Persistent device information

NTDEV
1

Dows Win2K/NT keeps information about disk devices in
some persistent database ?

For example, if I connect 10 disks to my Windows
server, and remove it at a later point of time, then
would win2K/NT keep information about those devices
and try to contact thm during next reboot? If yes, it
may cause system boot up time to be very high if
non-existent devices are probed during bootup.

Is there a way to cleanup device database OR to clear
specific device entries from this database, if system
administrator knows that he has physically removed the
device from the system.

Thanks,
Anuj

PS> Though these devices are NOT visible on disk
administrator screen, but I could see them through
“class setup” functions. An attempt to open these
non-existent devices fail, as expected.

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2

yes and no.

yes 2k/XP keep information around about every device which has been
attached to the system. This consists both of the data that PNP uses to
recognize a device when it is reattached and restore the settings as
well as the data the driver has associated with that particular instance
of the device in the registry.

no, that information is not used to attempt to reconnect nonexistant
devices. When a bus driver reports a device its unique ID is used to
look up the saved information. So while this information does increase
the size of the registry (thus indirectly slowing down the boot loader a
hair) it’s not referenced unless the associated device is present and
doesn’t slow down the boot.

-p

-----Original Message-----
From: Anuj Garg [mailto:xxxxx@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 2:18 PM
To: NT Developers Interest List
Subject: [ntdev] Persistent device information

Dows Win2K/NT keeps information about disk devices in
some persistent database ?

For example, if I connect 10 disks to my Windows
server, and remove it at a later point of time, then
would win2K/NT keep information about those devices
and try to contact thm during next reboot? If yes, it
may cause system boot up time to be very high if
non-existent devices are probed during bootup.

Is there a way to cleanup device database OR to clear
specific device entries from this database, if system administrator
knows that he has physically removed the device from the system.

Thanks,
Anuj

PS> Though these devices are NOT visible on disk
administrator screen, but I could see them through
“class setup” functions. An attempt to open these
non-existent devices fail, as expected.

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3

Hi ,
If win2k/xp keeps the info about the devices after they r detached and
tries to load that specific driver when that device is connected back.

Could u tell how and where it keeps the information i.e… in which form.

Thanx.

Shk.

4

Registry entries in the HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Enum hive.

–
Bill McKenzie

“Shashank” wrote in message
news:xxxxx@ntdev…
>
> Hi ,
> If win2k/xp keeps the info about the devices after they r detached and
> tries to load that specific driver when that device is connected back.
>
> Could u tell how and where it keeps the information i.e… in which form.
>
> Thanx.
>
> Shk.
>
>