vista driver update

I am working on windows device driver for 1394 for 32-bit Vista. I found it
strange that I cannot update my already-installed unsigned driver after I
made changes to driver code and recompiled. I was able to install driver
first time. But updating driver is the problem. It updates the driver only
after I changed the inf file date and version.

For my testing this is really cumbursome. Everytime I compile the driver
after minor change, I cannot reinstall the driver. I have to change inf file
also with some other version number. Is this necessary? Any workaround for my
driver testing. I didnot have problem with windows XP wherein we can do "have
disk" and overwrite the driver binary. I want to replace driver binary with
new driver binary for testing. Other information about driver can remain
same. Is there any simple way to do this?

I wish the driver installtion process be mature enough/simple enough that it
wont change just for every version of OS.

Gianluca
Thu Dec 06 10:21:41 PST 2007

during development, there are at least two possible ways to update a driver
1. overwrite the existing binary in c:\windows\system32\drivers and
disable/enable the device (from device manager or with devcon.exe).
2. if you use windbg over serial/firewire to debug your driver, use .kdfiles
to force the OS driver loader to load your driver from the machine where you
are running windbg.

Once you have windbg setup correctly, 2. is the fastest way to change the
driver during development.

Have a nice day
GV

--
Gianluca Varenni, Windows DDK MVP

CACE Technologies
http://www.cacetech.com



"Raj" <Raj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8CA6A4F0-F76F-4F78-AB9B-FDA0ABABCB12@microsoft.com...
>I am working on windows device driver for 1394 for 32-bit Vista. I found it
> strange that I cannot update my already-installed unsigned driver after I
> made changes to driver code and recompiled. I was able to install driver
> first time. But updating driver is the problem. It updates the driver only
> after I changed the inf file date and version.
>
> For my testing this is really cumbursome. Everytime I compile the driver
> after minor change, I cannot reinstall the driver. I have to change inf
> file
> also with some other version number. Is this necessary? Any workaround for
> my
> driver testing. I didnot have problem with windows XP wherein we can do
> "have
> disk" and overwrite the driver binary. I want to replace driver binary
> with
> new driver binary for testing. Other information about driver can remain
> same. Is there any simple way to do this?
>
> I wish the driver installtion process be mature enough/simple enough that
> it
> wont change just for every version of OS.

Maxim
Thu Dec 06 10:37:38 PST 2007

Just COPY over the old .SYS file, no need to reinstall in this case.

--
Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
StorageCraft Corporation
maxim@storagecraft.com
http://www.storagecraft.com

"Raj" <Raj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8CA6A4F0-F76F-4F78-AB9B-FDA0ABABCB12@microsoft.com...
> I am working on windows device driver for 1394 for 32-bit Vista. I found it
> strange that I cannot update my already-installed unsigned driver after I
> made changes to driver code and recompiled. I was able to install driver
> first time. But updating driver is the problem. It updates the driver only
> after I changed the inf file date and version.
>
> For my testing this is really cumbursome. Everytime I compile the driver
> after minor change, I cannot reinstall the driver. I have to change inf file
> also with some other version number. Is this necessary? Any workaround for my
> driver testing. I didnot have problem with windows XP wherein we can do "have
> disk" and overwrite the driver binary. I want to replace driver binary with
> new driver binary for testing. Other information about driver can remain
> same. Is there any simple way to do this?
>
> I wish the driver installtion process be mature enough/simple enough that it
> wont change just for every version of OS.

Raj
Thu Dec 06 11:43:08 PST 2007

Thanks Maxim and Gianluca.

Just overwriting binaries didnot help. Disable/enable driver after
overwriting binaries updated the driver.

I cannot believe that when the driver is loaded just overwriting the
binaries will update the driver. When will just copying binaries update the
driver?

Thanks,,
Raj.

"Maxim S. Shatskih" wrote:

> Just COPY over the old .SYS file, no need to reinstall in this case.
>
> --
> Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
> StorageCraft Corporation
> maxim@storagecraft.com
> http://www.storagecraft.com
>
> "Raj" <Raj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:8CA6A4F0-F76F-4F78-AB9B-FDA0ABABCB12@microsoft.com...
> > I am working on windows device driver for 1394 for 32-bit Vista. I found it
> > strange that I cannot update my already-installed unsigned driver after I
> > made changes to driver code and recompiled. I was able to install driver
> > first time. But updating driver is the problem. It updates the driver only
> > after I changed the inf file date and version.
> >
> > For my testing this is really cumbursome. Everytime I compile the driver
> > after minor change, I cannot reinstall the driver. I have to change inf file
> > also with some other version number. Is this necessary? Any workaround for my
> > driver testing. I didnot have problem with windows XP wherein we can do "have
> > disk" and overwrite the driver binary. I want to replace driver binary with
> > new driver binary for testing. Other information about driver can remain
> > same. Is there any simple way to do this?
> >
> > I wish the driver installtion process be mature enough/simple enough that it
> > wont change just for every version of OS.
>
>

Maxim
Thu Dec 06 11:58:46 PST 2007

Overwrite the binaries, then reload by disable/enable. All is correct.

--
Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
StorageCraft Corporation
maxim@storagecraft.com
http://www.storagecraft.com

"Raj" <Raj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:D98027FA-A5F0-472D-A6F4-424615FBD846@microsoft.com...
> Thanks Maxim and Gianluca.
>
> Just overwriting binaries didnot help. Disable/enable driver after
> overwriting binaries updated the driver.
>
> I cannot believe that when the driver is loaded just overwriting the
> binaries will update the driver. When will just copying binaries update the
> driver?
>
> Thanks,,
> Raj.
>
> "Maxim S. Shatskih" wrote:
>
> > Just COPY over the old .SYS file, no need to reinstall in this case.
> >
> > --
> > Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
> > StorageCraft Corporation
> > maxim@storagecraft.com
> > http://www.storagecraft.com
> >
> > "Raj" <Raj@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:8CA6A4F0-F76F-4F78-AB9B-FDA0ABABCB12@microsoft.com...
> > > I am working on windows device driver for 1394 for 32-bit Vista. I found
it
> > > strange that I cannot update my already-installed unsigned driver after I
> > > made changes to driver code and recompiled. I was able to install driver
> > > first time. But updating driver is the problem. It updates the driver
only
> > > after I changed the inf file date and version.
> > >
> > > For my testing this is really cumbursome. Everytime I compile the driver
> > > after minor change, I cannot reinstall the driver. I have to change inf
file
> > > also with some other version number. Is this necessary? Any workaround
for my
> > > driver testing. I didnot have problem with windows XP wherein we can do
"have
> > > disk" and overwrite the driver binary. I want to replace driver binary
with
> > > new driver binary for testing. Other information about driver can remain
> > > same. Is there any simple way to do this?
> > >
> > > I wish the driver installtion process be mature enough/simple enough that
it
> > > wont change just for every version of OS.
> >
> >