PnP Driver Installer Reference Manual - Thesycon Systemsoftware ...

PnP Driver Installer 

A Customizable PnP Driver 

Installer for Windows 

Reference Manual 

Version: 1.6.0 

Date: 30 July 2012 

Authors: Günter Hildebrandt 

Rene Möller 

Thesycon Systemsoftware & Consulting GmbH 

Werner-von-Siemens-Str. 2 

D-98693 Ilmenau 

Germany 

Tel: +49 3677 8462 0 

Fax: +49 3677 8462 18 

http://www.thesycon.de 

® Thesycon Systemsoftware&ConsultingGmbH

Contents 

Contents 

Table of contents 3 

1 Introduction 5 

1.1 Supported Operating Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

1.2 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

2 Operation 7 

2.1 Driver Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

2.1.1 Operation Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

2.1.2 System Setup Dialogs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 

2.2 Driver Uninstallation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

2.3 Demo Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

2.4 Silent mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

2.4.1 Silent Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Command Line Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Exit codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

2.4.2 Silent Uninstallation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Command Line Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

Exit codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 

2.5 Signing Driver Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 

3 Customization 14 

3.1 Delivery package . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

3.2 Installation Files (.inf) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

3.3 Installer Configuration (setup.ini) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

3.3.1 [Setup] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 

3.3.2 [Setup_x86] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 

3.3.3 [Setup_x64] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 

3.3.4 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 

4 Limitations 24 

PnP Driver Installer Reference Manual 3

1 Introduction 


The PnP Driver Installer can be used to install kernel mode drivers for Windows in a reliable and 

convenient way. It can handle the first-time installation, driver update or removal of the driver 

software. The driver installer can be run with a graphical user interface or in silent mode. It can be 

customized to support different devices and kernel-mode drivers. Regardless of the system state 

the installer makes sure that the correct driver is installed. Currently, it supports the languages 

English and German. Further languages can be added on request. 

1.1 Supported Operating Systems 

The PnP Driver Installer supports the following operating systems: 

• Windows 2000 

• Windows XP (32 and 64 bit) 

• Windows Server 2003 (32 and 64 bit) 

• Windows Home Server 

• Windows Vista (32 and 64 bit) 

• Windows Server 2008 (32 and 64 bit) 

• Windows 7 (32 and 64 bit) 

• Windows Server 2008 R2 

• Windows Home Server 2011 

• Windows 8 (32 and 64 bit) 

• Windows Server 2012 

1.2 Features 

The PnP Driver Installer provides the following features: 

• Support for first-time installation, driver update and removal of the driver software. 

• Removes all other driver packages for the device that match the hardware IDs of the package 

to be installed. 

• Installs exactly the driver version included in the installed package (even in the case of a 

rollback). 

• Interactive mode with graphical user interface. 

• Silent mode to integrate the installer into other setups. 

• Support for different languages. 



• Can be customized easily. 

• Supports signed and unsigned drivers. 

6 PnP Driver Installer Reference Manual

2 Operation 

2.1 Driver Installation 

2.1.1 Operation Sequence 

2 Operation 

At first the setup application checks whether there is an existing installation on the target system. 

If that is the case and if it differs from the current setup it is uninstalled no matter whether the 

existing installation is older or newer. Afterwards, the setup performs a cleanup based on the 

information available in the driver package to install. During this cleanup all drivers that match one 

of the hardware IDs supported by the driver package are uninstalled, including their assignment to 

corresponding devices. The cleanup is important in cases the removal of an existing installation 

failed for any reason or drivers have been installed in another way, e.g. by means of system tools 

like the device manager. In the next step the setup application performs a preinstallation of the 

driver software. This means that the driver will be installed on the system but not yet assigned to 

any device. The system assigns the driver as soon as it recognizes that the corresponding device 

is connected. Before the driver is assigned the system checks whether there is another matching 

driver that is a better choice for the device. The decision which driver is better depends on the 

operating system, the driver version and signature of the driver package. Both the removal of an 

existing installation and the additional cleanup make sure that only the driver provided with the 

setup is present on the system and successfully assigned to the corresponding device, independent 

of the operating system and no matter whether the driver package is installed the first time, or an 

update or a rollback is performed. 

