INF Manufacturer section

The Manufacturer section identifies the manufacturer of one or more devices that can be installed by using the INF file.

[Manufacturer]

manufacturer-identifier
[manufacturer-identifier] 
[manufacturer-identifier] 
...

Entries

manufacturer-identifier
Uniquely identifies a manufacturer and an INF section that contains information that identifies a manufacturer's device models. Each manufacturer-identifier entry must exist on a separate line and use the following format:

manufacturer-name |
%strkey%=models-section-name |
%strkey%=models-section-name [,TargetOSVersion] [,TargetOSVersion] ...  (Windows XP and later versions of Windows)

These entries are defined as follows:

manufacturer-name
Identifies the devices' manufacturer. The INF must also contain a corresponding INF Models section of the same name. The maximum length of a manufacturer's name, in characters, is LINE_LEN. (An entry specified in this manner cannot be localized.)

strkey
Specifies a token, unique within the INF file that represents the name of a manufacturer. Each such %strkey% token must be defined in an INF Strings section of the INF file.

models-section-name
Specifies an INF-writer-defined name for the per-manufacturer INF Models section within the INF file. This value must be unique within the INF file and must follow the general rules for defining section names. For more information about these rules, see General Syntax Rules for INF Files.

TargetOSVersion
Specifies one or more target operating system versions with which various INF Models sections can be used. Windows chooses the INF Models section that most closely matches the operating system version on which it is executing.

For a description of the TargetOSVersion decoration, see the following Remarks section, and related info in Example 3 below.

Remarks

Any INF file that installs one or more devices must have a Manufacturer section. An IHV/OEM-supplied INF file typically specifies only a single entry in this section. If multiple entries are specified, each entry must be on a separate line of the INF.

Using a %strkey%=models-section-name entry simplifies the localization of the INF file for the international market, as described in Creating International INF Files and the reference page for the INF Strings section.

If an INF file specifies one or more entries in the manufacturer-name format, each such entry implicitly specifies the name of the corresponding Models section elsewhere in the INF.

You can think of each system-supplied INF file's Manufacturer section as a table of contents, because this section sets up the installation of every manufacturer's device models for a device setup class. Each entry in an INF file's Manufacturer section specifies both an easily localizable %strkey% token for the name of a manufacturer and a unique-to-the-INF per-manufacturer Models section name.

The models-section-name entries in the Manufacturer section can be decorated to specify target operating system versions. Different INF Models sections can be specified for different versions of the operating system. The specified versions indicate operating system versions with which the INF Models sections is used. If no versions are specified, Windows uses a specified Models section for all versions of all operating systems.

For Windows XP to Windows 10, version 1511, the format of TargetOSVersion decoration is as follows:

NT[Architecture][.[OSMajorVersion][.[OSMinorVersion][.[ProductType][.SuiteMask]]]]

Starting with Windows 10, version 1607 (Build 14310 and later), the format of the TargetOSVersion decoration is as follows:

NT[Architecture][.[OSMajorVersion][.[OSMinorVersion][.[ProductType][.[SuiteMask][.[BuildNumber]]]]]

Each field is defined as follows:

NT
Specifies the target operating system is NT-based. Windows 2000 and later versions of Windows are all NT-based.

Architecture
Identifies the hardware platform. If specified, this must be x86, ia64, amd64, arm, or arm64.

Prior to Windows Server 2003 SP1, if Architecture is not specified, the associated INF Models section can be used with any hardware platform.

Starting with Windows Server 2003 SP1, Architecture must be specified in INF Models sections names for non-x86 target operating system versions. Architecture is optional in INF Models section names for x86-based target operating system versions but is recommended.

OSMajorVersion
A number that represents the operating system's major version number. The following table defines the major version for the Windows operating system.

OSMinorVersion
A number that represents the operating system's minor version number. The following table defines the minor version for the Windows operating system.

