Tips and Techniques for Installing Devices

When working with Windows 2000 and Windows NT, there was one cardinal rule for choosing a device to attach to your system: Check the hardware compatibility list! This was a list of devices that were known to work with Windows. Like its operating system predecessors, Windows XP also maintains a list of compatible hardware, only now the list is called the Windows Catalog. You can get to this Web site by selecting Start, All Programs, Windows Catalog, or by entering the following address in your Web browser:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/catalog/

If you see your device in the hardware list, you can install the device safe in the knowledge that it will work properly with Windows XP. If you don’t see the device, all is not lost because you still have two other options:

• Check the manufacturer’s package for some indication that the device works with Windows XP or contains drivers for Windows XP. Seeing the “Designed For Windows XP” logo on the package is the best way to be sure that the device works with Windows XP.

• Check the manufacturer’s Web site to see if it has an updated Windows XP driver or device setup program available.

Installing Plug and Play Devices

The hoped-for objective for device configuration is a setup in which you need only to insert or plug in a peripheral and turn it on (if necessary), and your system configures the device automatically. In other words, the system not only recognizes that a new device is attached to the machine, but it also gleans the device’s default resource configuration and, if required, resolves any conflicts that might have arisen with existing devices. And, of course, the operating system should be able to perform all this magic without your ever having to flip a DIP switch, fiddle with a jumper, or fuss with various IRQ, I/O port, and DMA combinations.

Plug and Play is an attempt by members of the PC community to reach this Zen-like hardware state. Did they succeed? Yes, Plug and Play works like a charm, but only if your Windows XP system meets both of the following criteria:

• It has a Plug and Play BIOS. One of the first things that happens inside your computer when you turn it on (or do a hardware reboot) is that the ROM BIOS (basic input/output system) code performs a Power-On Self Test to check the system hardware. If you have a system with a Plug and Play BIOS, the initial code also enumerates and tests all the Plug and Play–compliant devices on the system. For each device, the BIOS not only selects the device, but also gathers the device’s resource configuration (IRQ, I/O ports, and so forth). When all the Plug and Play devices have been isolated, the BIOS then checks for resource conflicts and, if there are any, takes steps to resolve them.

• It uses Plug and Play devices. Plug and Play devices are the extroverts of the hardware world. They’re only too happy to chat with any old Plug and Play BIOS or operating system that happens along. What do they chat about? The device essentially identifies itself to the BIOS (or the operating system if the BIOS isn’t Plug and Play–compliant) by sending its configuration ID, which tells what the device is and which resources it uses. The BIOS or operating system then configures the system’s resources accordingly.

Plug and Play is built into every device that connects via a USB or IEEE 1394 port, and it comes with all PC Card devices and almost all interface cards that connect to the PCI bus. Other devices that connect via the serial, parallel, or PS/2 ports aren’t necessarily Plug and Play–compliant, but almost all of them are if they were manufactured in the past few years. Interface cards that connect to the legacy ISA bus are not Plug and Play–compliant.

Before you install a Plug and Play device, check to see if the hardware came with a setup program on a floppy disk, a CD, or as part of a download package. If it did, run that program and, if you’re given any setup options, be sure to install at least the device driver. Having the driver loaded on the system will help Windows XP install the device automatically.

Caution

Only members of the Administrators group can install device drivers, so be sure to log on as a member of that group before installing the device.

How Windows reacts when you attach a Plug and Play device that is designed for Windows XP depends on how you attached the device:

• If you hot-swapped a device such as a PC Card or a printer, Windows XP recognizes the device immediately and installs the driver for it.

• If you turned your computer off to attach the device, Windows XP recognizes it the next time you start the machine, and installs the appropriate driver.

Either way, an icon appears in the system tray, and a balloon tip titled Found New Hardware pops up to tell you that your new hardware is installed and ready for use.

If Windows XP did not find a device driver for the new hardware, it automatically runs the Found New Hardware Wizard. You’re given two choices:

• Install The Software Automatically (Recommended) Choose this option if you have a floppy disk or CD that contains a Windows XP–compatible device driver for the hardware. Insert the disk or CD and click Next. Windows XP examines the system’s disk drives, locates the driver, and then installs the driver. (If the wizard finds more than one driver, it asks you to choose the one you want from a list.)

• Install From a List or Specific Location Choose this option if you’ve downloaded a driver from the Internet or if you have a disk or CD that has a driver that isn’t identified as compatible with Windows XP. Click Next.

If you choose the latter option, you’ll see the dialog box shown in Figure 9-1. Once again, you have two ways to proceed:

Figure 9-1: : This dialog box appears if you elected to install the device driver from a list or a specific location.

• Choose this option if you’ve downloaded the device driver from the Internet. If the driver is on a floppy disk or CD, leave the Search Removable Media check box selected; otherwise, clear it. If the driver is on your hard disk or a network drive, select the Include This Location In The Search check box and then enter the full path of the folder that contains the driver. Click Next.

  Caution

  If the downloaded driver is contained within a compressed file (such as a ZIP file), be sure to decompress the file before moving on to the next wizard step.

• Don’t Search. I Will Choose The Driver To Install Choose this option if you have a floppy disk or CD containing a device driver that isn’t identified as compatible with Windows XP. Note that you should also choose this option if you want to use one of Windows XP’s built-in drivers that you think might be a close enough match for the device. Click Next, choose the appropriate hardware type, and click Next again. In the next wizard dialog box, you have two choices:

  • If you have a floppy disk or CD, insert it, click Have Disk, enter the letter of the drive that holds the disk or CD, and click OK.