If the setup is running with a graphical user interface it prompts the user at the end of the installation 

to disconnect and reconnect the device. This ensures that the driver is also assigned in the 

case the user not yet connected the device to the system or in the case the system cannot recognize 

the current connection for any reason. The user may ignore this request and can connect the device 

at a later point in time to complete the installation successfully. 

In the case the setup is executed and detects an existing installation that is identical the user is just 

informed that the installation completed. No further installation steps will be performed. 

2.1.2 System Setup Dialogs 

Depending on the operating system and the driver package (signed/unsigned, setup class) Windows 

may rise additional setup dialogs, e.g. to prompt the user to confirm installation of an 

unsigned driver, to trust the driver vendor or to assign the installed driver to a connected device 

(Found New Hardware Wizard). The PnP Driver Installer minimizes their appearance and integrates 

the remaining, inevitable dialogs as good as possible into its user guidance. Under Windows 

XP and the corresponding server systems the Found New Hardware Wizard may appear at the end 

of the installation or later when the system detects a connected device. This system wizard prompts 

the user to assist the assignment of the preinstalled driver to the device. The user just has to follow 

the instructions of the hardware wizard, i.e., he can choose the option "No, not this time" on the 

first page and should continue with "Next" on every following page until the wizard finished. 

Windows setup dialogs can be avoided by signing the driver package (see section 2.5). 


2 Operation 

2.2 Driver Uninstallation 

During every installation the uninstallation support is installed as the very first step. So if the 

installation fails for any reason (see section 2.4.1) the uninstallation can be performed to cleanup 

the system. The uninstallation is supported in the following ways: 

1. If an installation is performed and the setup detects an existing installation on the target 

system that differs from the current one the uninstaller of the existing installation is executed 

before the new installation starts (see section 2.1.1). That means it is not required to 

explicitly cleanup the system before an installation. This is implicitly done by the installer. 

2. If not specified otherwise the installer creates an entry in the programs control panel of the 

system, which is the ’Programs and Features’ control panel under Windows Vista and later 

and the ’Add or Remove Programs’ control panel before Windows Vista. The user may run 

the driver uninstallation by means of this control panel. In this case the uninstaller shows a 

graphical user interface. You can prevent the installer from creating an entry in the control 

panel by means of the appropriate command line parameter (see section 2.4.1). This may 

be useful if you provide an enclosing setup and you don’t want to allow the user to uninstall 

the driver package separately. 

3. The setup allows to perform an explicit silent uninstallation. Especially enclosing setups like 

application setups are addressed by this feature. Usually the uninstallation of the enclosing 

setup should also involve the uninstallation of the driver package. The driver setup provides 

the appropriate command line parameters (see section 2.4.2). Note that it is not required to 

use the same version of the setup executable that installed the existing driver package, but it 

has to be a setup executable of the same product which is defined by the setup.ini. The called 

setup executable may be located anywhere on the system but the corresponding setup.ini file 

has to be located in the same folder. The caller of the uninstallation is responsible for the 

deletion of the setup executable file, if required, because the application doesn’t delete itself 

when uninstallation is finished. 

Note: You should always wait for the result of the uninstallation! The uninstallation may be 

aborted for reasons that requires some user interaction (see section 2.4.2). Furthermore, any 

following installation will be aborted as long as the uninstallation is running. Even if your 

enclosing setup application does not intend to run an installation immediately after, the user 

may do so. 

2.3 Demo Version 

The demo version of the PnP Driver Installer is free and has no limitations except that it requires to 

run the Demo Mode Control Panel DemoModeCpl.exe concurrently. The panel must be started 

before the setup can be used. It requests the user to enter a random number and to enable the 

Demo mode by clicking the button ’Enable’. The Demo Mode Control Panel is always displayed 

on top of the desktop. It has to run until the (un-)installation is finished. 

