Plug and Play Tools and Settings

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Plug and Play Tools and Settings

In this section

  • Plug and Play Tools

  • Plug and Play Registry Entries

  • Plug and Play Group Policy Settings

  • Plug and Play WMI Classes

  • Network Ports Used by Plug and Play

  • Related Information

The following tools, registry entries, Group Policy settings, network ports, and Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) classes are associated with Plug and Play.

Plug and Play Tools

The following tools are associated with Plug and Play.

Devcon.exe: Device Console

Category

Devcon ships with the Windows Driver Development Kit.

Version compatibility

Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Device Console (Devcon) is a command-line tool that displays detailed information about devices and lets you search for and manipulate devices from the command line. Devcon enables, disables, installs, configures, and removes devices on the local computer and displays detailed information about devices on local and remote computers.

For more information about Devcon.exe and the syntax used to carry out commands, see the Windows Driver Development Kit.

GenINF.exe: INF File Creation Wizard

Category

GenINF ships with the Windows Driver Development Kit.

Version compatibility

GenINF generates .inf files for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.

GenINF is a GUI-based tool that guides users through the process of creating device driver .inf files. GenINF does not generate fully valid .inf files. However, the skeleton .inf files it generates should help developers complete their device driver .inf files.

GenINF is located in the \Tools subdirectory of the DDK installation directory. Because GenINF is GUI-based, it can be executed from within the Windows Server 2003 User Interface or from the command prompt. GenINF takes no arguments. GenINF supports all device classes, but includes specific support for only certain device classes. For a list of these classes, see the Geninf.htm file that is located in the Tools\geninf subdirectory of the DDK.

For more information about GenINF.exe see the Windows Driver Development Kit.

Net.exe: Net Start or Net Stop

Category

Command-line tool that ships with Windows Server 2003

Version compatibility

Windows XP, Windows 200, and Windows Server 2003

Net.exe allows you to start and stop the Plug and Play service.

For more information about the syntax used with Net.exe, see the Windows Server 2003 help.

SigVerif.exe: File Signature Verification

Category

Operating system tool

Version compatibility

Windows XP, Windows 200, and Windows Server 2003

File Signature Verification checks to see which system files and device driver files are digitally signed and displays its findings. If you have enabled logging, the search results are also written to a log file.

Svchost.exe: Service Host Process

Category

Operating system tool

Version compatibility

Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003

Generic host process name for services that are run from dynamic-link libraries (DLLs). At startup, Svchost.exe checks the services portion of the registry to construct a list of services that it needs to load. There can be multiple instances of Svchost.exe running at the same time. Each Svchost.exe session can contain a grouping of services, so that separate services can be run depending on how and where Svchost.exe is started.

Plug and Play Registry Entries

The following registry keys are associated with Plug and Play.

The information here is provided as a reference for use in troubleshooting or verifying that the required settings are applied. It is recommended that you do not directly edit the registry unless there is no other alternative. Modifications to the registry are not validated by the registry editor or by Windows before they are applied, and as a result, incorrect values can be stored. This can result in unrecoverable errors in the system. When possible, use Group Policy or other Windows tools, such as Microsoft Management Console (MMC), to accomplish tasks rather than editing the registry directly. If you must edit the registry, use extreme caution.

For more information about registry entries, see “Registry Reference” in the Tools and Settings Collection.

PnPManager

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\RESOURCEMAP\PnPManager

Version

Windows XP, Windows Server 2003

This key contains registry entries for each device installed on the system. Each of the subkeys and entries for this key are dependent upon the specific device installed on a system. Because of this, these subkeys and entries are not listed here.

PlugPlay

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

Version

Windows Server 2003

The Plug and Play registry key enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input. Stopping or disabling this service will result in system instability.

Description

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Text field that displays the description of the Plug and Play service.

DisplayName

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Text field that displays the default service name, Plug and Play.

ErrorControl

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Tells the system how to boot if a Plug and Play driver fails. The following table lists the accepted values for this registry entry.

ErrorControl Values

Value Description

00

Ignore. If the driver fails to load or initialize, then startup continues as normal and no warning message appears.

01

Normal. If the driver fails to load or initialize, then startup proceeds, but a warning message appears.

02

Severe. If the driver fails to load or initialize, then startup is declared to have failed and restarts by using the LastKnownGood control set. If startup is already using the LastKnownGood control set, then startup continues

03

Critical. If the driver fails to load or initialize, then startup is declared to have failed and restarts by using the LastKnownGood control set. If startup is already using the LastKnownGood control set, then startup stops and enters Debugging Mode.

