Device driver auto-load

• US 20050097573A1
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chrysanthakopoulos, Georgios, Fierstein, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,169 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/321
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4415 Self describing peripheral devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for automatically loading drivers on computers for devices coupled to a communication medium such as an IEEE 1394 serial bus. Operating systems running on the computers detect when a device is connected to the communication medium. The operating systems then determine whether one of the drivers stored in memory on the device will enable the computers to utilize the device. The operating systems will then load the appropriate drivers for their respective computers and allow access to the device. If none of the drivers on the memory are suitable for a particular computer, then its operating system will prompt a user to manually insert a computer-readable medium containing the appropriate drivers. Thus, the present invention provides methods and apparatus for automatically loading device drivers.

Claims

1. A system for loading a device driver for an IEEE 1394-enabled device comprising:

a computer running an operating system;

an IEEE 1394-enabled device configured to store a device driver or a pointer to a device driver in non-volatile memory; and

an IEEE 1394-compliant bus configured to couple the IEEE 1394-enabled device to the computer,

wherein said computer executes the steps of

detecting that the IEEE 1394-enabled device is coupled to the IEEE 1394-compliant bus;

responsive to the detecting, determining if either a device driver or a pointer to a device driver compatible with the operating system is stored in the non-volatile memory;

responsive to the determining, automatically loading the device driver if either a device driver or a pointer to a device driver compatible with the operating system is stored in the non-volatile memory; and

responsive to the determining, prompting a user to manually load a device driver compatible with the operating system, if neither a device driver nor a pointer to a device driver compatible with the operating system is stored in the non-volatile memory, and

wherein the pointer includes a uniform resource locator (URL)

2. A system for loading device drivers for an IEEE 1394-enabled device comprising:

a first computer running a first operating system;

a second computer running a second operating system;

an IEEE 1394-enabled device configured to store a device driver or a pointer to a device driver in non-volatile memory; and

an IEEE 1394-compliant bus configured to couple the IEEE 1394-enabled device to the first computer and the second computer,

wherein said first computer executes the steps of

a. detecting that the IEEE 1394-enabled device is coupled to the IEEE 1394-compliant bus;

b. responsive to step a), determining that either a device driver or a pointer to a device driver compatible with the first operating system is stored in the non-volatile memory; and

c. responsive to step b), automatically loading the device driver compatible with the first operating system,

wherein said second computer executes the steps of

d. detecting that the IEEE 1394-enabled device is coupled to the IEEE 1394-compliant bus;

e. responsive to step d), determining that neither a device driver nor a pointer to a device driver compatible with the second operating system is stored in the non-volatile memory; and

f. responsive to step e), prompting a user to manually load a device driver compatible with the second operating system, and

wherein the pointer includes a uniform resource locator (URL).