2.4 Silent mode 

The PnP Driver Installer supports a silent mode that can be enabled with command line options. 

This mode is designed to integrate the PnP Driver Installer into a surrounding setup program. 


When using this mode the following facts have to be considered: 

2 Operation 

• The silent mode only suppresses the graphical user interface of the setup application. It 

does not suppress any Windows setup dialog that may appear. Windows setup dialogs can 

be suppressed by signing the driver package (see section 2.5). 

• The setup is not a console mode application, even when running in silent mode. This means 

when executed on the command line the command prompt returns immediately while the 

setup is still running. To get the setup’s exit code it should be started by an application that 

is able to wait for another process. 

• The caller of the setup is responsible for user guidance which depends on the exit code (see 

sections 2.4.1 and 2.4.2). 

• As described in section 2.1.1 the installation is not completed until the system detects a connected 

device and assigns the preinstalled driver. To ensure that the driver is also assigned in 

the case the user not yet connected the device to the system or in the case the system cannot 

recognize the current connection for any reason the caller of the setup should prompt the 

user at the end of the installation to disconnect and reconnect the device like the PnP Driver 

Installer does when running with graphical user interface. 

2.4.1 Silent Installation 

Command Line Parameters 

Parameter Description 

/S Run installer in silent mode. 

/DIR="target path" Installation directory on the target system. If not specified the 

installation directory given by the setup.ini file is used. 

/NOPCPL Prevent the installer from installing uninstallation support in the 

programs control panel of the system, which is the ’Programs and 

Features’ control panel under Windows Vista and later and the 

’Add or Remove Programs’ control panel before Windows Vista 

respectively. 

Example: setup.exe /S /DIR="c:\MyCompany\MyProduct" 

Exit codes 

Status 

Code 

Description Recommended Action 

0 The setup finished successfully. - 

100 Setup aborted: Another PnP instal- Inform the user to close all open hardware 

lation process is currently running installation wizards. If currently no wizard 

on the system. 

is open the system probably is performing 

some installation steps in the background. 

Just wait some time. Then run setup again. 


2 Operation 

101 Setup finished successfully. But to 

complete driver installation a restart 

is required. 

102 Setup aborted: The current operating 

system is not supported by the 

setup. 

Reboot the system. If the device is already 

connected no disconnect/reconnect is required 

anymore after reboot. 

Inform the user and abort. 

103 Setup aborted: Unexpected error. Inform the user and abort. The setup creates 

a log file in the user’s temp directory. 

This file may help to analyze the problem. 

104 Setup aborted: The current user has 

no administrator privileges which 

are required to proceed. 


109 Setup aborted: Invalid command Call the setup with correct command line 

line parameters. 

parameters. 

111 Setup aborted: The installer / unin- The user has to finish the running (un-) installer 

is already running. 

stallation at first. 

112 Setup aborted: The installation directory 

could not be created on the 

destination system. 

113 Setup aborted: The uninstaller file 

could not be extracted to the installation 

directory. 

114 Setup aborted: Not all required files 

could be installed (Probably one or 

more files already exist in the installation 

directory and could not be 

overwritten.). 

115 Setup aborted: Any driver could not 

be preinstalled on the system. The 

most likely reason is that the user 

didn’t accepted installation of unsigned 

drivers. 

118 Setup aborted: Self-registration of 

some modules failed. 

123 Setup aborted: setup.ini is not 

125 

present or is corrupt. 

Setup interrupted: Installation cannot 

continue because of some 

locked resources. 

quired. 

A restart is re- 

Inform the user or choose another installation 

directory and run setup again. 





Inform the user that he should accept installation 

of unsigned drivers despite the 

system warnings and run setup again. 


Provide a correct setup.ini file. 

Reboot the system and run installation 

again. 


126 Setup aborted: Running this version 

of the setup application requires 

activation of the Demo Mode by 

means of the corresponding "Demo 

Mode Control Panel". 

