This section describes how to use the following Driver Install Frameworks (DIFx) version 2.1 components:

Beginning with Microsoft Windows 2000, you can use DIFxApp to create a Windows Installer package that installs applications and driver packages that are associated with the applications. You can use DIFxApp if you already have a Windows Installer package for your applications or if you plan to create one. For more information about the Windows Installer, see the Windows SDK documentation.

You can use DPInst to simplify and customize the installation of signed driver packages for devices that are not yet installed in a computer (commonly known as a software-first installation). DPInst also automatically updates the drivers for any installed devices that are supported by the newly installed driver packages.

You can use DIFxAPI functions to simplify the creation of applications that preinstall, install, and uninstall driver packages.

For more information about requirements for driver packages that can be used with the DIFx tools, see DIFx Driver Package Requirements.

The DIFx tools use a DIFx-managed driver store that is a repository for driver packages on a computer's hard disk drive. For more information about this store, see DIFx Driver Store.

The DIFx tools are located in the \redist\DIFx directory of the WDK.