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Device Console (DevCon.exe) examples

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Important

PnPUtil ships with every release of Windows and makes use of the most reliable and secure APIs available and its use is recommended. For more information on using PnPutil instead of devcon, see Replacing DevCon.

Example catagories

This section provides examples of the following Device Console (DevCon.exe) commands:

DevCon HwIDs

DevCon Classes

DevCon ListClass

DevCon DriverFiles

DevCon DriverNodes

DevCon Resources

DevCon Stack

DevCon Status

DevCon Find

DevCon FindAll

DevCon ClassFilter

DevCon Enable

DevCon Disable

DevCon Update and UpdateNI

DevCon Install

DevCon Remove

DevCon Rescan

DevCon Restart

DevCon Reboot

DevCon SetHwID

DevCon dp_add, dp_deleted, dp_enum

Example details

Example 1: Find all hardware IDs

Because DevCon operations use IDs and ID patterns to identify devices, a common first step in using DevCon is to create a hardware ID reference file for devices on the computer.

The following command uses the DevCon HwIDs operation, which returns the IDs and the device description. It uses the wildcard character (*) to represent all devices on the local computer.

devcon hwids *

Because the output is lengthy and used repeatedly, save the output in a text file for reference.

The following command uses the wildcard character (*) to represent all devices on the computer. It uses the redirection character (>) to save the command output in the hwids.txt file.

devcon hwids * > hwids.txt

Example 2: Find hardware IDs by using a pattern

To find the hardware IDs of a particular device, enter the hardware ID or pattern, the compatible ID or pattern, the device instance ID or pattern, or the name of the device setup class.

The following command uses the DevCon HwIDs operation and a pattern to find the hardware IDs of the floppy disk drive on the computer. (The user assumes that the pattern appears in one of the device identifiers.) The command uses the wildcard character (*) to represent all characters that might precede or follow the word "floppy" in any of the IDs.

devcon hwids *floppy*

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID, hardware ID, and compatible ID of the floppy disk drive on the computer. You can use these IDs in subsequent DevCon commands.

FDC\GENERIC_FLOPPY_DRIVE\5&39194F6D&0&0
    Name: Floppy disk drive
    Hardware ID's:
        FDC\GENERIC_FLOPPY_DRIVE
    Compatible ID's:
        GenFloppyDisk
1 matching device(s) found.

In this case, the phrase "floppy" occurs in the hardware ID or compatible ID of only one device on the computer. If it occurs in the ID of more than one device, all devices with "floppy" in their IDs appear in the output.

Example 3: Find hardware IDs by using a class

The following command uses the DevCon HwIDs operation and a device setup class to find the hardware IDs of all devices in the Ports device setup class. The equal sign (=) preceding the class name indicates that it is a class, not an ID.

devcon hwids =ports

In response, DevCon displays the hardware IDs and compatible IDs of the three devices in the Ports setup class.

ACPI\PNP0401\4&B4063F4&0
    Name: ECP Printer Port (LPT1)
    Hardware ID's:
        ACPI\PNP0401
        *PNP0401
ACPI\PNP0501\1
    Name: Communications Port (COM1)
    Hardware ID's:
        ACPI\PNP0501
        *PNP0501
ACPI\PNP0501\2
    Name: Communications Port (COM2)
    Hardware ID's:
        ACPI\PNP0501
        *PNP0501
3 matching device(s) found.

Example 4: List classes on the local computer

Because DevCon operations can use the device setup class to identify devices, it is useful to create a reference file of the device setup classes of devices on the computer.

The following command uses the DevCon Classes operation, which returns a list and description of all classes on the computer.

devcon classes

Because the output is lengthy and used repeatedly, save the output in a text file for reference.

The following command displays all device classes on the computer. It uses the redirection character (>) to save the command output in the classes.txt file.

devcon classes > classes.txt

Example 6: List the devices in a device setup class

The following command uses the DevCon ListClass operation to list the devices in Net, the device setup class for network adapters.

devcon listclass net

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID and description of each device in the Net setup class.

Listing 6 device(s) for setup class "Net" (Network adapters).
PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&SUBSYS_00BE1028&REV_78\4&BB7B4AE&0&60F0: 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)
ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (L2TP)
ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000                                      : WAN Miniport (IP)
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000                                  : WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (PPTP)
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000                                    : Direct Parallel

This display, although interesting, does not provide the hardware IDs of the devices in the Net setup class. The following command uses the DevCon HwIDs operation to list the devices in the Net setup class. In a DevCon HwIDs command, the class name is preceded by an equal sign (=) to indicate that it is a class, not an ID.

devcon hwids =net

The resulting display lists the devices in the Net class and includes the device instance ID, hardware IDs, and compatible IDs of devices in the class.

PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&SUBSYS_00BE1028&REV_78\4&BB7B4AE&0&60F0
    Name: 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast Ethernet Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)
    Hardware ID's:
        PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&SUBSYS_00BE1028&REV_78
        PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&SUBSYS_00BE1028
        PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&CC_020000
        PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&CC_0200
    Compatible ID's:
        PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&REV_78
        PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200
        PCI\VEN_10B7&CC_020000
        PCI\VEN_10B7&CC_0200
 PCI\VEN_10B7
        PCI\CC_020000
 PCI\CC_0200
ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (L2TP)
    Hardware ID's:
        ms_l2tpminiport
ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (IP)
    Hardware ID's:
        ms_ndiswanip
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
    Hardware ID's:
        ms_pppoeminiport
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (PPTP)
    Hardware ID's:
        ms_pptpminiport
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000
    Name: Direct Parallel
    Hardware ID's:
        ms_ptiminiport
6 matching device(s) found.

Example 7: List the devices in multiple classes

The following command uses the DevCon ListClass operation to list the devices in the DiskDrive, CDROM, and TapeDrive classes.

devcon listclass diskdrive cdrom tapedrive

In response, DevCon displays the devices in those classes.

Listing 1 device(s) for setup class "DiskDrive" (Disk drives).
IDE\DISKWDC_WD204BA_____________________________16.13M16\4457572D414D3730323136333938203120202020: WDC WD204BA
Listing 1 device(s) for setup class "CDROM" (DVD/CD-ROM drives).
IDE\CDROMSAMSUNG_DVD-ROM_SD-608__________________2.2_____\4&13B4AFD&0&0.0.0: SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-608
No devices for setup class "TapeDrive" (Tape drives).