2 Operation 

This code is only returned in the demo edition 

of the setup which is not delivered to 

the end user. It has not to be handled by 

a calling application. If the setup is executed 

in non-silent mode the information 

is displayed by a message box. Otherwise 

only an error entry is written to the log file 

of the setup in the user’s temp directory. 


2 Operation 

2.4.2 Silent Uninstallation 

Command Line Parameters 

Parameter Description 

/SU The setup silently uninstalls the currently installed version, if there 

is any. 

Example: setup.exe /SU 

Exit codes 

Status 

Code 

Description Solution 

0 The uninstallation finished success- - 

fully. "Successfully" means that 

the uninstallation is done as well as 

possible. The uninstaller may detect 

that the existing installation is corrupt 

(e.g., because the user deleted 

some installed files). This may prevent 

the uninstaller from performing 

all required steps or may even 

prevent the whole uninstallation in 

the worst case. Since neither the 

user nor any calling application can 

resolve such problems no error code 

is returned. 

100 Uninstallation aborted: Another Inform the user to close all open hardware 

PnP installation process is currently installation wizards. If currently no wizard 

running on the system. 

is open the system probably is performing 

some installation steps in the background. 

Just wait some time. Then run setup again. 

101 Uninstallation finished successfully, 

but a restart is required for completion. 

Reboot the system. 

102 Uninstallation aborted: The current 

operating system is not supported 

by the uninstaller. 


103 Uninstallation aborted: Unexpected Inform the user and abort. The uninstaller 

error. 

creates a log file in the user’s temp directory. 

This file may help to analyze the 

104 Uninstallation aborted: The current 

user has no administrator privileges 

which are required to proceed. 

problem. 



109 Uninstallation aborted: Invalid 

111 

command line parameters. 

Uninstallation aborted: The in- 

123 

staller/uninstaller is already running. 

Uninstallation aborted: setup.ini is 

not present or is corrupt. 

126 Uninstallation aborted: Running 

this version of the setup application 

requires activation of the Demo 

Mode by means of the corresponding 

"Demo Mode Control Panel". 

2.5 Signing Driver Packages 

2 Operation 

Call the uninstaller with correct command 

line parameters. 

The user has to finish the running (un-) installation 

at first. 

Provide a correct setup.ini file. 

This code is only returned in the demo edition 

of the setup which is not delivered to 

the end user. It has not to be handled by 

a calling application. If the setup is executed 

in non-silent mode the information 

is displayed by a message box. Otherwise 

only an error entry is written to the log file 

of the setup in the user’s temp directory. 

A driver package consists of driver files (.sys), installation files (.inf) and further optional files (e.g. 

DLLs). To sign a driver package a catalog file (.cat) is created in the first step. This catalog file 

contains a hash value of each file belonging to the driver package. In the next step the catalog file is 

signed by means of a certificate. Either the signature is obtained from a WHQL submission (i.e. a 

submission to the Windows Hardware Quality Labs program of Microsoft) or by means of a vendor 

certificate (Authenticode). A WHQL submission is more expensive and a time-consuming process 

while a vendor signature can be created within seconds after you achieved a valid certificate from 

a certificate authority (CA). For further information please contact Thesycon. 

Note: Vendor signatures do not have any noteworthy impact on driver installations before Windows 

Vista. To enjoy the advantages of a signed driver package under Windows 2000, XP and 

corresponding server systems a WHQL signature has to be used instead. 

A signature may be required for the following reason: 

• Windows setup dialogs can be suppressed, i.e. it is possible to install a driver completely 

silent (with administrator privileges). 

• Windows Vista 64-bit and later 64-bit operating systems require signed driver packages (or 

at least signed driver files). Otherwise the drivers can be installed but are never loaded by 

the system. 

• Windows provides built-in drivers that may be compatible in some cases with the device to 

install (see section 4). Built-in drivers are always WHQL signed. Windows always prefer 

signed drivers when selecting the appropriate driver for a device. To solve this the driver 

package should be signed. Note: Before Windows 7 WHQL signed drivers are preferred 

over vendor-signed drivers according to the default system settings. 


