Devcon exe

To list and display information about devices on the computer, use the following commands:. DevCon DriverFiles. DevCon DriverNodes. DevCon ClassFilter. If you specify an operation, DevCon displays detailed help for the operation. The parameters must appear in the specified order. Many DevCon operations require the hardware ID of the device. That is, it assumes an "or" between the ID arguments. If a command includes a device setup class, DevCon first limits the search to the setup class and then returns devices in the class that match any of the ID patterns, that is, it assumes an "and" between the class and the IDs and an "or" between each of the ID arguments.

This parameter is valid only in commands that include a DevCon operation. It can reboot the system on a local computer or a remote computer Windows XP and earlier. The DevCon Reboot operation forces the operating system to reboot. It is valid only on a local computer, and it cannot be combined with other operations. The DevCon Restart operation restarts the specified devices.

In response, DevCon lists the following seven devices in the Net setup class. The first six are standard miniport driver devices. Predictably, the DevCon Find command, which returns only currently installed devices, does not list the software-enumerated device because the device is not installed. The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to display the upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class.

Because this command includes no classfilter operators, DevCon displays the filter drivers for the class, but does not change them. In response, DevCon displays the upper filter drivers for the DiskDrive class and confirms that it did not change them. In this case, the display shows that devices in the DiskDrive setup class use the PartMgr.

When the command starts, the virtual cursor is positioned before the first filter driver. Because it is not positioned on a particular driver, DevCon adds the Disklog driver to the end of the filter driver list. If you misspell the driver name, or try to add a driver that isn't installed on the system, the command fails.

The following command tests this safeguard feature. It attempts to add "Disklgg" instead of "Disklog" to the list of upper filters for the DiskDrive class. The output demonstrates that the command fails. The command places MyFilter. The following list shows the filter drivers for the DiskDrive class before the command is submitted.

The first subcommand, Disklog , uses the positioning operator to place the virtual cursor on the Disklog filter driver. The second subcommand, -MyFilter , uses the add-before operator - to add MyFilter. The positioning operator is essential in this example. Before DevCon processes any classfilter subcommands, the virtual cursor is at the beginning of the list and is not positioned on any filter drivers. If you use the add-after - operator when the cursor is not positioned on a driver, it adds the driver to the end of the list.

You can also use the following command to add the MyFilter driver and to place it between PartMgr and Disklog. In this example, the first subcommand, PartMgr , positions the virtual cursor on the PartMgr filter driver.

The first subcommand uses the delete operator! It does not affect the MyFilter. The following command uses the DevCon ClassFilter operation to change the order of filter drivers for the DiskDrive setup class. Specifically, it reverses the order of the second and third filter drivers. It also shows the intended result of the command. The start operator is necessary because the virtual cursor moves only forward through the list.

The following command uses the DevCon Enable operation to enable a programmable interrupt controller that had been disabled to correct a system problem. Otherwise, the asterisk would be interpreted as a wildcard character. In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the device and explains that you must reboot the system to enable the device.

You can respond by rebooting the system, either manually, or by using the DevCon Reboot operation. In response, DevCon enables the device and then reboots the system to make the enabling effective.

The following command enables all printer devices on the computer by specifying the Printer setup class in a DevCon Enable command. In response, DevCon displays the device instance ID of the printer that it found in the Printer class and reports that it is enabled.

Note Before using an ID pattern to disable a device, determine which devices will be affected. This command identifies the devices by their device instance IDs as indicated by the at character that precedes each ID. Each device instance ID is separated from the others by a space. The following command uses the DevCon Update operation to replace the current device driver for communication ports on the system with a test driver specified in the test. You can use this command to replace signed drivers on the system with alternate drivers for testing or troubleshooting, or to associate the devices with the newest version of the same drivers.

In response, DevCon displays a Hardware Installation warning explaining that the driver has not passed Windows Logo testing. If you select the Continue Anyway button on the dialog box, the installation continues. The DevCon UpdateNI operation is identical to the DevCon Update operation except that it suppresses all user prompts that require a response and assumes the default response to the prompt. In this case, DevCon does not display the Hardware Installation warning.

Instead, it assumes the default response, Stop Installation. As a result, DevCon cannot update the drivers and displays a failure message. The following command uses the DevCon Install operation to install a keyboard device on the local computer. The command includes the full path to the INF file for the device keyboard. In response, DevCon reports that it has installed the device, that is, it has created a device node for the new device and updated the driver files for the device.

To install this device during an unattended setup, begin by adding the following files to a floppy disk: devcon. The command also specifies that DevCon use the Netloop. Finally, add network configuration settings to the unattended setup file and run the unattended setup. Warning Before removing any devices by using a pattern, determine which devices are affected. The command specifies the Net class and then refines the search by specifying devices in the class whose hardware ID or compatible ID include "ndiswan.

Warning Before removing any devices by using a pattern, determine which devices will be affected. The following command use the DevCon Rescan operation to scan the local computer for new devices. You can also use a DevCon Rescan command on a remote computer. The following command uses the DevCon Restart operation to restart the loopback adapter on the local computer.

The at character identifies the string as an device instance ID. The single quote character ' , which requests a literal search, prevents DevCon from interpreting the asterisk in the ID as a wildcard character. The following command uses the DevCon Reboot operation to reboot the operating system on the local computer and to associate the reboot with a hardware installation.

In response, DevCon displays a message indicating that it is restarting the computer Rebooting local machine. DevCon uses the standard ExitWindowsEx function to reboot. If the user has open files on the computer or a program will not close, the system does not reboot until the user has responded to system prompts to close the files or end the process. It uses the at character to indicate that the string is a device instance ID. The command does not use any symbol parameters to position the ID.

This browser is no longer supported. Download Microsoft Edge More info. Contents Exit focus mode. Windows Device Console Devcon. Please rate your experience Yes No. Any additional feedback? Note To run DevCon commands on a remote computer, the Group Policy setting must allow the Plug and Play service to run on the remote computer. Submit and view feedback for This product This page. View all page feedback.