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How does Windows load device drivers?

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by procomsol

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Many times when a device doesn't work on a computer, you can uninstall the device in Device Manager, and when the computer is rebooted, the device works again. But rebooting the computer without first uninstalling the device does not make the errant device work. Are the drivers loaded from a different area after the device has been uninstalled as opposed to when the device has already been installed?

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by older mycroft

By uninstalling it then rebooting, you give Windows the chance to replace it with an undamaged/non-corrupt replacement.

Every PC has (or should have - some users delete it!) a directory called [b]I386[/b] which contains all the files required for a Windows install. Most of these files are compressed into .CAB (Cabinet) files. When you uninstall a specific driver then reboot, Windows detects the missing driver during power-up and finds the relevant file inside one of the cabinet files, then reinstalls it to the correct place.

If you don't uninstall the driver before rebooting - none of the above can take place. :)

by procomsol

Thanks, I didn't realize that Windows goes right to the cab files when a driver is missing. I appreciate the info.

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