Example 8: List all driver files

The following command uses the DevCon DriverFiles operation to list the file names of drivers that devices on the system use. The command uses the wildcard character (*) to indicate all devices on the system. Because the output is extensive, the command uses the redirection character (>) to redirect the output to a reference file, driverfiles.txt.

devcon driverfiles * > driverfiles.txt

Example 9: List the driver files of a particular device

The following command uses the DevCon DriverFiles operation to search for the device driver that the mouse device on the local computer uses. It identifies the device by one of its hardware IDs, HID\Vid_045e&Pid_0039&Rev_0121. The hardware ID is enclosed in quotation marks because it includes the ampersand character (&).

devcon driverfiles "HID\Vid_045e&Pid_0039&Rev_0121"

In response, DevCon displays the two device drivers that support the mouse device.

HID\VID_045E&PID_0039\6&DC36FDE&0&0000
    Name: Microsoft USB IntelliMouse Optical
    Driver installed from c:\windows\inf\msmouse.inf [HID_Mouse_Inst]. 2 file(s)
 used by driver:
        C:\WINDOWS\System32\DRIVERS\mouhid.sys
        C:\WINDOWS\System32\DRIVERS\mouclass.sys
1 matching device(s) found.

Example 10: List driver packages by hardware ID pattern

The following command uses the DevCon DriverNodes command and an ID pattern to list the driver nodes of software-enumerated devices. Patterns are useful for finding information about similar devices that might not be in the same setup class.

The following command uses the ID pattern sw\* to specify devices whose hardware IDs or compatible IDs begin with "sw," that is, software-enumerated devices.

devcon drivernodes sw*

In response, DevCon displays the driver nodes of software-enumerated devices on the system.

SW\{A7C7A5B0-5AF3-11D1-9CED-00A024BF0407}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4}

 Name: Microsoft Kernel System Audio Device
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wdmaudio.inf
    Inf section is WDM_SYSAUDIO
    Driver description is Microsoft Kernel System Audio Device
    Manufacturer name is Microsoft
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002244
        Inf is digitally signed
SW\{B7EAFDC0-A680-11D0-96D8-00AA0051E51D}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4}

    Name: Microsoft Kernel Wave Audio Mixer
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wdmaudio.inf
    Inf section is WDM_KMIXER
    Driver description is Microsoft Kernel Wave Audio Mixer
    Manufacturer name is Microsoft
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002244
        Inf is digitally signed
SW\{CD171DE3-69E5-11D2-B56D-0000F8754380}\{9B365890-165F-11D0-A195-0020AFD156E4}

    Name: Microsoft WINMM WDM Audio Compatibility Driver
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wdmaudio.inf
    Inf section is WDM_WDMAUD
    Driver description is Microsoft WINMM WDM Audio Compatibility Driver
    Manufacturer name is Microsoft
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002244
        Inf is digitally signed
3 matching device(s) found.

Example 11: List driver packages by device instance ID pattern

The following command uses the DevCon DriverNodes operation to list the driver packages of all devices whose device instance IDs begin with ROOT\MEDIA, that is, devices in the Enum\Root\Media registry subkey. The command uses the at character (@) to indicate that the phrase is in the device instance ID.

devcon drivernodes @ROOT\MEDIA*

In response, DevCon displays the driver nodes of devices whose device instance ID begins with "ROOT\MEDIA."

ROOT\MEDIA\MS_MMACM
    Name: Audio Codecs
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wave.inf
    Inf section is MS_MMACM
    Driver description is Audio Codecs
    Manufacturer name is (Standard system devices)
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002240
        Inf is digitally signed
ROOT\MEDIA\MS_MMDRV
    Name: Legacy Audio Drivers
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wave.inf
    Inf section is MS_MMDRV
    Driver description is Legacy Audio Drivers
    Manufacturer name is (Standard system devices)
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002240
        Inf is digitally signed
ROOT\MEDIA\MS_MMMCI
    Name: Media Control Devices
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wave.inf
    Inf section is MS_MMMCI
    Driver description is Media Control Devices
    Manufacturer name is (Standard system devices)
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002240
        Inf is digitally signed
ROOT\MEDIA\MS_MMVCD
    Name: Legacy Video Capture Devices
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wave.inf
    Inf section is MS_MMVCD
    Driver description is Legacy Video Capture Devices
    Manufacturer name is (Standard system devices)
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002240
        Inf is digitally signed
ROOT\MEDIA\MS_MMVID
    Name: Video Codecs
DriverNode #0:
    Inf file is c:\windows\inf\wave.inf
    Inf section is MS_MMVID
    Driver description is Video Codecs
    Manufacturer name is (Standard system devices)
    Provider name is Microsoft
    Driver date is 7/1/2001
    Driver version is 5.1.2535.0
    Driver node rank is 0
    Driver node flags are 00002240
        Inf is digitally signed
5 matching device(s) found.

Example 12: List resources of a class of devices

The following command uses the DevCon Resources operation to display the resources allocated to devices in the Hdc device setup class. This class includes IDE controllers. The equal sign (=) is prepended to "hdc" to indicate that it is a class and not an ID.

devcon resources =hdc

In response, DevCon lists the resources allocated to IDE controllers on the local computer.

PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_244B&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_02\3&29E81982&0&F9
    Name: Intel(r) 82801BA Bus Master IDE Controller
    Device is currently using the following resources:
        IO  : ffa0-ffaf
PCIIDE\IDECHANNEL\4&37E53584&0&0
    Name: Primary IDE Channel
    Device is currently using the following resources:
        IO  : 01f0-01f7
        IO  : 03f6-03f6
        IRQ : 14
PCIIDE\IDECHANNEL\4&37E53584&0&1
    Name: Secondary IDE Channel
    Device is currently using the following resources:
        IO  : 0170-0177
        IO  : 0376-0376
        IRQ : 15
3 matching device(s) found.

