Updated: January 18, 2008
Device Management and Installation is a group of technologies that support the installation of hardware devices and the device driver software that enables them to communicate with Windows. Features in Windows Vista® and Windows Server® 2008 give administrators the ability to control the devices that can be installed on the computers they manage.
The documentation available or planned for Device Management and Installation includes the following.
This document is included with the operating system.
The DevMgr.chm file is installed with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It is displayed when you request help from the Device Manager tool that is included with the operating system.
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=63416
By using the Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista operating systems, administrators can determine which devices can be installed on computers they manage. The guide summarizes the device installation process and demonstrates several techniques for controlling the installation and usage of devices on managed computers.
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=91497
By using device driver signing and staging in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista you can increase the security of your computers by enabling users to install only those device drivers that you approve. This guide describes how to sign and securely stage driver packages on a computer in a manner that enables a user to install the package without requiring administrative credentials.
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=99029
This guide provides information for administering devices and their drivers in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It includes procedures for completing common tasks related to installing and configuring devices.
This document is not yet published.
This guide provides technical reference information for Device Management and Installation in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It includes conceptual information, and references for the various tools, registry entries, Group Policy settings, WMI classes and network ports that are used by the device management components in Windows.
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=99523
This guide provides troubleshooting information for device management and installation in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It can help you identify and resolve problems that may be related to installing and managing your hardware devices and the drivers they use.
Our server runs server 2008. When logged on as administrator the server "loses" the default printer at least daily I think at night. Once it is reset it often prints the wrong page size particularly from internet explorer especially (IE7)