  • If you want to pick an existing Windows XP driver, select the Show Compatible Hardware check box, select the driver that most closely matches your device, and then click Next.

Installing Legacy Devices

When it comes to installing legacy devices (that is, devices that don’t support Plug and Play), your best bet by far is to run the setup program that the manufacturer supplies either on a floppy disk, on a CD, or as part of a driver download. If you’re asked, choose the Windows XP driver, if one is available. If no Windows XP driver is available, the Windows 2000 driver will work in most cases. If the device has drivers only for Windows NT, Windows 9x, or Windows Me, these almost certainly will not work with Windows XP, so there’s no point in installing them. Contact the manufacturer and ask for a Windows XP (or, at worst, a Windows 2000) driver.

If you don’t have a setup program for the device, Windows XP may still be able to support the hardware using one of its legacy device drivers. To do this, you need to run one of Windows XP’s hardware wizards. Some of these wizards are device-specific, so you should use those where appropriate:

• Joystick or other game device Launch Control Panel’s Game Controllers icon and then click Add.

• Modem Launch Control Panel’s Phone And Modem Options icon, select the Modems tab, and click Add.

• Printer Select Start, Printers And Faxes, and then click the Add A Printer link.

• Scanner or digital camera Launch Control Panel’s Scanners And Cameras icon, and then click the Add An Imaging Device link.

For all other devices, use the Add Hardware Wizard:

1. Launch Control Panel’s Add Hardware icon.

2. In the wizard’s initial dialog box, click Next. The wizard searches for new Plug and Play hardware.

3. When the wizard asks if the hardware is connected, select the Yes, I Have Already Connected The Hardware option and click Next. The wizard displays a list of installed hardware.

4. At the bottom of the list, select Add A New Hardware Device and click Next.

5. You now have two choices:

   • Search For And Install The Hardware Automatically (Recommended) Choose this option if you have a device that the wizard is capable of locating using hardware detection. This route often works with modems, printers, video cards, and network cards. Click Next to start the detection process. If the detection fails, the wizard will let you know. In this case, click Next and proceed with step 6.

   • Install The Hardware That I Manually Select From A List (Advanced) Choose this option to pick out the device by hand. Click Next.

6. Select the hardware category that applies to your device. (If you don’t see an appropriate category, select Show All Devices.) Click Next.

7. Depending on the hardware category you selected, a new wizard might appear. (For example, if you chose the Modems category, the Install New Modem Wizard appears.) In that case, follow the wizard’s dialog boxes. Otherwise, a dialog box appears with a list of manufacturers and models. In this case, you have two choices:

   • Select your device by first selecting the device’s manufacturer in the Manufacturer list and then selecting the name of the device in the Model list.

   • If you have a manufacturer’s floppy disk, CD, or downloaded file, click Have Disk, enter the appropriate path and file name in the Install From Disk dialog box, and click OK.

8. Click Next.

Controlling Driver Signing Options

Device drivers that meet the Designed For Windows XP specifications have been tested for compatibility with Microsoft and then given a digital signature. This signature tells you that the driver works properly with Windows XP and that it hasn’t been changed since it was tested. (For example, the driver hasn’t been infected by a virus or Trojan horse program.) When you’re installing a device, if Windows XP comes across a driver that has not been digitally signed, it displays a dialog box similar to the one shown in Figure 9-2.

Figure 9-2: : Windows XP displays a dialog box similar to this one when it comes across a device driver that does not have a digital signature.

If you click STOP Installation, Windows XP cancels the driver installation, and you won’t be able to use the device. This is the most prudent choice in this situation because an unsigned driver can cause all kinds of havoc, including lock-ups, BSODs (Blue Screens of Death), and other system instabilities. You should ask the manufacturer for a Windows XP–compatible driver, or upgrade to a newer model that is supported by Windows XP.

If that’s not possible, you should take some precautions:

• Back up all your files.

• Set a system restore point. (Windows XP will do this for you anyway whenever you elect to install an unsigned driver, but we advise you to set your own restore points, just in case something goes wrong.)

• Test your system thoroughly after installing the driver: Use the device, open and use your most common applications, run some disk utilities. If anything seems awry, use the restore point to roll back the system to its previous configuration.

By default, Windows XP gives you the option of either continuing or canceling the installation of the unsigned driver. You can change this behavior to automatically accept or reject all unsigned drivers by following these steps:

1. Launch Control Panel’s System icon.

2. Select the Hardware tab.

3. Click Driver Signing. Windows XP displays the Driver Signing Options dialog box, shown in Figure 9-3.

   
   Figure 9-3: Use the Driver Signing Options dialog box to specify how Windows XP should handle unsigned device drivers.

4. Choose an option in the What Action Do You Want Windows To Take section of the dialog box:

   • Ignore Choose this option if you want Windows XP to install all unsigned drivers.

   • Warn Choose this option, shown in Figure 9-3, if you want Windows XP to warn you about an unsigned driver.

   • Block Choose this option if you do not want Windows XP to install any unsigned drivers.

5. If you want this action to apply to all the users of the computer, leave the Make This Action The System Default check box selected.

6. Click OK.

   Insider Secret

   There are some device drivers that Windows XP knows will cause system instabilities. Windows XP will simply refuse to load these problematic drivers, no matter which action you choose in the Driver Signing Options dialog box. In this case, you’ll see a dialog box similar to the one in Figure 9-3, except this one tells you that the driver will not be installed and your only choice is to cancel the installation.