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Chapter 11
MANAGING DEVICE
DRIVERS
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
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OVERVIEW
• Understand the relationship between hardware
devices and drivers
• Install a device driver
• Use Device Manager to view and manage hardware
devices and their device drivers
• Troubleshoot device driver problems
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
UNDERSTANDING DEVICE DRIVERS
What is a device driver?
• Software routines that implement device-specific
functions for generic input/output operations.
• Communication interface between the operating
system and the hardware device.
• Defines and processes device commands.
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DEVICE DRIVER FUNCTIONS
• A device driver exposes device-specific routines to
device-independent functions in the operating
system.
• A device driver allows you to manipulate the
physical properties of hardware devices.
• A device driver can provide functionality through two
separate driver components
• A high-level driver
Interact with application and operating system
• A low-level driver
Direct hardware interface
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
DEVICES AND DRIVERS
• Some drivers (standard keyboard, mouse) are
generic, so a single driver can be used with
hundreds of compatible devices.
• Other drivers are very specific and work only with
a specific model of device.
• Generic drivers require less frequent updating
and therefore present fewer challenges to the
administrator.
• Device driver may not be available or unsupported.
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
DEVICE DRIVERS AND HARDWARE
RESOURCES
• I/O address (port)
• Data mailslot
• DMA
• Transfer without
processor support
• 8 channels
• Memory address
• Additional BIOS
routines
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
DEVICE DRIVERS AND HARDWARE
RESOURCES
• Device manager
• View
IRQs
Hidden devices
NIC
• Action
Update driver
Disable
Uninstall
Scan for changes
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
CONFIGURING HARDWARE RESOURCES
Issues with manual configuration:
• Limited device resource settings
• Resource depletion
• Device conflicts
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PLUG AND PLAY (PnP)
• Introduced in 1995 (aka Plug and Pray)
• Detects new hardware
• Installs the appropriate device driver
• Determines what hardware resources the device
requires
• Scans the system for available hardware resources
• Selects appropriate resource settings for the device
• Configures both the device and the device driver
that will use the selected resources
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Non-PnP COMPLIANT OR STANDARD DEVICE
Manual device driver installation and configuration:
• The system fails to detect the new device
• The system detects the device but cannot identify
• The system cannot identify the specific model
• The system installs but cannot configure the device
• The system installs the wrong device driver
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CREATING A DRIVER MAINTENANCE STRATEGY
When a new driver is released by a manufacturer,
administrators must decide:
• If and when updates should be installed
• How the updates should be installed
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TO UPDATE OR NOT?
• Hardware manufacturers generally release new
device drivers:
• To enhance performance
• To implement new features
• To address problems with previous driver releases
• On a server system, all new drivers should be tested
before installation. A new driver might cause issues
with existing hardware.
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USERS, ADMINISTRATORS, AND DEVICE
DRIVER INSTALLATION
• Updating device drivers might require the
administrator to visit every system. In large
environments this can be problematic.
• Many drivers can be included in “silent” installation
packages or distributed via scripts or group policy.
• Windows Server 2003 includes driver signing
options and the ability to grant selective driver
installation privileges to appropriate users.
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CONTROLLING DEVICE DRIVER ACCESS
• Members of the Administrators group have full
access to load, unload, configure, and manage
devices and device drivers.
• Users can install a new device if it requires no
resource configuration and if a signed driver for that
device already exists on the system. Facilitates
installing devices that use USB or FireWire
connections.
• Can be a major data security (risk) issue
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
DRIVER SIGNING OPTIONS
• Driver signing guarantees tested drivers
• Windows Hardware Quality Laboratory
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
USING CONTROL PANEL
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USING THE ADD HARDWARE WIZARD
• Control Panel
• Add hardware
• Manual install
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
USING DEVICE MANAGER
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ENABLING AND DISABLING DEVICES
• A device can be disabled and enabled through
Device Manager.
• Disabled devices appear in Device Manager with a
red X on their icons in Device Manager.
• A disabled device cannot be accessed by the
operating system.
• A disabled device can be assigned different
hardware resources when it is re-enabled.
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UNINSTALLING DEVICE DRIVERS
• If the device was installed by Plug and Play, the
device driver is removed and the hardware is
deleted from Device Manager.
• If the device was installed manually, the device
driver is removed but the hardware remains in
Device Manager and is marked as a device that
cannot be started, is improperly configured, or does
not have a device driver installed.
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
MANAGING DEVICE PROPERTIES
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
UPDATING DRIVERS
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
ROLLING BACK DRIVERS
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
MANAGING HARDWARE RESOURCES
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
TROUBLESHOOTING DEVICES AND DRIVERS
• Device Manager status codes
• Using hardware troubleshooters
• Recovering from device disaster
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DEVICE MANAGER STATUS CODES
• Provides a mechanism for the operating system to
indicate the type of problem being experienced by
the device
• Can be viewed in the Device Status box on the
General tab of the device’s properties
• Uses a numeric code to indicate the problem
Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
USING HARDWARE TROUBLESHOOTERS
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Chapter 11: MANAGING DEVICE DRIVERS
RECOVERING FROM DEVICE DISASTER
• Driver Rollback
• Last Known Good Configuration
• Safe Mode
• Recovery Console
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SUMMARY
• Device drivers are software components that
enable applications and operating systems to
communicate with specific hardware devices.
• Plug and Play is a standard that enables computers
to detect and identify hardware devices, and then
install and configure drivers for those devices.
• Drivers for a device might be included with Windows
Server 2003, or you might need to obtain the latest
driver from the device manufacturer.
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SUMMARY (continued)
• The drivers included with Windows Server 2003 are
all digitally signed, to ensure that they have not
been tampered with.
• Device Manager is an MMC snap-in that lists all
hardware devices in the computer and indicates
problems with identification or driver configuration.
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SUMMARY (continued)
• Device Manager allows you to enable and disable
devices, update and roll back drivers, manage
device driver properties, and resolve hardware
resource conflicts.
• Users must have administrative privileges to install
and manage hardware devices and their drivers,
although users can install Plug and Play devices
if no additional drivers or user interaction are
required.
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SUMMARY (continued)
• Many hardware manufacturers periodically release
driver updates; it is up to system administrators
to decide whether to install the updates, when,
and how.
• The Last Known Good Configuration option is useful
for reverting to a previously used driver, but only
if you have not logged on to the system after
restarting.
• Safe mode loads a minimal set of drivers, enabling
you to access Device Manager and disable,
uninstall, or roll back a driver that is causing a
problem.