Hi,
I am currently checking how to completely uninstall a pnp driver and its files from windows (I am checking win2k3 but I guess it is the same for 2000 and xp as well).
It seems, that while I can uninstall the device from device manager which unload the driver, the system “remember” my driver in its private store, and if my device re-appears, the driver is automatically installed again.
Now, I tried removing my sys and inf file but to no avail.
The only way to make the OS forget about my driver is by:
1.Removing the oem.inf file that correspond to my driver.
2.Remove the correct cat file that correspond to my driver. This file has a random name generated (xxx.cat where xxx is an hex number), so looking for it is quite tedious.
3.Remove my sys file from OS backing store folders (Found only by doing an intensive search on c:\windows).
Browsing the web, I noticed that no-one really mentions a real solution to this problem. I was wondering whether there really is a way to make windows forget that your driver was ever installed (Obviously beside the brute force one).
Thanks,
Eran.
xxxxx@topio.com wrote:
H
I am currently checking how to completely uninstall a pnp driver and its files from windows (I am checking win2k3 but I guess it is the same for 2000 and xp as well).
It seems, that while I can uninstall the device from device manager which unload the driver, the system “remember” my driver in its private store, and if my device re-appears, the driver is automatically installed again.
Now, I tried removing my sys and inf file but to no avail.
The only way to make the OS forget about my driver is by:
1.Removing the oem.inf file that correspond to my driver.
2.Remove the correct cat file that correspond to my driver. This file has a random name generated (xxx.cat where xxx is an hex number), so looking for it is quite tedious.
3.Remove my sys file from OS backing store folders (Found only by doing an intensive search on c:\windows).
Browsing the web, I noticed that no-one really mentions a real solution to this problem. I was wondering whether there really is a way to make windows forget that your driver was ever installed (Obviously beside the brute force one).
Nope, brute force is the only way. Besides your three steps above, you
also have to clean out several sections of the CurrentControlSet
registry: Services, Control\Class, Control\DeviceClasses, Enum. Some of
these sections are protected against writing even by administrator, but
that’s a solveable problem.
Note that you don’t want to do this on a user’s computer. I use this
technique on my development machines so I can simulate a bare-metal
install, but I’d never want to change registry permissions on a client
machine.
–
Tim Roberts, xxxxx@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.
> registry: Services, Control\Class, Control\DeviceClasses, Enum. Some of
these sections are protected against writing even by administrator
Enum only I think.
Maxim Shatskih, Windows DDK MVP
StorageCraft Corporation
xxxxx@storagecraft.com
http://www.storagecraft.com
On OS releases that support system restore (XPSP2 and W2k3 SP1 I think) you
can set a restore point before install and rollback to that point when you
want to clean out your system.
=====================
Mark Roddy DDK MVP
Windows 2003/XP/2000 Consulting
Hollis Technology Solutions 603-321-1032
www.hollistech.com
-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
[mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Tim Roberts
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 1:00 PM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: Re: [ntdev] uninstall pnp driver files completely
xxxxx@topio.com wrote:
>H
>I am currently checking how to completely uninstall a pnp
driver and its files from windows (I am checking win2k3 but I
guess it is the same for 2000 and xp as well).
>It seems, that while I can uninstall the device from device
manager which unload the driver, the system “remember” my
driver in its private store, and if my device re-appears, the
driver is automatically installed again.
>Now, I tried removing my sys and inf file but to no avail.
>The only way to make the OS forget about my driver is by:
>1.Removing the oem.inf file that correspond to my driver.
>2.Remove the correct cat file that correspond to my driver.
This file has a random name generated (xxx.cat where xxx is
an hex number), so looking for it is quite tedious.
>3.Remove my sys file from OS backing store folders (Found
only by doing an intensive search on c:\windows).
>
>Browsing the web, I noticed that no-one really mentions a
real solution to this problem. I was wondering whether there
really is a way to make windows forget that your driver was
ever installed (Obviously beside the brute force one).