3 Customization 


3.1 Delivery package 

The PnP Driver Installer consists of the setup application setup.exe and the corresponding configuration 

file setup.ini. To create the package to be delivered to the end user, the PnP Driver Installer 

has to be customized. That means, depending on the task of the installer the configuration file 

setup.ini has to be adapted. Furthermore, the installer must be completed with the required driver 

files and optional helper files that adapt the behavior of the setup. The setup application itself is 

never modified. The files that complete the setup are: 

Required 

• One or more driver files (.sys) for 32-bit and/or 64-bit systems. 

• One or more installation files (.inf) for 32-bit and/or 64-bit systems. 

• One or more signed catalog files (.cat) for 32-bit and/or 64-bit systems. Catalog files are 

optional for some older operating systems like Windows XP. Even under Windows Vista 

(64-bit) and Windows 7 (64-bit) it is possible to omit them as long as the driver files (.sys) 

are signed. But this is not recommended. Catalog files are expected by Windows for each 

driver package and significantly improve the user experience during installation. Under 

Windows 8 (64-bit) driver packages without signed catalog files will not work. 

Optional 

• One or more COM DLLs to be registered for 32-bit and/or 64-bit systems. 

• The license text. 

• The file that contains the public (!) key of the vendor certificate used to sign the driver 

package. 

• The vendor-specific bitmap file that will be displayed by the most setup wizard pages. 

• Additional files that extend the driver package or the installation in general. 

All files together with the setup.exe and the setup.ini should be stored in the same folder. Optionally 

sub-folders can be used to separate files specific for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems 

respectively. 

3.2 Installation Files (.inf) 

An installation file describes how a kernel driver is installed. It contains one ore more ’copy file’ 

sections that control how specific files of the driver package are copied to the target system. These 

sections can contain one or more lines like this: 

.sys,,,0x00000004 



The flag 0x00000004 means COPYFLG_NOVERSIONCHECK. If this flag is set the installation 

can overwrite a newer version of the file without showing a warning box to the user. This is 

especially useful in the case of a rollback. It is strongly recommended to set this flag for all files 

in the copy section. 

3.3 Installer Configuration (setup.ini) 

The setup.ini file is a text-based configuration file. It can be edited with a text editor like Notepad. 

The file is divided into sections. A sections is marked with []. Do not change the names of the 

sections. Each section defines a set of parameters. Each parameter has a name and a value. Do not 

modify the names. Change the parameter values according to your requirements. 

3.3.1 [Setup] 

This section contains general parameter that are used for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. 

CompanyName 

Your company name shown in the programs control panel of the system. 

Example: CompanyName=My Company 

ProductName 

The name of your product shown in the graphical user interface of the setup application and the 

programs control panel of the system. 

Note: The application automatically appends strings like ’Setup’ and ’Uninstall’ depending on the 

purpose of the dialogs. So don’t use these strings as part of the name! 

Example: ProductName=My Product 

ProductVersion 

The version string of your product shown in the graphical user interface of the setup application 

and the programs control panel of the system. 

Example: ProductVersion=1.6.0.0 

SoftwareRegPath 

The Registry path of the installed software. It is also used to store setup information. The path is 

relative to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software. 

Note: This parameter must not be changed in future releases of your setup package. Otherwise the 

setup cannot detect whether or not another version already exists on the target system and cannot 

uninstall the existing version before the current package will be installed. 



Note furthermore that this path must be world wide unique. To achieve this, use your company 

name and your product name in the path. 

Example: SoftwareRegPath=MyCompany\MyProduct 

DefaultDestDir 

The default destination directory on the target system. The path is relative to ’Program Files’. 

Note: The path must be world-wide unique. To achieve this, use your company name and your 

product name in the path. 

Example: DefaultDestDir=MyCompany\MyProduct 

ShowLicenseText 

Define whether or not a license agreement should be displayed and accepted by the user before 

installation begins. The license text has to be provided in a plain text file named license.txt 

if this option is enabled (ShowLicenseText=1). The value is either 0 or 1. 