Group

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Specifies which group the service belongs to when Plug and Play services are started

ImagePath

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Location of Services Control Manager, which uses the information located in the subkeys to initialize Plug and Play services. The default path is %SystemRoot%\system32\services.exe.

ObjectName

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Name of the account under which the Plug and Play service runs. The default value is LocalSystem, which sets the greatest privileges. In order to run as any other user, the service must provide a password for the user. If the service is a kernel driver, this specifies which kernel object loads it.

Start

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Determines when Plug and Play services should be started on a system. The following table lists the accepted values for this registry entry.

Start Values

Value Description

00

Boot. Starts the service during the boot sequence.

01

System. Starts the service when loaded by the I/O subsystem in the kernel.

02

Automatic. Starts the service automatically.

03

Manual. Starts the service when a user initiates it from the control panel or a command line.

04

Disable. Loads the service, but neither the system nor a user can start it.

Type

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Server 2003

Identifies the type of service. The following table lists the accepted values for this registry entry.

Type Values

Value Description

01

Kernel-mode device driver

02

File system driver

04

Network adapter

10

Win32 service that can run as a standalone process

20

Win32 service that shares address space with other services at the same time

Security

The following registry entries are located under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay\Security.

Security

Registry path

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay

Version

Windows Server 2003

Holds the account policy information for the workstation or member server, as well as the security rights users have with the local Security Accounts Manager (SAM).

Plug and Play Group Policy Settings

The following table lists and describes the Group Policy settings that are associated with Plug and Play.

Group Policy Settings Associated with Plug and Play

Group Policy Setting Description

Remove Computer from Docking Station

Determines whether a user can undock a portable computer from its docking station without logging on. If this policy is set, the user must log on before removing the portable computer from its docking station. If this policy is not set, the user can remove the portable computer from its docking station without logging on.

Allow undock without having to log on

Determines whether a user must log on to request that a portable computer be removed from a docking station. If this setting is not set, the user must log on to request an undock, at which time the user must have been granted the Remove Computer from Docking Station privilege. If this setting is set, a user can request an undock by pressing the portable computer’s physical eject button.

Allowed to format and eject removable media

Determines who is allowed to format and eject removable NTFS media. This capability can be given to Administrators, Administrators and Power Users, or Administrators and Interactive Users.

Prevent users from installing printer drivers

Determines who is allowed to install a printer driver as part of adding a network printer. For a computer to print to a network printer, the driver for that network printer must be installed on the local computer. If this setting is set, only Administrators and Power Users can install a printer driver as part of adding a network printer. If this setting is not set, any user can install a printer driver as part of adding a network printer. This setting can be used to prevent unprivileged users from downloading and installing an untrusted printer driver.

Restrict CD-ROM access to locally logged-on user

Determines whether a CD-ROM is accessible to both local and remote users simultaneously. If set, this policy allows only the interactively logged-on user to access removable CD-ROM media. If no one is logged on interactively, the CD-ROM can be shared over the network. If this policy is not set, then the local user and remote users can access the CD-ROM simultaneously.

Restrict floppy access to locally logged-on user only

Determines whether removable floppy media are accessible to both local and remote users simultaneously. If set, this policy allows only the interactively logged-on user to access removable floppy media. If no one is logged on interactively, the floppy media can be shared over the network. If this policy is not set, then the local user and remote users can access the floppy media simultaneously.

Unsigned driver installation behavior

Determines what happens when an attempt is made to install a device driver (by means of Setup API) that has not been certified by the Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL).

For more information about Group Policy settings, see “Group Policy Settings Reference” in the Tools and Settings Collection.

Plug and Play WMI Classes

The following table lists and describes the WMI (Windows Management Instrumentation) classes that are associated with Plug and Play.

WMI Classes Associated with Plug and Play

Class Name Namespace Version Compatibility

WMIBinaryMofResource

\root\wmi\

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_DeviceSettings

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_PnP

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_PnPAllocatedResource

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_PnPDevice

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_PnPEntity

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_PnPSignedDriver

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

Win32_PnPSignedDriverCIMDataFile

\root\cimv2

Windows XP, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Server 2000, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 and later, Windows Server 2003

For more information about these WMI classes, see the WMI SDK documentation on MSDN.

Network Ports Used by Plug and Play

The following table describes the port used by Plug and Play when searching Windows Update for the most current device drivers.

Port Assignments for Plug and Play

Service Name UDP TCP

HTTP, IIS

None

80

HTTPS

None

443

The following resources contain additional information that is relevant to this section.