs not bother about drivers for this device.
Windows already has the driver and will install it automagically"
The working mechanisms behind this are standards compliance by the vendor,
and Microsoft effort to supply in-box drivers.

--PA

Jeff
Sat Jul 15 00:00:56 CDT 2006

there is a mechanism available to system OEMs. They can create a virtual
"B:" drive in flash and it will be searched for drivers. I don't believe you
can do this on an add-in card though.

"hkannapell" <hkannapell@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:08E9DE47-CC74-40FA-9ED0-1926698C8693@microsoft.com...
> Hi,
> Sorry if this is a trivial question, but I come from the Mac environment
> and
> am new to windows drivers.
>
> There is a mechanism in the Mac to carry an OS device driver in the
> firmware
> of a PCI card, in addition to the "BIOS" drivers. It's nice because the
> customer can just plug his card in, and the OS Driver automatically loads.
>
> I'm sort of familiar with the automatic device detection in XP; that's
> what
> we are currently doing. But the user still has to have a disk or copy the
> driver and .inf file to the system, right? Is it possible to embed the XP
> driver in the firmware of the PCI card, so that it is automatically
> located
> when the automatic device detection takes place? Any other ways to get the
> driver in without having to load a disk?
>
> We currently have the user go into the device manager, find the new PCI
> device, update the driver, etc, etc. - not surprisingly we are getting
> complaints it is too clumsy!
>
> What does it take to trigger XP to automatically search for drivers? Is is
> something in the PnP portion of the PCI firmware?
>
> Thanks very much for any help!