Install a Plug and Play Device

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use this procedure to install a Plug and Play–compliant device in your computer.

Membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review the details in "Additional considerations" in this topic.

Installing a Plug and Play device

You can use the following methods to install a Plug and Play device:

• Interactively install a Plug and Play device

• Use PnPUtil at a command line to install a Plug and Play device

Interactively install a Plug and Play device

You can use this procedure to install a device that is not currently plugged into the computer, and for which a device driver is not currently staged in the driver store. If a device driver is staged in the driver store, then it is installed with no interaction required by the user, and the Found New Hardware dialog box does not appear.

To install a Plug and Play device interactively when you plug it in

1. Plug the new device into the computer.

2. In the Found New Hardware dialog box, select one of the following:

   • Locate and install driver software. Selecting this option begins the installation process. For more information, see "Additional considerations" in this topic.

   • Ask me again later. The device is not installed and no configuration change is made to your computer. If the device is still plugged in the next time you log on to the computer, then this dialog box appears again.

   • Don't show this message again for this device. Selecting this option configures the Plug and Play service to not install the driver for this device, and does not make the device functional. To complete the installation of the device driver, you must detach the device and reattach it. For more information, see Uninstall or Reinstall a Device.

Use PnPUtil at a command line to install a Plug and Play device

You can use this procedure to install the device driver for a device that is plugged in, but for which no device driver is installed. This can happen when you select the Ask me again later or the Don't show this message again for this device options when you originally plugged in the device.

To install a device driver by using PnPUtil at a command line

1. Open a command prompt with the Run as administrator option.

2. At the command prompt, type the following, and then press ENTER:

   Pnputil -i -adrivername.inf

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Additional considerations

If the user selects the Locate and install driver software option, then the success of the installation depends on one or more of the following factors:

• The device is supported by a driver package included with Windows. Driver packages included with Windows can be installed by standard users.

• The administrator of the computer has staged the driver package in the driver store. Driver packages that are in the driver store can be installed by standard users.

• The user has media with the driver package provided by the vendor.

By default, membership in the Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to install a device whose driver is not present in the driver store. A standard users can successfully install the device only if the following conditions are all met:

• The driver package is signed with a valid digital certificate, and that certificate is in the Trusted Publishers store. For more information, see Securing Device Driver Packages with Digital Signatures.

• The device setup class for the driver is stored in the following computer policy: Allow non-administrators to install drivers for these device classes. For more information, see Controlling Which Devices Can Be Installed by Standard Users.

Additional references

• PnPUtil command line reference