Example 13: List resources of device by ID

The following command uses the DevCon Resources operation to list the resources allocated to the system timer. The command uses the hardware ID of the system timer, ACPI\PNP0100, to specify the device.

devcon resources *PNP0100

In response, DevCon displays the resources of the system timer.

ROOT\*PNP0100\PNPBIOS_8
    Name: System timer
    Device has the following resources reserved:
        IO  : 0040-005f
        IRQ : 0
1 matching device(s) found.

The following command uses the device instance ID of the system timer in the DevCon resources command. The at character (@) indicates that the string is a device instance ID, not a hardware ID or compatible ID.

devcon resources "@ACPI\PNP0100\4&b4063f4&0"

Example 14: Display the driver stack for storage devices

The following command uses the DevCon Stack operation to search for devices in the Volume setup class and display the expected driver stack for those devices. The equal sign (=) indicates that the string is a class name.

devcon stack =Volume

In response, DevCon displays the expected stack for the devices in the Volume class. The returned data includes the device instance ID and description of each device, the GUID and name of the device setup class, the names of upper and lower filter drivers, and controlling services (if any).

STORAGE\VOLUME\1&30A96598&0&SIGNATURE32323533OFFSET271167600LENGTH6E00D0C00
    Name: Generic volume
    Setup Class: {71A27CDD-812A-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F} Volume
    Class upper filters:
        VolSnap
    Controlling service:
        (none)
STORAGE\VOLUME\1&30A96598&0&SIGNATURE32323533OFFSET7E00LENGTH27115F800
    Name: Generic volume
    Setup Class: {71A27CDD-812A-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F} Volume
    Class upper filters:
        VolSnap
    Controlling service:
        (none)
2 matching device(s) found.

Example 15: Find the setup class of a device

The DevCon Stack operation returns the setup class of a device in addition to the upper and lower filter drivers. The following commands find the setup class of the printer port interface by finding its device instance ID and then using the device instance ID to find its setup class.

The following command uses the DevCon HwIDs operation to find the device instance ID of the printer port interface by using "LPT," a phrase in the printer port hardware ID.

devcon hwids *lpt*

In response, DevCon returns the device instance ID (displayed in bold text) and the hardware ID of the printer port interface.

LPTENUM\MICROSOFTRAWPORT\5&CA97D7E&0&LPT1
    Name: Printer Port Logical Interface
    Hardware ID's:
        LPTENUM\MicrosoftRawPort958A
        MicrosoftRawPort958A
1 matching device(s) found.

The next command uses the DevCon Stack operation to find the device setup class of the device represented by the device instance ID. An at character (@) identifies the ID as a device instance ID. The ID is enclosed in quotation marks because it includes ampersand characters.

devcon stack "@LPTENUM\MICROSOFTRAWPORT\5&CA97D7E&0&LPT1"

In response, DevCon displays the driver stack for the printer port interface, including the class. The display reveals that the printer port is in the System class.

LPTENUM\MICROSOFTRAWPORT\5&CA97D7E&0&LPT1
    Name: Printer Port Logical Interface
    Setup Class: {4D36E97D-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} System
    Controlling service:
        (none)
1 matching device(s) found.

The following command uses the DevCon Stack operation to display the expected stack for miniport driver devices. It searches for devices in the Net setup class that have "miniport" in their hardware ID or compatible ID.

Note that this command first limits the search to the Net setup class and then finds the "miniport" string. It does not find devices other than those in the Net setup class.

devcon stack =net *miniport*

In response, DevCon displays the expected stack for miniport drivers.

ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (L2TP)
    Setup Class: {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} Net
    Controlling service:
        Rasl2tp
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
    Setup Class: {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} Net
    Controlling service:
        RasPppoe
    Lower filters:
        NdisTapi
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000
    Name: WAN Miniport (PPTP)
    Setup Class: {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} Net
    Controlling service:
        PptpMiniport
    Lower filters:
        NdisTapi
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000
    Name: Direct Parallel
    Setup Class: {4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} Net
    Controlling service:
        Raspti
    Lower filters:
        PtiLink
4 matching device(s) found.

Example 17: Display the status of all devices

The following command uses the DevCon Status operation to find the status of all devices on the local computer. It then saves the status in the status.txt file for logging or later review. The command uses the wildcard character (*) to represent all devices and the redirection character (>) to redirect the output to the status.txt file.

devcon status * > status.txt

Example 18: Display the status of a device by device instance ID

The most reliable way to find the status of a particular device is to use the device instance ID of the device.

The following command uses the device instance ID of the I/O controller on the local computer in a DevCon Status command. The command includes the device instance ID of the device, PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1130&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_02\3&29E81982&0&00. The at character (@) prefixed to the ID identifies the string as a device instance ID. The ID must be enclosed in quotation marks because it includes ampersand characters.

devcon status "@PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1130&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_02\3&29E81982&0&00"

In response, DevCon displays the status of the I/O controller.

PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1130&SUBSYS_00000000&REV_02\3&29E81982&0&00
    Name: Intel(R) 82815 Processor to I/O Controller - 1130
    Driver is running.
1 matching device(s) found.

The following command uses the DevCon Status operation to display the status of particular storage-related devices. It searches for the following devices:

  • Disk drive, GenDisk

  • CD-ROM drive, GenCdRom

  • Floppy disk drive, FDC\GENERIC_FLOPPY_DRIVE

  • Volumes, STORAGE\Volume

  • Logical disk manager, ROOT\DMIO

  • Volume manager, ROOT\FTDISK

  • Floppy disk controller, ACPI\PNP0700

In the command, each ID is separated from the others by spaces. Note that GenDisk and GenCdRom are compatible IDs, whereas the other IDs are hardware IDs.

devcon status GenDisk GenCdRom FDC\GENERIC_FLOPPY_DRIVE STORAGE\Volume ROOT\DMIO ROOT\FTDISK ACPI\PNP0700

In response, DevCon displays the status of each device.

