Device Management and Installation

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2012 R2

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.

General support for Windows users for most versions

• How can we help you? Under Trending topics check the top solutions for your PC, or browse the Categories section for the information you’re looking for, and then choose the Windows version that you’re interested in.

Support for IT professionals and administrators (TechNet)

• Windows Deployment Tools Technical Reference for Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, Windows 8.1, and Windows 8

• Device Management and Installation in Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, and Windows Vista

• What's New in Device Management and Installation in Windows Server 2008 R2

• Device Manager, Hardware Wizards, and Resulting Internet Communication in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2

Support for developers (MSDN)

• Design, develop, and certify hardware for Windows: Resources for system designers, driver developers, and test engineers.

• Preloading Driver Packages: Information about a registry setting called DevicePath that you can use to set the search path for device drivers.

• Device Identification Strings: How Setup locates and selects a driver for a Plug and Play (PnP) device.

See also

• Microsoft Support

• Download hardware drivers