About the Finish-Install Actions on Win10

NTDEV
1

Hi,

I have a work assignment to download the software at the final stage of the device driver installation.

From the link https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/finish-install-actions--windows-vista-and-later-, it looks that the action can be automatically on Win7.

But on Win8 or later, users have to invoke it through the Action Center. I’m wondering whether there is alternative way on Win8+ to make it work automatically without requiring user’s manual clicking?

Thanks,
Marshall

2

Marshall_Cai wrote:

I have a work assignment to download the software at the final stage of the device driver installation.

Sorry to tell you, but that violates the Microsoft philosophy. Driver
installation is supposed to be deterministic, and is supposed to work
identically whether a network is present or not.  If you run your driver
through HLK and put it into the driver library, you can have your
updates distributed automatically by Windows Update.

There are a couple of options.  Instead of distributing a driver
package, you can distribute an application that downloads the latest and
installs it, perhaps with a fallback driver package embedded in its
resources.  Alternatively, you can install an application or service to
check for driver updates periodically.

3

If you plan on having an oem ship the driver you can

4

Thanks for the explanation. As to the alternative solution, do you mean that I can distribute a setup application to the Windows Update instead of the driver package? When users plug in the device, the system will match the device hardware information on Windows Update, download the setup application and run it. Am I understanding it right?

Marshall

5

Windows Update will not download your setup.exe. It will only download your driver package. The setup.exe guidance was for a user downloading the application from your own site.

d

Bent from my phone

From: Marshall_Cai
Sent: Monday, October 15, 2018 6:15:45 PM
To: Doron Holan
Subject: Re: [NTDEV] About the Finish-Install Actions on Win10

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Marshall_Cai commented on About the Finish-Install Actions on Win10

Thanks for the explanation. As to the alternative solution, do you mean that I can distribute a setup application to the Windows Update instead of the driver package? When users plug in the device, the system will match the device hardware information on Windows Update, download the setup application and run it. Am I understanding it right?

Marshall

6

Hi Doron,

I did downloading the software from our own site in the Finish-Install Action on Win7. However, on Win8+, how can I make the software downloading automatically without users manually opt in from the Action Center? Doesn’t Microsoft allow us to do so since Win8+? Are there any alternative ways to do so?

Marshall

7

On Oct 15, 2018, at 6:15 PM, Marshall_Cai wrote:
>
> Thanks for the explanation. As to the alternative solution, do you mean that I can distribute a setup application to the Windows Update instead of the driver package? When users plug in the device, the system will match the device hardware information on Windows Update, download the setup application and run it. Am I understanding it right?

No. You would distribute your driver package through Windows Update. When the user plugs in the device, the system will find he HWID in the Windows Driver Library, download the driver package, and install it.
—
Tim Roberts, timr@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.

8

Hi Tim,

Thanks for confirmation. The problem is how can I let the driver setup continues to download my user mode software application package from our website and install it on Win8+ without user’s manual opt in from the Action Center?

Regards,
Marshall

9

It needs to all come down with the setup exe and installed while the exe is running. Finish install actions are by design user initiated on win8+

Bent from my phone

From: Marshall_Cai
Sent: Tuesday, October 16, 2018 12:23:59 AM
To: Doron Holan
Subject: Re: [NTDEV] About the Finish-Install Actions on Win10

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Marshall_Cai commented on About the Finish-Install Actions on Win10

Hi Tim,

Thanks for confirmation. The problem is how can I let the driver setup continues to download my user mode software application package from our website and install it on Win8+ without user’s manual opt in from the Action Center?

Regards,

Marshall

10

Hi Doron,

The setup exe can be part of the driver package but the problem is how the INF launches the setup exe. It looks that it’s forbidden to launch the setup exe from the INF. Or I have to register a service and run the setup exe from the service?

Thanks,
Marshall

11

Marshall_Cai wrote:

The setup exe can be part of the driver package but the problem is how the INF launches the setup exe. It looks that it’s forbidden to launch the setup exe from the INF. Or I have to register a service and run the setup exe from the service?

You can’t launch the setup from the INF.  In the new philosophy, an INF
file is supposed to be deterministic – it should produce exactly the
same results every time.  It’s basically just file copies and register
loads.

If your purpose is to make sure you get the most current driver, then
you can skip your app and just keep the Windows Driver Library up to
date.  If your purpose is to do branding and advertising and upselling,
then you would need to install a service to phone home and check for
updates.