ProductType
A number that represents one of the VER_NT_xxxx flags defined in Winnt.h, such as the following:

0x0000001 (VER_NT_WORKSTATION)

0x0000002 (VER_NT_DOMAIN_CONTROLLER)

0x0000003 (VER_NT_SERVER)

If a product type is specified, the INF file is used only if the operating system matches the specified product type. If the INF supports multiple product types for a single operating system version, multiple TargetOSVersion entries are required.

SuiteMask
A number representing a combination of one or more of the VER_SUITE_xxxx flags defined in Winnt.h. These flags include the following:

0x00000001 (VER_SUITE_SMALLBUSINESS)

0x00000002 (VER_SUITE_ENTERPRISE)

0x00000004 (VER_SUITE_BACKOFFICE)

0x00000008 (VER_SUITE_COMMUNICATIONS)

0x00000010 (VER_SUITE_TERMINAL)

0x00000020 (VER_SUITE_SMALLBUSINESS_RESTRICTED)

0x00000040 (VER_SUITE_EMBEDDEDNT)

0x00000080 (VER_SUITE_DATACENTER)

0x00000100 (VER_SUITE_SINGLEUSERTS)

0x00000200 (VER_SUITE_PERSONAL)

0x00000400 (VER_SUITE_SERVERAPPLIANCE)

If one or more suite mask values are specified, the INF is used only if the operating system matches all the specified product suites. If the INF supports multiple product suite combinations for a single operating system version, multiple TargetOSVersion entries are required.

BuildNumber
A number that represents the minimum OS build number of the Windows release to which the section is applicable, starting with build 14310 or later.

The build number is assumed to be relative to some specific OS major/minor version only, and may be reset for some future OS major/minor version.

Any build number specified by the TargetOSVersion decoration is evaluated only when the OS major/minor version of the TargetOSVersion matches the current OS (or AltPlatformInfo) version exactly.  If the current OS version is greater than the OS version specified by the TargetOSVersion decoration (OSMajorVersion,OSMinorVersion), the section is considered applicable regardless of the build number specified. Likewise, if the current OS version is less than the OS version specified by TargetOSVersion decoration, the section is not applicable.

If build number is supplied, the OS version and BuildNumber of the TargetOSVersion decoration must both be greater than the OS version and build number of the Windows 10 build 14310 where this decoration was first introduced. Earlier versions of the operating system without these changes (for example, Windows 10 build 10240) will not parse unknown decorations, so an attempt to target these earlier builds will actually prevent that OS from considering the decoration valid at all.

The following table defines the build number for the Windows operating system.

For more information about the TargetOSVersion decoration, see Combining Platform Extensions with Operating System Versions.

If your INF contains Manufacturer section entries with decorations, it must also include INF Models sections with names that match the operating system decorations. For example, if an INF contains the following Manufacturer section:

%FooCorp%=FooMfg, NTx86....0x80, NTamd64

Then the INF must also contain INF Models sections with the following names:

• [FooMfg.NTx86....0x80]

  This name applies to the Data Center suite of Windows XP and later versions of Windows on x86-based hardware platforms.

• [FooMfg.NTamd64]

  This name applies to all product types and suites of Windows XP and later versions of Windows on x64-based hardware platforms.

During installation, Windows selects an INF Models section in the following way:

1. If Windows is running in an x86-based version of the operating system (Windows XP or later versions) that includes the Data Center product suite, Windows selects the [FooMfg.NTx86....0x80] Models section.

2. If Windows is running in an x64-based version of the operating system (Windows XP or later versions) for any product suite, Windows selects the [FooMfg.NTamd64] Models section.

If the INF is intended for use with operating system versions earlier than Windows XP, it must also contain an undecorated Models section named [FooMfg].

If an INF supports multiple manufacturers, these rules must be followed for each manufacturer.

The following are additional examples of TargetOSVersion decorations:

• %FooCorp% = FooMfg, NTx86

  In this example, the resultant INF Models section name is [FooMfg.NTx86], and is applicable for any x86 version of the operating system (Windows XP or later).