The license agreement is optional. 

Example: ShowLicenseText=0 

UseCustomizedBitmap 

Define whether or not a customized bitmap should be displayed by the setup. The value is either 

0 or 1. If set to 0 the setup displays a default bitmap. If set to 1 the setup is requested to display 

a customized bitmap. The name of the bitmap file has to be "setup.bmp". The file is expected in 

the same folder as the setup application. The dimensions of the bitmap should be 164 x 314 pixels 

(width x height). 

Example: UseCustomizedBitmap=1 

CertificateFile 

The name of the file that contains the public (!) key of the vendor certificate used to sign the driver 

package. The certificate is installed in the ’Trusted Publisher’ store. So the user will not be asked 

whether or not to trust the driver publisher. After the installation completed the certificate is not 

required anymore and therefore removed from the certificate store. 

The value is optional but recommended because it suppresses some system setup dialogs. 

Note: This certificate is only installed under Windows Vista and newer operating systems. Otherwise 

the parameter is ignored. 

Example: CertificateFile=MyCertificate.cer 


CopyFiles 


Common files to be copied to the destination directory (e.g. ReadMe.txt). Several files may be 

specified as a comma separated list of file names without path. The files have to be located in the 

same directory like the setup application. 

The value is optional. 

Note that files specified by other parameters of this section are implicitly copied and should not be 

specified by this parameter. 

Example: CopyFiles=ReadMe.txt, RevisionHistory.txt 

ShortCut[1..n] 

Optional parameters of type ShortCutX=ValueString that define shortcuts to be created. 

Start with X=1 and increment X with each shortcut definition. ValueString has the following 

format: 

SC_ROOT|SC_PATH|SC_NAME|TARGET|PARAMS|START_PATH 

SC_ROOT Root directory of the shortcut. This directory will not be deleted during 

uninstallation. It can be set to the following variables: 

$SM_PROG_CURRENT_USER (start menu\programs of the current user) 

$SM_STARTUP_CURRENT_USER (start menu\startup of the current user) 

$SM_PROG_ALL_USERS (start menu\programs of all users) 

$SM_STARTUP_ALL_USERS (start menu\startup of all users) 

SC_PATH Optional path of the shortcut to be created. This path is relative to SC_ROOT. 

SC_NAME Name of the shortcut to be created. 

TARGET Full path and name of the executable file on the target system the shortcut 

points to. One of the variables $INSTDIR (main installation directory), 

$WINDIR (Windows directory) or $SYSDIR (system32 directory) should be 

used to reference the target file. 

PARAMS Optional parameters passed to the target executable file when it is launched. 

START_PATH Optional start directory for the target executable file. 

Example: 

ShortCut1=$SM_PROG_ALL_USERS|MySubDir|Manual.lnk|$INSTDIR\RefMan.pdf|| 

ShortCut2=$SM_PROG_ALL_USERS|MySubDir|ReadMe.lnk|$INSTDIR\ReadMe.txt|| 

3.3.2 [Setup_x86] 

Settings in this section will only be applied to 32-bit operating systems. 



SupportedOS 

32-bit operating systems supported by the setup. The parameter specifies a comma-separated list 

that may contain the following tokens: 

2000, XP, Server2003, HomeServer, Vista, Server2008, 7, 8, Newer 

The token ’Newer’ means any 32-bit operating system newer than the latest system currently 

known. 

If the list is empty no 32-bit operating system is supported. 

Example: SupportedOS=XP, 7, 8, Newer 

CopyFiles 

This parameter specifies the files of the setup package to be copied to the destination directory 

(e.g., .sys and .cat files). Several files may be specified as a comma separated list of file names 

without path. If the parameter SubDir of this section is empty the files have to be located in the 

same directory like the setup application, otherwise they have to be located in the given sub-folder. 




