INF DelProperty directive

A DelProperty directive references one or more INF file sections that delete device properties for a device instance, a device setup class, a device interface class, or a device interface.

[DDInstall] | 
[DDInstall.CoInstallers] | 
[ClassInstall32] | 
[ClassInstall32.ntx86] | 
[ClassInstall32.ntia64] | (Windows XP and later versions of Windows)
[ClassInstall32.ntamd64] | (Windows XP and later versions of Windows)
[ClassInstall32.ntarm] | (Windows 8 and later versions of Windows)
[ClassInstall32.ntarm64] | (Windows 10 version 1709 and later versions of Windows)
[interface-install-section] | 
[interface-install-section.nt] | 
[interface-install-section.ntx86] | 
[interface-install-section.ntia64] | (Windows XP and later versions of Windows)
[interface-install-section.ntamd64] | (Windows XP and later versions of Windows)
[interface-install-section.ntarm] | (Windows 8 and later versions of Windows)
[interface-install-section.ntarm64] | (Windows 10 version 1709 and later versions of Windows)
[add-interface-section] 
 
DelProperty=del-property-section[,del-property-section]... (Windows Vista and later versions of Windows)

A DelProperty directive can be specified under any of the sections shown in the formal syntax statement above.

A del-property-section that is referenced by a DelProperty directive has the following format:

[del-property-section]
(property-name [ ,, flags [, value]]) | ({property-category-guid}, property-pid [ , flags [, value]])
(property-name [ ,, flags [, value]]) | ({property-category-guid}, property-pid [ , flags [, value]])
...

A del-property-section can have any number of property-name entries or property-guid entries, each on a separate line.

Entries

property-name
One of the property names that represent the device instance driver package properties. The property names that are supported are the same as those that are described for the property-name entry of the INF AddProperty directive.

property-category-guid
A GUID value that identifies the property category. The GUID value can be a system-defined GUID that identifies a system-defined property category or a custom GUID that identifies a custom property category. The GUID values that are supported are the same as those that are described for the property-category-guid entry of the INF AddProperty directive.

property-pid
A property identifier that indicates the specific property within the property category that is indicated by the property-category-guid value. For internal system reasons, a property identifier must be greater than or equal to two.

flags
An optional hexadecimal flag value that controls the delete operation. The only flag value supported is as follows:

0x00000001 (FLG_DELPROPERTY_MULTI_SZ_DELSTRING)
If the property data type is DEVPROP_TYPE_STRING_LIST, the operation deletes all the strings with the existing string list that match the string that is supplied by the value entry value. The case of a character is not considered in the comparison between the supplied string and an existing string in the string list.

value
If the property data type is DEVPROP_TYPE_STRING_LIST and the flags entry is 0x00000001, the value entry value supplies the string that the delete operation uses to search for matching strings in the existing string list and, if a matching string is found, the delete operation removes the matching string from the existing string list.

Remarks

In general, an INF file should not be used to delete device properties that might be set by a system component or by another INF file. The primary purpose of the DelProperty directive is for use in an INF file that updates a previous device installation and a property that was set for a previous device installation is no longer required.

A del-property-section name must be unique within an INF file, but the section name can be referenced by more than one DelPropertydirective in the same INF file. A section name must follow the general rules for defining section names that are described in General Syntax Rules for INF Files.

For more information about how to use the DelProperty directive, see Using the INF AddProperty Directive and the INF DelProperty Directive.

Examples

The following example of a delete property section includes two line entries: the first line entry includes a property-name entry value that deletes the DeviceModel property, and the second line entry deletes the string "DeleteThisString" from a custom device property value whose data type is DEVPROP_TYPE_STRING_LIST. In the second line, the property-category-guid entry value is "c22189e4-8bf3-4e6d-8467-8dc6d95e2a7e," the property-identifier entry value is "2," and the flags entry value is "0x00000001,"

[SampleDelPropertySection]
DeviceModel
{c22189e4-8bf3-4e6d-8467-8dc6d95e2a7e}, 2, 0x00000001, "DeleteThisString"

See also

AddProperty