FDC\GENERIC_FLOPPY_DRIVE\1&3A2146F1&0&0
    Name: Floppy disk drive
    Driver is running.
IDE\CDROMSAMSUNG_DVD-ROM_SD-608__________________2.2_____\4&13B4AFD&0&0.0.0
    Name: SAMSUNG DVD-ROM SD-608
    Driver is running.
IDE\DISKWDC_WD204BA_____________________________16.13M16\4457572D414D373032313633393820312
0202020
    Name: WDC WD204BA
    Driver is running.
ROOT\DMIO\0000
    Name: Logical Disk Manager
    Driver is running.
ROOT\FLOPPYDISK\0000
    Device has a problem: 28.
ROOT\FLOPPYDISK\0002
    Device has a problem: 01.
ROOT\FLOPPYDISK\0003
    Device has a problem: 01.
ROOT\FLOPPYDISK\0004
    Device is currently stopped.
ROOT\FTDISK\0000
    Name: Volume Manager
    Driver is running.
STORAGE\VOLUME\1&30A96598&0&SIGNATUREEA1AA9C7OFFSET1770DF800LENGTH3494AEA00
    Name: Generic volume
    Driver is running.
STORAGE\VOLUME\1&30A96598&0&SIGNATUREEA1AA9C7OFFSET7E00LENGTH1770CFC00
    Name: Generic volume
    Driver is running.
11 matching device(s) found.

Example 20: Find devices by hardware ID pattern

The following command uses the DevCon Find operation to search for mouse devices. Specifically, the command searches the computer for devices whose hardware ID or compatible ID includes "mou.", and would not find a "moose" driver.

devcon find *mou*

In this case, DevCon found both two mouse devices.

ROOT\*PNP0F03\1_0_21_0_31_0                                 : Microsoft PS/2 Mouse
ROOT\RDP_MOU\0000                                           : Terminal Server Mouse Driver

Because all DevCon display operations also find hardware IDs, you can use any display operation to search for hardware IDs. Select the operation based on the content that you need in the output. For example, to find the device drivers that mouse-related devices on a local computer use, submit the following command.

devcon driverfiles *mou*

In response, DevCon finds the devices and lists their drivers.

HID\VID_045E&PID_0039\6&DC36FDE&0&0000
    Name: Microsoft USB IntelliMouse Optical
    Driver installed from c:\windows\inf\msmouse.inf [HID_Mouse_Inst]. 2 file(s) used by d
river:
        C:\WINDOWS\System32\DRIVERS\mouhid.sys
        C:\WINDOWS\System32\DRIVERS\mouclass.sys
ROOT\RDP_MOU\0000
    Name: Terminal Server Mouse Driver
    Driver installed from c:\windows\inf\machine.inf [RDP_MOU]. 2 file(s) used by driver:
        C:\WINDOWS\System32\DRIVERS\termdd.sys
        C:\WINDOWS\System32\DRIVERS\mouclass.sys
2 matching device(s) found.

Example 21: Find devices by device instance ID or class

The following commands use the DevCon Find operation to display all legacy devices on the local computer. Because legacy devices do not have a hardware ID, you must search for them by their device instance ID (registry path), ROOT\LEGACY, or their setup class, LegacyDriver.

The first command finds legacy drivers by a device instance ID pattern. The ID pattern is prefaced by the at character (@) to indicate a device instance ID and followed by the wildcard character (*) to find all devices in the ROOT\Legacy subkey.

devcon find @root\legacy*

The second command finds legacy devices by searching for all devices in the LegacyDriver class.

devcon find =legacydriver

Both commands produce the same output, in this case, finding the same 27 legacy devices.

ROOT\LEGACY_AFD\0000                                        : AFD Networking Support Environment
ROOT\LEGACY_BEEP\0000                                       : Beep
ROOT\LEGACY_DMBOOT\0000                                     : dmboot
ROOT\LEGACY_DMLOAD\0000                                     : dmload
ROOT\LEGACY_FIPS\0000                                       : Fips
ROOT\LEGACY_GPC\0000                                        : Generic Packet Classifier
ROOT\LEGACY_IPSEC\0000                                      : ipsec
ROOT\LEGACY_KSECDD\0000                                     : ksecdd
ROOT\LEGACY_MNMDD\0000                                      : mnmdd
ROOT\LEGACY_MOUNTMGR\0000                                   : mountmgr
ROOT\LEGACY_NDIS\0000                                       : ndis
ROOT\LEGACY_NDISTAPI\0000                                   : Remote Access NDIS TAPI Driver
ROOT\LEGACY_NDISUIO\0000                                    : NDIS Usermode I/O Protocol
ROOT\LEGACY_NDPROXY\0000                                    : NDProxy
ROOT\LEGACY_NETBT\0000                                      : netbt
ROOT\LEGACY_NULL\0000                                       : Null
ROOT\LEGACY_PARTMGR\0000                                    : PartMgr
ROOT\LEGACY_PARVDM\0000                                     : ParVdm
ROOT\LEGACY_RASACD\0000                                     : Remote Access Auto Connection Driver
ROOT\LEGACY_RDPCDD\0000                                     : RDPCDD
ROOT\LEGACY_RDPWD\0000                                      : RDPWD
ROOT\LEGACY_TCPIP\0000                                      : tcpip
ROOT\LEGACY_TDPIPE\0000                                     : TDPIPE
ROOT\LEGACY_TDTCP\0000                                      : TDTCP
ROOT\LEGACY_VGASAVE\0000                                    : VgaSave
ROOT\LEGACY_VOLSNAP\0000                                    : VolSnap
ROOT\LEGACY_WANARP\0000                                     : Remote Access IP ARP Driver
27 matching device(s) found.

Example 22: Find (and find all) devices in a setup class

The following command uses the DevCon FindAll operation to find all devices on the computer in the Net setup class. The equal sign (=) indicates that Net is a setup class and not an ID.

devcon findall =net

In response, DevCon lists the following seven devices in the Net setup class. The first six are standard miniport driver devices. The seventh device, the RAS async adapter, is a software-enumerated device (SW\*) that is not installed until it is needed.

PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&SUBSYS_00BE1028&REV_78\4&BB7B4AE&0&60F0: 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast
Ethernet Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)
ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (L2TP)
ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000                                      : WAN Miniport (IP)
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000                                  : WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (PPTP)
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000                                    : Direct Parallel
SW\{EEAB7790-C514-11D1-B42B-00805FC1270E}\ASYNCMAC          : RAS Async Adapter
7 matching device(s) found.