• %FooCorp% = FooMfg, NT.7.8

  In this example, for version 7.8 and later of the operating system, the resultant INF Models section name is [FooMfg.NT.7.8]. For earlier versions of the operating system such as Windows XP, [FooMfg.NT] is used.

Setup's selection of which INF Models section to use is based on the following rules:

• If the INF contains INF Models sections for several major or minor operating system version numbers, Windows uses the section with the highest version numbers that are not higher than the operating system version on which the installation is taking place.

• If the INF Models sections that match the operating system version also include product type and/or product suite decorations, Windows selects the section that most closely matches the running operating system.

Suppose, for example, Windows is executing on Windows XP (version 5.1), without the Data Center product suite, and it finds the following entry in a Manufacturer section:

%FooCorp%=FooMfg, NT, NT.5, NT.5.5, NT....0x80

In this case, Windows looks for an INF Models section named [FooMfg.NT.5]. Windows also uses the [FooMfg.NT.5] section if it is executing on a Datacenter version of Windows XP, because a specific version number takes precedence over the product type and suite mask.

If you want an INF to explicitly exclude a specific operating system version, product type, or suite, create an empty INF Models section. For example, an empty section named [FooMfg.NTx86.6.0] prohibits installation on x86-based operating system versions 6.0 and higher.

Examples

This example shows a Manufacturer section typical to an INF for a single IHV.

[Manufacturer]
%Mfg%=Contoso,NTamd64        ; Models section == Contoso

[Contoso.NTamd64]

; ...
[Strings]
Mfg = "Contoso, Ltd."

The next example shows part of a Manufacturer section typical to an INF for a device-class-specific installer:

[Manufacturer]
%CONTOSO%=Contoso_Section,NTamd64
; several entries omitted here for brevity
%FABRIKAM%=Fabrikam_Section,NTamd64
%ADATUM%=Adatum_Section,NTamd64

The following example shows a Manufacturer section that is specific to x86 platforms, Windows XP and later:

[Manufacturer]
%foo%=foosec,NTx86.5.1

[foosec.NTx86.5.1]

The following example shows a Manufacturer section that is specific to x64 platforms, Windows 10 build 14393 and later:

[Manufacturer]
%foo%=foosec,NTamd64.10.0...14393

[foosec.NTamd64.10.0...14393]

The following two examples show skeletal INF files with a variety of OS-specific INF Models sections:

Example 1:

[Manufacturer]
%MyName% = MyName,NTx86.5.1
.
[MyName]
%MyDev% = InstallA,hwid
.
[MyName.NTx86.5.1]
%MyDev% = InstallB,hwid
.
[InstallA]   ; Windows 2000 
.
.
[InstallB]   ; Windows XP and later, x86 only
.

Example 2:

[Manufacturer]
%MyName% = MyName,NTx86.6.0,NTx86.5.1,
.
[MyName.NTx86.6.0] ; Empty section, so this INF does not support
.                  ; NT 6.0 and later.
.
[MyName.NTx86.5.1] ; Used for NT 5.1 and later
.                  ; (but not NT 6.0 and later due to the NTx86.6.0 entry)
%MyDev% = InstallB,hwid
.
[MyName]           ; Empty section, so this INF does not support
.                  ; Win2000
.

Example 3:

[Manufacturer]
%MyMfg% = MyMfg, NTamd64.6.1, NTamd64.10.0, NTamd64.10.0...14310
.
[MyMfg.NTamd64.6.1]          ; Used for Windows 7 and later
.                            ; (but not for Windows 10 and later due to the NT.10.0 entry)
.
[MyMfg.NTamd64.10.0]         ; Used for Windows 10
.                            ; (but not for Windows 10 build 14393 and later due to the NT.10.0...14393 entry)
.
[MyMfg.NTamd64.10.0...14393] ; Used for Windows 10 build 14393 and later
.
.

See also

Combining platform extensions with operating system versions

Models

Strings