Creating a driver plugin without install or setup executable.

This page was last updated on September 21, 2006
Written by R.Collewijn

Introduction

In this short manual I try to explain how to add a driver plugin without using the installation or setup executable. Often the drivers for a sound, graphic, network or other equipment are by default not supported.

True this short manual I try to explain the steps I use. This doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do it and if you have any suggestions or recommendation, please let me known.

DriverGuide Toolkit

I use the DriverGuide Toolkit (from www.driverguide.com) to create driver plugin(s). DriverGuide Toolkit identifies and lists drivers installed on your computer and, when connected to the Internet, allows you to search DriverGuide.com (and other sources) for driver updates and manufacturer sites. In addition, it allows you to backup your currently installed drivers for safe keeping. Backing up your Windows driver files means that they will be available to you the next time you need to reinstall the driver or the whole operating system. DriverGuide Toolkit places the driver files in one organized location of your choosing.

Driver Genius Professional

river Genius Professional is a professional driver management tool features both driver management and hardware diagnostics. Driver Genius provides such practical functions as driver backup, restoration, update and removal for computer users. If you often reinstall your operating system, you may not forget such painful experiences of searching all around for all kinds of drivers. If unfortunately you have lost your driver CD, the search will be more troublesome and time-consuming. Now with the driver backup function of Driver Genius, you can backup all drivers in your computer before reinstalling, and restore them with the driver restoration function after system reinstallation has been completed. Driver Genius can automatically find driver for a device that the system can't find a driver for it. It can recognize the name and vendor's information of the device, and directly provide download URL for the required driver. Driver Genius also supports online updates for drivers of existing hardware devices. There are more than 30,000 most recent drivers for such hardware devices as motherboards, video cards, sound cards, network cards, modems, monitors, mice, keyboards, digital cameras, video capture cards, etc.

Collect existing driver information

In this manual we take a closer look to the ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 display driver and SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio driver. For this driver you must normally use the install or setup executable to install.

Start the DriverGuide Toolkit on a computer where the driver is working correctly. Select the driver or drivers within the [backup drivers tab] en click on [backup Selected Drivers] to copy the driver file the selected directory.

This create two new directories with the following files

ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Series	SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio
Ati2cqag.dll Ati2dvag.dll Ati2edxx.dll Ati2evxx.dll Ati2evxx.exe Ati2mdxx.exe Ati2mtag.sys Ati3d1ag.dll Ati3d2ag.dll Ati3duag.dll Atiddc.dll Atiiiexx.dll Atioglxx.dll Atitvo32.dll Ativvaxx.dll Oem4.inf	a3d.dll oem2.inf smwdm.sys

Control Check

Because the previous step is very basis and simple bud not waterproof, we do a little control check to conform that we have all the drivers we needed.

Start the device manager by typing [devmgmt.msc] from the run box

Select the ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 driver and the properties from the right-click menu.

Select the [Driver] tab and click on de [Driver Details] button.

Check with this list if the DriverGuide Toolkit as backup all the proper ATI Mobility Radeon 9600 drivers. If you don't have all the drivers, the driver detail list show you where you can find the driver.

Create the plugin

In the following steps we take a closer look to only the ATI Mobility Radeon display driver. You can see that not only de driver file are copied, bud also the new oem*.inf file. Rename this oem*.inf file to a familiar file name like Ati9600.inf. Keep in mind that if you rename this file you must use the 8.3 naming format.

Create a directory with a recognizable name (in this example we use VGA_ATI9600) and a subdirectory files within the plugin directory.

Copy all the files that are found by the DriverGuide Toolkit in the files directory and create a new INF file with the following context in the root directory of VGA_ATI9600 plugin. (download the template file).

; ati9600.inf
; PE Builder v3 plug-in INF file for the ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Series
; Created by xpe.collewijn.info

[Version]
Signature= "$Windows NT$"

[PEBuilder]
Name="VGA: ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600 Series"
Enable=1
version=1.0.0

[SourceDisksFiles]
; Directory id's:
; 2  =system32          - all dll's and other files
; 4  =system32\drivers  - all sys files
; 20 =inf               - all inf files

files\Ati2cqag.dll=2,,1
files\Ati2dvag.dll=2,,1
files\Ati2edxx.dll=2,,1
files\Ati2evxx.dll=2,,1
files\Ati3d1ag.dll=2,,1
files\Ati3d2ag.dll=2,,1
files\Ati3duag.dll=2,,1
files\Atiddc.dll=2,,1
files\Atiiiexx.dll=2,,1
files\Atioglxx.dll=2,,1
files\Atitvo32.dll=2,,1
files\Ativvaxx.dll=2,,1
files\Ati2evxx.exe=2,,1
files\Ati2mdxx.exe=2,,1
files\ati9600.inf=20,,1
files\Ati2mtag.sys=4,,1
        

Only the selected parts has to change. Change the driver plugin information and add all the file's from the DriveGuide Toolkit with the following prifex

files\{file name}=*,,1     Where the * standing for three directory id's, see example.

And your new driver plugin is done.

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