DIF_REMOVE

A DIF_REMOVE request notifies an installer that Windows is about to remove a device and gives the installer an opportunity to prepare for the removal.

When Sent

When a user removes a device in Device Manager.

Who Handles

Installer Input

DeviceInfoSet
Supplies a handle to the device information set that contains the device to be removed.

DeviceInfoData
Supplies a pointer to an SP_DEVINFO_DATA structure for the device in the device information set.

Device Installation Parameters
There are device installation parameters (SP_DEVINSTALL_PARAMS) associated with the DeviceInfoData.

Class Installation Parameters
An SP_REMOVEDEVICE_PARAMS structure might be associated with the DeviceInfoData.

There are no class installation parameters for the request if the DI_CLASSINSTALLPARAMS flag is clear in the SP_DEVINSTALL_PARAMS. In this case, no hardware profile is specified and the device is to be removed from the system as a whole.

Installer Output

None

Installer Return Value

A co-installer can return NO_ERROR, ERROR_DI_POSTPROCESSING_REQUIRED, or a Win32 error code.

If a class installer successfully handles this request and SetupDiCallClassInstaller should subsequently call the default handler, the class installer returns ERROR_DI_DO_DEFAULT.

If the class installer successfully handles this request, including directly calling the default handler, the class installer should return NO_ERROR and SetupDiCallClassInstaller will not subsequently call the default handler again.

Note   The class installer can directly call the default handler, but the class installer should never attempt to supersede the operations of the default handler.

For more information about calling the default handler, see Calling Default DIF Code Handlers.

If the class installer encounters an error, the installer should return an appropriate Win32 error code and SetupDiCallClassInstaller will not subsequently call the default handler.

Default DIF Code Handler

SetupDiRemoveDevice

Installer Operation

In response to a DIF_REMOVE request, an installer typically performs some clean-up operations. In this case, a co-installer returns NO_ERROR and a class installer returns ERROR_DI_DO_DEFAULT.

If an installer determines that the device should not be removed, the installer fails the DIF request by returning a Win32 error code. If the DI_QUIETINSTALL flag is clear, the installer should display a message to the user explaining why the device is not being removed.

Co-installers must not attempt to remove the device themselves by calling SetupDiRemoveDevice. Co-installers typically handle this request in postprocessing, after the device is successfully removed.

If a co-installer has to delete information in the registry, for example, the co-installer should do so in postprocessing and only if the previous installers succeeded the removal request. In its preprocessing pass, the co-installer should store the registry information in its context parameter and return ERROR_DI_POSTPROCESSING_REQUIRED to request postprocessing. When Windows calls the co-installer for postprocessing of this DIF request, the co-installer should check that the DIF status is NO_ERROR and then delete the registry information. If a co-installer deletes registry information in its preprocessing pass and the class installer (or another co-installer) fails the DIF_REMOVE, the co-installer could leave the device in an unpredictable state.

Installers should not delete files when handling this DIF request, in case the files are in use by another device.

Windows sends this DIF request before it initiates PnP query-remove and remove processing.

For more information about DIF codes, see Handling DIF Codes.

Requirements

See also

SetupDiRemoveDevice

SP_DEVINFO_DATA

SP_DEVINSTALL_PARAMS

SP_REMOVEDEVICE_PARAMS