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Does Windows XPe need a driver componentizer?
Sep. 05, 2007

Creating a working image for a Windows XP Embedded device can occasionally be frustrating. Andy Allred, test manager for the Windows XP Embedded team, has written on the team's blog about the "driver componentizer," a theoretical tool that could make the process dramatically easier.

The concept, originally proposed by developer Henry Markov on the Windows XP Embedded newsgroup, involves installing a desktop version of Windows XP on the device in question, if possible. "It would be great if there were a tool that could pick out everything needed from the running system and create a driver component," Markov wrote.

Initially responding in the newsgroup, Allred said, "when I read Henry's request I laughed out loud because it's a really good idea and I'm surprised we or someone else haven't done this before." As he explains, the tool would walk the ENUM key, identify all drivers and software enumerated devices, locate the .INF that installed the driver, identify the files, regkeys, and service registration information, and then populate it all to a Windows XP Embedded component with a repository of infs and driver files.

According to Allred, a tool like this is possible. "This method would probably help ensure you had a good initial experience when getting an image onto your device," he says, "further reducing your time to market and making you happier (hopefully less stressed)."

"For a lot of drivers this might work," he adds. "Some of the newer more complex drivers (from Nvidia and ATI, for instance) are doing some of the work through their installers sometimes, as opposed to letting setupapi do the work (which means the INF would have all needed information)."

In his posting, Allred says he wants to know how many developers are interested in such a tool. Would it be popular, or would it be merely a waste of time?

To weigh in on this question, read Allred's entire posting (which also contains a link to the Usenet post) on the XPe Team blog, here.



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