The following command compares the DevCon Find and DevCon FindAll operations by running a DevCon Find command with the same parameters as the previous DevCon FindAll command.

devcon find =net

In response, DevCon lists the following six devices in the Net setup class.

PCI\VEN_10B7&DEV_9200&SUBSYS_00BE1028&REV_78\4&BB7B4AE&0&60F0: 3Com 3C920 Integrated Fast
Ethernet Controller (3C905C-TX Compatible)
ROOT\MS_L2TPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (L2TP)
ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000                                      : WAN Miniport (IP)
ROOT\MS_PPPOEMINIPORT\0000                                  : WAN Miniport (PPPOE)
ROOT\MS_PPTPMINIPORT\0000                                   : WAN Miniport (PPTP)
ROOT\MS_PTIMINIPORT\0000                                    : Direct Parallel
6 matching device(s) found.

Predictably, the DevCon Find command, which returns only currently installed devices, does not list the software-enumerated device because the device is not installed.

Example 23: Display the filter drivers for a setup class

The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to display the upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class. Because this command includes no classfilter operators, DevCon displays the filter drivers for the class, but does not change them.

devcon classfilter DiskDrive upper

In response, DevCon displays the upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive class and confirms that it did not change them. In this case, the display shows that devices in the DiskDrive setup class use the PartMgr.sys upper filter driver.

Class filters unchanged.
    PartMgr

Example 24: Add a filter driver to a setup class

The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to add a fictitious filter, Disklog.sys, to the list of upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class.

This command uses the add-after (+) ClassFilter operator to load the Disklog driver after the PartMgr driver so that it receives data that PartMgr.sys has already processed.

When the command starts, the virtual cursor is positioned before the first filter driver. Because it is not positioned on a particular driver, DevCon adds the Disklog driver to the end of the filter driver list.

The command also uses the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary to make the class filter change effective.

devcon /r classfilter DiskDrive upper +Disklog

In response, DevCon displays the current upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive class.

Class filters changed. Class devices must be restarted for changes to take effect.
    PartMgr
    Disklog

If you misspell the driver name, or try to add a driver that isn't installed on the system, the command fails. DevCon does not add a driver unless the driver is registered as a service, that is, unless the driver has a subkey in the Services registry subkey (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services).

The following command tests this safeguard feature. It attempts to add "Disklgg" (instead of "Disklog") to the list of upper filters for the DiskDrive class. The output demonstrates that the command fails.

devcon /r classfilter DiskDrive upper +Disklgg
devcon failed.

Example 25: Insert a filter driver in the class list

The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to add a fictitious filter driver, MyFilter.sys, to the list of upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class. The command places MyFilter.sys between PartMgr.sys and Disklog.sys in the load order.

devcon /r classfilter DiskDrive upper @Disklog -MyFilter

The following list shows the filter drivers for the DiskDrive class before the command is submitted.

    PartMgr
    Disklog

The first subcommand, @Disklog, uses the positioning operator (@) to place the virtual cursor on the Disklog filter driver. The second subcommand, -MyFilter, uses the add-before operator (-) to add MyFilter.sys before Disklog.sys.

The command also uses the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary to make the class filter change effective.

The positioning operator is essential in this example. Before DevCon processes any classfilter subcommands, the virtual cursor is at the beginning of the list and is not positioned on any filter drivers. If you use the add-before (+) operator when the cursor is not on positioned on a driver, DevCon adds the driver to the beginning of the list. If you use the add-after (-) operator when the cursor is not positioned on a driver, it adds the driver to the end of the list.

In response, DevCon displays the current upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive class.

Class filters changed. Class devices must be restarted for changes to take effect.
    PartMgr
    MyFilter
    Disklog

You can also use the following command to add the MyFilter driver and to place it between PartMgr and Disklog. In this example, the first subcommand, @PartMgr, positions the virtual cursor on the PartMgr filter driver. The second subcommand, +MyFilter, uses the add-after operator (+) to add MyFilter.sys after PartMgr.

devcon /r classfilter DiskDrive upper @PartMgr +MyFilter

Example 26: Replace a filter driver

The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to replace the original copy of MyFilter.sys with a new and improved version, MyNewFilter.sys, in the list of filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class.

devcon /r classfilter DiskDrive upper !MyFilter +MyNewFilter

The following list shows the filter drivers for the DiskDrive class before the command is submitted.

    PartMgr
    MyFilter
    Disklog

The first subcommand uses the delete operator (!) to delete MyFilter from the list of upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive class. (It does not affect the MyFilter.sys file in the C:\Windows\System32\Drivers directory.)

The second subcommand uses the add-after operator (+) to place the new filter driver in the position that the deleted driver occupied. Because the delete operator leaves the cursor in the position that the deleted filter occupied, the add-before (-) and add-after (+) operators have the same effect.)

The command also uses the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary to make the class filter change effective.

In response, DevCon shows the new class filter configuration for the DiskDrive class.

Class filters changed. Class devices must be restarted for changes to take effect.
    PartMgr
    MyNewFilter
    Disklog

Example 27: Change the order of filter drivers

The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to change the order of filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class. Specifically, it reverses the order of the second and third filter drivers.

devcon /r classfilter DiskDrive upper !Disklog =@PartMgr +Disklog

The following list shows the filter drivers for the DiskDrive class before the command is submitted. It also shows the intended result of the command.

Before After
PartMgr PartMgr
MyNewFilter Disklog
Disklog MyNewFilter

The first subcommand uses the delete operator (!) to delete Disklog from the list. The second subcommand uses the start operator (=) to move the virtual cursor back to the starting position and then uses the positioning operator (@) to place the cursor on the PartMgr driver. The start operator is necessary because the virtual cursor moves only forward through the list. The final subcommand uses the add-after operator (+) to add Disklog after PartMgr.

In response, DevCon shows the new class filter configuration for the DiskDrive class.