Example: CopyFiles=MyDriver.sys, MyDriver.cat 

PnPDriverInf 

This parameter specifies the .inf files that describe the Plug’n’Play drivers to be installed. Several 

files may be specified as a comma separated list of file names without path. If the parameter 

SubDir of this section is empty the files have to be located in the same directory like the setup 

application, otherwise they have to be located in the given sub-folder. 

Note: If multiple .inf files are specified they must not be related in a bus driver architecture (see 

section 4). 

Example: PnPDriverInf=MyDriver.inf 

RegisterFiles 

COM DLLs to register. The DLLs have to support self-registration. Several files may be specified 

as a comma separated list of file names without path. If the key SubDir of this section is empty 

the files have to be located in the same directory like the setup application, otherwise they have to 

be located in the given sub-folder. 


Example: RegisterFiles=MyComModule.dll 


SubDir 


Sub-folder of all files listed in the section [Setup_x86]. If the parameter is empty the files have to 

be located in the same directory like the setup application, otherwise they have to be located in the 

given sub-folder. The folder will also be created on the destination system. 


Example: 

Location of the setup application: y:\install 

Installation directory: c:\Program Files\Company\Product 

a) SubDir=x86 

The files will be copied from y:\install\x86 

to c:\Program Files\Company\Product\x86. 

b) SubDir= 

The files will be copied from y:\install 

to c:\Program Files\Company\Product. 


Optional parameter of type ShortCutX=ValueString that define shortcuts to be created. 


format: 













used to reference the target file. If the parameter SubDir of this section 

defines a sub-folder it has to be specified too. 



Example: 



ShortCut1=$SM_STARTUP_ALL_USERS||My CPL.lnk|$INSTDIR\MyCpl.exe|-s| 

3.3.3 [Setup_x64] 

Settings in this section will only be applied to 64-bit operating systems. 

SupportedOS 

64-bit operating systems supported by the setup. The parameter specifies a comma separated list 

that may contain the following tokens: 

XP, Server2003, Vista, Server2008, 7, Server2008R2, HomeServer2011, 8, Server2012, Newer 

The token ’Newer’ means any 64-bit operating system newer than the latest system currently 

known. 

If the list is empty no 64-bit operating system is supported. 

Example: SupportedOS=7, Server2008R2, 8, Newer 

CopyFiles 

This parameter specifies the files of the setup package to be copied to the destination directory 

(e.g., .sys and .cat files). Several files may be specified as a comma separated list of file names 

without path. If the parameter SubDir of this section is empty the files have to be located in the 

same directory like the setup application, otherwise they have to be located in the given sub-folder. 




Example: CopyFiles=MyDriver_x64.sys, MyDriver_x64.cat 

PnPDriverInf 

This parameter specifies the .inf files that describe the Plug’n’Play drivers to be installed. Several 

files may be specified as a comma separated list of file names without path. If the parameter 

SubDir of this section is empty the files have to be located in the same directory like the setup 

application, otherwise they have to be located in the given sub-folder. 

Note: If multiple .inf files are specified they must not be related in a bus driver architecture (see 

section 4). 

Example: PnPDriverInf=MyDriver_x64.inf 

RegisterFiles 

COM DLLs to register. The DLLs have to support self-registration. Several files may be specified 

as a comma separated list of file names without path. If the key SubDir of this section is empty 



the files have to be located in the same directory like the setup application, otherwise they have to 

be located in the given sub-folder. 


Example: RegisterFiles=MyComModule.dll, MyComModule_x64.dll 

SubDir 

Sub-folder of all files listed in the section [Setup_x64]. If the parameter is empty the files have to 

be located in the same directory like the setup application, otherwise they have to be located in the 

given sub-folder. The folder will also be created on the destination system. 


Example: 

Location of the setup application: y:\install 

Installation directory: c:\Program Files\Company\Product 

a) SubDir=x64 

The files will be copied from y:\install\x64 

to c:\Program Files\Company\Product\x64. 

b) SubDir= 

The files will be copied from y:\install 

to c:\Program Files\Company\Product. 


