Hardware-First Installation

A hardware-first installation involves the installation of device drivers that is triggered by plugging in a new hardware device to a system. In this case, your driver package for the device has not been preinstalled in the system.

If the user plugs in new hardware before inserting your distribution medium into a drive, the way that Windows installs a driver depends on the type of drivers that are available for the device. The different installation types are described in the following sections:

• Installing an In-box Driver or a Preinstalled Driver