Class filters changed. Class devices must be restarted for changes to take effect.
    PartMgr
    Disklog
    MyNewFilter

Example 28: Enable a particular device

The following command uses the DevCon Enable operation to enable a programmable interrupt controller that had been disabled to correct a system problem. Because the controller hardware ID *PNP0000 includes an asterisk, the command uses the single quote character (') to direct DevCon to find the hardware ID precisely as it is specified in the command. Otherwise, the asterisk would be interpreted as a wildcard character.

devcon enable '*PNP0000

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the device and explains that you must reboot the system to enable the device.

ACPI\PNP0000\4&B4063F4&0                                    : Enabled on reboot
Not all of 1 device(s) enabled, at least one requires reboot to complete the operation.

You can respond by rebooting the system, either manually, or by using the DevCon Reboot operation.

The following command adds the /r parameter to the previous command. The /r parameter reboots the system only if rebooting is required to complete an operation.

devcon /r enable '*PNP0000

In response, DevCon enables the device and then reboots the system to make the enabling effective.

When the system starts, use a DevCon status command to confirm that the device is enabled.

devcon status '*PNP0000

ACPI\PNP0000\4&B4063F4&0
    Name: Programmable interrupt controller
    Driver is running.

Example 29: Enable devices by class

The following command enables all printer devices on the computer by specifying the Printer setup class in a DevCon Enable command. The command includes the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary to make the enabling effective.

devcon /r enable =Printer

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the printer that it found in the Printer class and reports that it is enabled. Although the command included the /r parameter, the system did not reboot because a reboot was not required to enable the printer.

LPTENUM\HEWLETT-PACKARDDESKJET_1120C\1&7530F08&0&LPT1.4        : Enabled
1 device(s) enabled.

Example 30: Disable devices by an ID pattern

The following command uses the DevCon Disable operation to disable the USB devices on the local computer. It identifies the devices by a hardware ID pattern (USB*). This pattern will match any device whose hardware ID or compatible ID begins with "USB." The command includes the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary to make the disabling effective.

Note Before using an ID pattern to disable a device, determine which devices will be affected. To do so, use the pattern in a display command, such as devcon status USB\* or devcon hwids USB\*.

devcon /r disable USB*

In response, DevCon displays the device instance IDs of the USB devices and reports that they are disabled. Although the command included the /r parameter, the system did not reboot because a reboot was not required to disable the devices.

USB\ROOT_HUB\4&2A40B465&0
: Disabled
USB\ROOT_HUB\4&7EFA360&0
: Disabled
USB\VID_045E&PID_0039\5&29F428A4&0&2
: Disabled
3 device(s) disabled.

Example 31: Disable devices by device instance ID

The following command uses the DevCon Disable operation to disable the USB devices on the local computer. This command identifies the devices by their device instance IDs as indicated by the at character (@) that precedes each ID. Each device instance ID is separated from the others by a space.

Also, because the device instance IDs include the ampersand character (&), they are enclosed in quotation marks. The command includes the /r parameter, which reboots the system if it is necessary to make the disabling effective.

devcon /r disable "@USB\ROOT_HUB\4&2A40B465&0" "@USB\ROOT_HUB\4&7EFA360&0" "@USB\VID_045E&PID_0039\5&29F428A4&0&2"

In response, DevCon displays the device instance IDs of the USB devices and reports that they are disabled. Although the command included the /r parameter, the system did not reboot because a reboot was not required to disable the devices.

USB\ROOT_HUB\4&2A40B465&0
: Disabled
USB\ROOT_HUB\4&7EFA360&0
: Disabled
USB\VID_045E&PID_0039\5&29F428A4&0&2
: Disabled
3 device(s) disabled.

Example 32: Update the driver for communication ports

The following command uses the DevCon Update operation to replace the current device driver for communication ports on the system with a test driver specified in the test.inf file. The command affects only devices whose entire hardware ID is *PNP0501 (including the asterisk).

You can use this command to replace signed drivers on the system with alternate drivers for testing or troubleshooting, or to associate the devices with the newest version of the same drivers.

devcon update c:\windows\inf\test.inf *PNP0501

In response, DevCon displays a Hardware Installation warning explaining that the driver has not passed Windows Logo testing. If you select the Continue Anyway button on the dialog box, the installation continues.

Then, DevCon displays the following success message.

Updating drivers for *PNP0501 from c:\windows\inf\test.inf.
Drivers updated successfully.

You can also use the DevCon UpdateNI operation, the noninteractive version of the DevCon Update operation, to update drivers. The DevCon UpdateNI operation is identical to the DevCon Update operation except that it suppresses all user prompts that require a response and assumes the default response to the prompt.

The following command uses the DevCon UpdateNI operation to install the test driver.

devcon updateni c:\windows\inf\test.inf *PNP0501

In this case, DevCon does not display the Hardware Installation warning. Instead, it assumes the default response, Stop Installation. As a result, DevCon cannot update the drivers and displays a failure message.

Updating drivers for *PNP0501 from c:\windows\inf\test.inf.
devcon failed.

Example 33: Install a device

The following command uses the DevCon Install operation to install a keyboard device on the local computer. The command includes the full path to the INF file for the device (keyboard.inf) and a hardware ID (*PNP030b).

devcon /r install c:\windows\inf\keyboard.inf *PNP030b

In response, DevCon reports that it has installed the device, that is, it has created a device node for the new device and updated the driver files for the device.

Device node created. Install is complete when drivers files are updated...
Updating drivers for *PNPO30b from c:\windows\inf\keyboard.inf
Drivers updated successfully.

Example 34: Install a device using unattended setup

The following example shows how to install the Microsoft Loopback Adapter during an unattended installation of Microsoft Windows XP.

To install this device during an unattended setup, begin by adding the following files to a floppy disk: devcon.exe and netloop.inf (C:\Windows\inf\netloop.inf).

Then, to the [GUIRunOnce] section of the unattended setup file, add the following DevCon command:

a:\devcon /r install a:\Netloop.inf '*MSLOOP

This command identifies the loopback adapter by using its hardware ID, *MSLOOP. The single quote character preceding "*MSLOOP" tells DevCon to interpret the string literally, that is, to interpret the asterisk as part of the hardware ID, not as a wildcard character.

