CompatibleID Registry Subkey
Beginning with Windows 7, the CompatibleID registry subkey specifies a removable device capability override for a device installed in the computer. For more information about removable device capability overrides, see DeviceOverrides Registry Key.
The name of the CompatibleID registry subkey specifies the compatible ID of the device, and is formatted based on the requirements described below.
The following table defines the format and requirements of the CompatibleID registry subkey.
| Registry subkey name | Required/optional | Format requirements | Parent key | Child subkeys |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Valid compatible ID value |
Required |
Must include the compatible ID's bus prefix. All slash () path separator characters within the compatible ID must be replaced with number (#) characters. |
DeviceOverrides | LocationPaths and/or ChildLocationPaths |
The compatible ID value must follow the format requirements described in this table. Each CompatibleID subkey must contain either the LocationPaths or ChildLocationPaths subkeys. Both subkeys could be specified within the CompatbleID subkey if necessary.
Because the slash character is not a valid character in a registry subkey name, you must replace it with the number character when specifying a bus prefix for the CompatibleID registry subkey name. For example, if a removable device capability override is specified for the device node (devnode) with a hardware ID of PCI\VEN_ABCD&DEV_1234&SUBSYS_000, you must create a CompatibleID registry subkey with a name of PCI#VEN_ABCD&DEV_1234&SUBSYS_000.