Optional parameter of type ShortCutX=ValueString that define shortcuts to be created. 


format: 















used to reference the target file. If the parameter SubDir of this section 

defines a sub-folder it has to be specified too. 



Example: 

ShortCut1=$SM_STARTUP_ALL_USERS||My CPL.lnk|$INSTDIR\x64\MyCpl_x64.exe|-s| 

3.3.4 Examples 

The SDK of the PnP Driver Installer provides example configuration files for the demo and full 

versions respectively of the following Thesycon drivers: 

• USB CDC/ACM class driver for Windows 

• USB CDC/ECM class driver for Windows 

• USB CDC/NCM class driver for Windows 

• USBIO for Windows 

To get the examples working, the following steps are required (for test purposes only!): 

• Copy the setup application (setup.exe or setup_demo.exe) to an arbitrary test folder. 

• Copy the configuration file setup.ini from the example of interest to the same folder. 

• Get all files listed in the setup.ini file from the corresponding SDK of the Thesycon driver 

and copy them to the same folder like the setup.exe. 

Note: If you don’t have catalog files (.cat) when testing use the driver files (.sys) signed 

by Thesycon. This ensures that the drivers will also be loaded when the installation is 

performed under 64-bit operating systems. 



Under Windows 8 (64-bit) catalog files are mandatory. Driver packages without catalog files 

are rejected by the operating system and the setup will fail. 

The SDK of the USBIO driver also provides COM objects that will be registered by the 

setup. Please refer to the USBIO documentation how to customize USBIO COM objects 

and how to create the required type libraries (.tlb). Registration of the COM objects is 

optional. It you want to skip the registration remove the listed COM DLLs and .tlb files in 

the setup.ini file. 

• Adapt the hardware IDs of the driver installation files (.inf) to match the device to install. 

Note: If catalog files will be provided this step has to be done before the catalog files will 

be created and signed. 

• Copy the created package to the destination system and run the setup application. 

Note: The examples are only intended for demonstration. Following the few steps described 

above you can check the basic functionality of the PnP Driver Installer. To get an impression of 

the optimized user guidance of the installer or of its silent mode, signed catalog files are required. 

If the catalog files are vendor-signed (see section 2.5) the public (!) key of the vendor certificate 

is also required (see parameter CertificateFile of the setup.ini file). 

Packages created with the example configuration files are not ready to be delivered to the end user! 

Please refer to the documentation of the corresponding driver SDK for further details about the 

steps required for a complete driver customization. 

The SDK of the PnP Driver Installer also provides a common example configuration file for an 

arbitrary product of an arbitrary company. The file is located in the same directory like the setup 

application. 


4 Limitations 

4 Limitations 

The PnP Driver Installer is suitable for installation of the most driver packages. In the following 

cases it cannot be used: 

• The driver packages contains drivers related in a bus driver architecture. This is the case if 

– the driver package contains a driver that creates child devices when loaded and 

– if the driver package also contains drivers for these created child devices. 

Note that installation of driver packages containing multiple .inf files (drivers) which are not 

related in a bus driver architecture is supported by the PnP Driver Installer. 

• The systems contains built-in drivers that will be installed for devices that match specific 

conditions. These drivers are always WHQL-signed. Built-in drivers are never uninstalled 

by the PnP Driver Installer. So after cleanup and preinstallation of the vendor driver there 

may be more than one matching driver preinstalled on the system. If the device is connected 

the system will assign the best matching driver to the device. Unfortunately, it prefers signed 

drivers. Additionally, before Windows 7 WHQL-signed drivers are preferred over vendorsigned 

drivers according to the default system settings. So the driver provided with the PnP 

Driver Installer may be preinstalled on the system but will not be loaded for the device. If 

it is not possible to provide the driver package with an appropriate signature the PnP Driver 

Installer is not suitable in this case. 

Note: If the limitations prevent the usage of the PnP Driver Installer a specific driver installer can 

solve this problem. Please contact Thesycon for further information.

PnP Driver Installer Reference Manual - Thesycon Systemsoftware ...

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