The command also specifies that DevCon use the Netloop.inf file (on the floppy disk) in the installation. The /r parameter reboots the computer only if a reboot is necessary to complete the installation.

Finally, add network configuration settings to the unattended setup file and run the unattended setup.

Example 35: Remove devices by device instance ID pattern

The following command uses the DevCon Remove operation to remove all USB devices from the computer. It identifies the devices by a device instance ID pattern that matches any device instance ID (registry path) that begins with the "USB\" string. The at character (@) distinguishes the device instance ID from a hardware ID or compatible ID. The command also includes the /r parameter that reboots the system if it is required to make the remove procedure effective.

Warning

Before removing any devices by using a pattern, determine which devices are affected. To do so, use the pattern in a display command, such as devcon status @usb\* or devcon hwids @usb\*.

devcon /r remove @usb\*

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the devices that it removed.

USB\ROOT_HUB\4&2A40B465&0                             : Removed
USB\ROOT_HUB\4&7EFA360&0                              : Removed
USB\VID_045E&PID_0039\5&29F428A4&0&2                  : Removed
3 device(s) removed.

Example 36: Remove a particular network device

The following command uses the DevCon Remove operation to uninstall the NDISWAN miniport driver from the local computer. The command specifies the Net class and then refines the search by specifying devices in the class whose hardware ID or compatible ID include "ndiswan." The command also includes the /r parameter, which reboots the system if rebooting is required to make the remove procedure effective.

Warning Before removing any devices by using a pattern, determine which devices will be affected. To do so, use the pattern in a display command, such as devcon status =net *ndiswan or devcon hwids =net *ndiswan*.

devcon /r remove =net *ndiswan*

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the device that it removed.

ROOT\MS_NDISWANIP\0000 : Removed 1 device(s) removed.

Example 37: Scan the computer for new devices

The following command use the DevCon Rescan operation to scan the local computer for new devices.

devcon rescan

In response, DevCon reports that it scanned the system but found no new devices.

Scanning for new hardware.
Scanning completed.

Example 38: Restart a device

The following command uses the DevCon Restart operation to restart the loopback adapter on the local computer. The command limits the search to the Net setup class and, within that class, specifies the device instance ID of the loopback adapter, @'ROOT\*MSLOOP\0000. The at character (@) identifies the string as a device instance ID. The single quote character ('), which requests a literal search, prevents DevCon from interpreting the asterisk in the ID as a wildcard character.

devcon restart =net @'ROOT\*MSLOOP\0000

In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the device and reports the result.

ROOT\*MSLOOP\0000                                              : Restarted
1 device(s) restarted.

Example 39: Reboot the local computer

The following command uses the DevCon Reboot operation to reboot the operating system on the local computer and to associate the reboot with a hardware installation. Unlike the /r parameter, the DevCon Reboot operation does not depend on the return code from another operation.

You can include this command in scripts and batch files that require the system to reboot.

devcon reboot

In response, DevCon displays a message indicating that it is restarting the computer (Rebooting local machine).

DevCon uses the standard ExitWindowsEx function to reboot. If the user has open files on the computer or a program will not close, the system does not reboot until the user has responded to system prompts to close the files or end the process.

Example 40: Assign a hardware ID to a legacy device

The following command uses the DevCon SetHwID operation to assign the hardware ID, beep, to the legacy beep device.

The command uses the device instance ID of the device, ROOT\LEGACY_BEEP\0000, because the beep legacy device has no hardware IDs or compatible IDs. It uses the at character (@) to indicate that the string is a device instance ID.

The command does not use any symbol parameters to position the ID. By default, DevCon adds new hardware IDs to the end of a hardware ID list. In this case, because the device has no other hardware IDs, placement is irrelevant.

devcon sethwid @ROOT\LEGACY_BEEP\0000 := beep

In response, DevCon displays a message indicating that it is added beep to the hardware ID list for the device. It also displays the resulting hardware ID list. In this case, there is only one hardware ID in the list.

ROOT\LEGACY_BEEP\0000                              : beep
Modified 1 hardware ID(s).

Example 41: Add a hardware ID to all legacy devices

The following command uses the DevCon SetHwID operation to add the hardware ID, legacy, to the list of hardware IDs for all legacy devices.

The command uses the - symbol parameter to add the new hardware ID to the end of the hardware ID list for the device, in case a preferred hardware ID has been created for one of the devices. It also uses a device instance ID pattern, @ROOT\LEGACY\*, to identify the legacy devices on the computer, that is, all devices whose device instance ID begins with ROOT\LEGACY*.

devcon sethwid @ROOT\LEGACY* := -legacy

In response, DevCon displays the resulting hardware ID lists for all affected devices.

ROOT\LEGACY_AFD\0000                                        : legacy
ROOT\LEGACY_BEEP\0000                                    : beep,legacy
ROOT\LEGACY_CRCDISK\0000                                    : legacy
ROOT\LEGACY_DMBOOT\0000                                     : legacy
ROOT\LEGACY_DMLOAD\0000                                     : legacy
ROOT\LEGACY_FIPS\0000                                       : legacy
...
ROOT\LEGACY_WANARP\0000                                     : legacy
Modified 27 hardware ID(s).

After you assign the same hardware ID to a group of devices, you can use the other DevCon operations to view and change the devices in a single command.

For example, the following command displays the status of all legacy devices.

devcon status legacy

Example 42: Delete a hardware ID from all legacy devices

The following command uses the DevCon SetHwID operation to delete the hardware ID, legacy, from the list of hardware IDs for all legacy devices.

The command uses the hardware ID, legacy, to identify all devices that have that hardware ID. Then, it uses the ! symbol parameter to delete the legacy hardware ID.

devcon sethwid legacy := !legacy

In response, DevCon displays the resulting hardware ID lists for all affected devices.

ROOT\LEGACY_AFD\0000                                        :
ROOT\LEGACY_BEEP\0000                                    : beep
ROOT\LEGACY_CRCDISK\0000                                    :
ROOT\LEGACY_DMBOOT\0000                                     :
ROOT\LEGACY_DMLOAD\0000                                     :
ROOT\LEGACY_FIPS\0000                                       :
...
ROOT\LEGACY_WANARP\0000                                     :
Modified 27 hardware ID(s).

