Driver Rank Example (Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000)

Consider a device that has the following lists of device identification strings, where the HwID_N and CID_N names represent actual hardware IDs and compatible IDs:

• List of hardware IDs

  HwID_1, HwID_2
  

• List of compatible IDs

  CID_1, CID_2
  

The first hardware ID in a list of hardware IDs is the most specific identifier for the device. In this example, that is HwID_1.

For this example, also assume there is a signed INF file that has an INF Models section that has the following entry, where the INF_XXX_N names represent actual hardware IDs and compatible IDs:

DeviceDesc1 = InstallSection1, INF_HWID_1, INF_CID_1, INF_CID_2

The following table lists the rank of each possible match between the identifiers that are reported by the device and the identifiers that are listed in the INF Models section entry. The rank is the sum of the signature score, which is 0x0000 because the INF file is signed, and the identifier score, which depends, in each case, on the two identifiers that matched.

For more information about driver ranking, see How Windows Ranks Drivers (Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000).

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