Comtrol RocketPort 550 uPCI Windows 2000 - Manual (Page 23)

23
Removal of the Windows 2000 RP550/BP550 device driver
files and registry entries
Background
Windows 2000 (W2K) is a plug and play (PnP) operating system and plays
an important role in installing kernel device drivers.
During installation, W2K detects new hardware and starts it’s own
installation program (there is no NT style setup program) which installs the device
driver, including updating the registry, processing user’s response to dialog
box questions and entries in device information files (.INF files).
The .INF files are supplied with the driver. They are ASCII text files and
can be viewed with Notepad. (it’s worth remembering this – you will need it later).
When it comes to un-installation, the PnP philosophy means that the
hardware is simply removed. On restart W2K will not load the drivers and
the device manager entries will not be created. It’s as if the H/W and driver
were never installed.
Later, if the hardware is re-installed, then on restart, the PnP system will
reload the driver, update the device manager and re-create any dynamic
registry entries.
However under certain circumstances it may be necessary to 100% remove
the driver and all supporting files from the W2K system. Here’s how:-
Procedure
Section 1 assume that the H/W and driver are installed and working.
Proceed to direct section 2, if you desire to remove files and registry entries
following an installation problem.
1. Removal of device manager entry
1.1 Start the ‘Device Manager’. The quickest way is to right click on my
computer and select ‘Properties’ from the pop-up menu. When the
‘System Properties’ dialog appears, left click the ‘Device Manager’
button.
The device manager displays device information as a ‘tree structure’. To
expand the entries, click the ‘+’ icon.