Example 43: Add, delete, and replace hardware IDs

The following series of examples shows how to use the varied features of the DevCon SetHwID operation.

This series uses a fictitious device, DeviceX, with the device instance ID, ROOT\DeviceX\0000. Before using DevCon, the device had the following list of hardware IDs:

Hw3 Hw4

The following command uses the + symbol to add Hw1 and Hw2 to the beginning of a list of hardware IDs for DeviceX. Because Hw2 already appears in the list, it is moved, not added. The command identifies the device by its device instance ID, as indicated by the at character (@) preceding the ID.

devcon sethwid @ROOT\DEVICEX\0000 := +Hw1 Hw2

In response, DevCon displays the new hardware ID list for the device. Note that Hw1 and Hw2 appear at the beginning of the list in the specified order.

ROOT\DEVICEX\0000                         : Hw1,Hw2,Hw3,Hw4
Modified 1 hardware ID(s).

Also, DevCon reports that it modified one hardware ID list, that is, the hardware ID list of one device.

The following command uses the ! symbol to delete the Hw1 hardware ID. It then lists the hardware ID, Hw5, without a symbol parameter. Without symbol parameters, SetHwID adds the hardware ID to the end of the hardware ID list for the device.

This command demonstrates that, unlike the other symbol parameters for the DevCon SetHwID operation, the ! symbol applies only to the hardware ID that it prefixes.

devcon sethwid @ROOT\DeviceX\0000 := !Hw1 Hw5

In response, DevCon displays the resulting hardware ID list for DeviceX.

ROOT\DEVICEX\0000                         : Hw2,Hw3,Hw4,Hw5
Modified 1 hardware ID(s).

The following command uses the = parameter to replace all hardware IDs in the list for DeviceX with a single hardware ID, DevX.

devcon sethwid @ROOT\DeviceX\0000 := =DevX

In response, DevCon displays the resulting hardware ID list for DeviceX.

ROOT\DEVICEX\0000                         : DevX
Modified 1 hardware ID(s).

The success message indicates that DevCon modified the hardware ID of one device.

Example 44: Forcibly update the HAL

The following example shows how to use DevCon to update the HAL on the computer. In this example, a tester wants to replace the uniprocessor APCI APIC HAL that is best suited to the computer with a multiprocessor APCI APIC HAL for testing purposes.

The first command uses the DevCon SetHwID operation to change the hardware ID of the HAL from acpiapic_up, the hardware ID for uniprocessor HALs, to acpiapic_mp, the hardware ID for multiprocessor HALs.

You must change the hardware ID because the INF file for the HAL includes drivers for both uniprocessor and multiprocessor HALs. The system selects the most appropriate driver from the INF file based on the hardware ID of the device. If you do not change the hardware ID, then the DevCon Update command would simply reinstall the uniprocessor HAL driver.

In the following command, the command identifies the HAL by its instance ID, ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000, as indicated by the @ character preceding the ID. The command uses the + character to make acpiapic_mp the first hardware ID in the list for the HAL. Then, it uses the ! character to delete the acpiapic_up hardware ID from the list of IDs for the HAL.

devcon sethwid @ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000 := +acpiapic_mp !acpiapic_up

In response, DevCon displays the following new hardware ID list for the HAL.

ROOT\ACPI_HAL\0000                         : acpiapic_mp
Modified 1 hardware ID(s).

The following command uses the DevCon Update operation to update the driver for the HAL.

devcon update c:\windows\inf\hal.inf acpiapic_mp

Then, DevCon displays the following success message.

Updating drivers for acpiapic_mp from c:\windows\inf\hal.inf.
Drivers updated successfully.

Example 45: Add and Remove Driver Packages

The following examples show how to use DevCon to add, delete, and display third-party (OEM) driver packages in the driver store.

The first command, a DevCon Dp_add command, copies the INF file for the Toaster sample driver in the WDK to the driver store, that is, to the %Windir%\inf directory. The command includes the fully qualified path to the INF file for the Toaster sample driver.

This command is intended for third-party (OEM) drivers and devices, but you can use the Toaster sample to test the commands.

devcon dp_add C:\WinDDK\5322\src\general\toaster\inf\i386\toaster.inf

In response, DevCon reports that it added the Toaster INF file to the driver store and named it Oem2.inf.

Driver Package 'oem2.inf' added.

Before copying it to the driver store, Windows compares the binary version of the INF file to the binary versions of the INF files in the driver store to be sure that it is not adding a duplicate file. For example, if you repeat the command to add Toaster.inf to the driver store, DevCon does not create a new OEM*.inf file. It just reports the name of the existing file, as shown in the following DevCon output.

devcon dp_add C:\WinDDK\5322\src\general\toaster\inf\i386\toaster.inf
Driver Package 'oem2.inf' added.

devcon dp_add C:\WinDDK\5322\src\general\toaster\inf\i386\toaster.inf
Driver Package 'oem2.inf' added.

To remove the driver package for the Toaster driver from the driver store, you must use the OEM*.inf file name for the driver. To find the file name for the driver, use the DevCon Dp_enum command.

The following command lists all of the OEM driver packages and a few of their properties.

devcon dp_enum

In response, DevCon generates the following display:

c:\WinDDK\5322\tools\devcon\i386>devcon dp_enum
The following 3rd party Driver Packages are on this machine:
oem2.inf
    Provider: Microsoft
    Class: unknown

This information indicates that the driver package supplied by Microsoft with the unspecified device class (Toaster) is named OEM2.inf. You can use this information to delete the driver package associated with the file.

The following command deletes the OEM2.inf file from the driver store, along with its associated precompiled INF (.pnf) and catalog (.cat) files. The command uses the OEM*.inf file name.

devcon dp_delete oem2.inf

In response, DevCon displays a message that indicates the command succeeded:

Driver Package 'oem2.inf' deleted.

The OEM*.inf file name is required in the DevCon Dp_delete command. If you try to use the original name of the INF file, the command fails, as shown in the following DevCon output.

devcon dp_delete C:\WinDDK\5322\src\general\toaster.inf
Deleting the specified Driver Package from the machine failed.
devcon failed.