Install a Plug and Play Device

Article
07/03/2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

This topic provides a procedure that you can use to install a Plug and Play–compliant device in your computer.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review the details in "Additional considerations" in this topic.

To install a Plug and Play device

Plug the new device into the computer.
In the Found New Hardware dialog box choose one of the following:
- Locate and install driver software. Selecting this option begins the installation process. Review the details in "Additional considerations" in this topic.
- Ask me again later. The device is not installed and no configuration change is made to your computer. If the device is still plugged in the next time you log on to the computer, then this dialog box appears again.
- Don't show this message again for this device. Selecting this option configures the Plug and Play service to not install the driver for this device, and does not make the device functional. To complete the installation of the device driver, you must detach the device and reattach it. For more information, see Uninstall or Reinstall a Device.

If the user selects Locate and install driver software, then the success of the installation depends on the following factors:

The device is supported by a driver package included with Windows. Driver packages included with Windows can be installed by standard users.
The administrator of the computer has staged the driver package in the driver store. For more information, see Stage a Device Driver in the Driver Store. Driver packages that are in the driver store can be installed by standard users.
The user has media with the driver package provided by the vendor. For more information, see the "Additional considerations" in this topic.

Additional considerations

By default, membership in the Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to install a new device whose driver is not present in the driver store. If the driver package is not present in the driver store, then standard users can install the device only if the following conditions are met:

The driver package is signed with a valid digital certificate. For more information, see the documentation on signing device drivers found on the Windows Server TechCenter (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=62923).
The device setup class for the driver is stored in the Allow non-administrators to install drivers for these device classes computer policy. For more information, see Configure Computer Policy to Allow Non-Administrators to Install Specific Devices.