>
>
Nope, brute force is the only way. Besides your three steps
above, you also have to clean out several sections of the
CurrentControlSet
registry: Services, Control\Class, Control\DeviceClasses,
Enum. Some of these sections are protected against writing
even by administrator, but that’s a solveable problem.
Note that you don’t want to do this on a user’s computer. I
use this technique on my development machines so I can
simulate a bare-metal install, but I’d never want to change
registry permissions on a client machine.
–
Tim Roberts, xxxxx@probo.com
Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.
Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online
at http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
What about the “devcon dp_delete” command from the DDK tools? I have
not experimented with it at all but it claims to remove a “third party”
driver?
-Zach
-----Original Message-----
From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com [mailto:bounce-267607-
xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Mark Roddy
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 4:55 AM
To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
Subject: RE: [ntdev] uninstall pnp driver files completely
On OS releases that support system restore (XPSP2 and W2k3 SP1 I think)
you
can set a restore point before install and rollback to that point when
you
want to clean out your system.
That is is by far the simplist and quickest. The next best to have an image
of the disk as you want it using something like ShadowProtect and simply
re-image the disc. Takes longer than System REstore, but by far faster and
much more reliable than mucking with the registry.
–
The personal opinion of
Gary G. Little
“Mark Roddy” wrote in message news:xxxxx@ntdev…
> On OS releases that support system restore (XPSP2 and W2k3 SP1 I think)
> you
> can set a restore point before install and rollback to that point when you
> want to clean out your system.
>
> =====================
> Mark Roddy DDK MVP
> Windows 2003/XP/2000 Consulting
> Hollis Technology Solutions 603-321-1032
> www.hollistech.com
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: xxxxx@lists.osr.com
>> [mailto:xxxxx@lists.osr.com] On Behalf Of Tim Roberts
>> Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 1:00 PM
>> To: Windows System Software Devs Interest List
>> Subject: Re: [ntdev] uninstall pnp driver files completely
>>
>> xxxxx@topio.com wrote:
>>
>> >H
>> >I am currently checking how to completely uninstall a pnp
>> driver and its files from windows (I am checking win2k3 but I
>> guess it is the same for 2000 and xp as well).
>> >It seems, that while I can uninstall the device from device
>> manager which unload the driver, the system “remember” my
>> driver in its private store, and if my device re-appears, the
>> driver is automatically installed again.
>> >Now, I tried removing my sys and inf file but to no avail.
>> >The only way to make the OS forget about my driver is by:
>> >1.Removing the oem.inf file that correspond to my driver.
>> >2.Remove the correct cat file that correspond to my driver.
>> This file has a random name generated (xxx.cat where xxx is
>> an hex number), so looking for it is quite tedious.
>> >3.Remove my sys file from OS backing store folders (Found
>> only by doing an intensive search on c:\windows).
>> >
>> >Browsing the web, I noticed that no-one really mentions a
>> real solution to this problem. I was wondering whether there
>> really is a way to make windows forget that your driver was
>> ever installed (Obviously beside the brute force one).
>> >
>> >
>>
>> Nope, brute force is the only way. Besides your three steps
>> above, you also have to clean out several sections of the
>> CurrentControlSet
>> registry: Services, Control\Class, Control\DeviceClasses,
>> Enum. Some of these sections are protected against writing
>> even by administrator, but that’s a solveable problem.
>>
>> Note that you don’t want to do this on a user’s computer. I
>> use this technique on my development machines so I can
>> simulate a bare-metal install, but I’d never want to change
>> registry permissions on a client machine.
>>
>> –
>> Tim Roberts, xxxxx@probo.com
>> Providenza & Boekelheide, Inc.
>>
>>
>> —
>> Questions? First check the Kernel Driver FAQ at
>> http://www.osronline.com/article.cfm?id=256
>>
>> To unsubscribe, visit the List Server section of OSR Online
>> at http://www.osronline.com/page.cfm?name=ListServer
>>
>
>