After you install or connect a new hardware device, you must set up the device so that it is available for use. Unlike Microsoft Windows NT, Windows Server 2003 is much better at helping you perform the related procedures, and in many cases, it will set up new devices automatically using Plug and Play.
When Plug and Play works properly, it is a wonderful thing. You simply plug in a new device, wait for the Windows operating system to detect and then configure it. The device is then ready for use. Unfortunately, although Plug and Play technology has advanced tremendously since Windows NT (and even since Microsoft Windows 2000), it doesn't always work. Sometimes, Windows will detect a new device but won't know which device driver to use. Other times, the operating system will not detect a new device at all. Usually, this happens because the device doesn't support Plug and Play.
Note
You must be logged on as an administrator to install device drivers. If you're logged on using an account without Administrator privileges, you are prompted to provide a user name and password for an account that has Administrator privileges before you are allowed to install device drivers. You do not, however, need to be logged on as an administrator to install devices. As long as Windows can detect and set up the device automatically, it will do so. It is only when a new driver (meaning one that is not already on the computer) must be installed or problems occur that you must be logged on as an administrator.
Windows Server 2003 Plug and Play is optimized to support universal serial bus (USB), FireWire (IEEE 1394), Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA, or PC Card), and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) devices. When you connect a Plug and Play device for the first time, Windows Server 2003 reads the Plug and Play identification tag contained in the device's BIOS or firmware and then searches its master list of identification tags (which is created from the Setup Information files in the Inf folder). If the operating system finds a signed driver with a matching identification tag, it installs the driver and makes the device available for use automatically.
Unlike previous versions of Windows, which display the progress of the Plug and Play process in dialog boxes, Windows Server 2003 provides popup balloon tips in the notification area that tell you about major steps in the process only, such as device detection and finalization. For example, when installing a new disk drive, Windows Server 2003 might display Found New Hardware: Disk Drive, as shown in the screen on the following page.
Then a balloon message is displayed to tell you that your new hardware is installed and ready to use, as shown in the following screen:
In this example, Plug and Play worked as expected. Windows Server 2003 detected the device, used the Plug and Play identification to determine which driver should be installed, and then set up the device. Because there are so many factors involved, detection and setup don't always work so smoothly, however. Sometimes the Windows operating system will warn you about something that you might need to take action to correct.
One of the more common warnings you'll see is related to Hi-Speed USB devices being connected to non-Hi-Speed USB ports, as shown in the following screen. This is important because if you are connecting an external hard disk drive or other Hi-Speed USB device, the device won't operate at the rated speed. It will in fact operate at a much slower speed.
Note
USB 1 is the original USB specification. USB 2 is the newer USB specification, and it is referred to as Hi-Speed USB. Although you can connect USB 2 devices to USB 1 ports, the devices operate at the USB 1 speed (which is many times slower than USB 2). If you want to achieve high-speed USB transfers, you must connect to a USB 2 port, if available. You might also want to consider upgrading the USB ports on the computer so that they are USB 2–compliant.
If Windows Server 2003 detects a Plug and Play device after you've connected it but cannot locate a suitable driver, it displays a warning that a problem occurred during installation, as shown in the following screen:
Sometimes when this happens, you must install the hardware device manually using the Add Hardware Wizard just as you do with non–Plug and Play devices. See the section entitled "Installing Non–Plug and Play Devices" later in this chapter for details.
More typically, Windows Server 2003 starts the Found New Hardware Wizard, shown in the following screen, which is designed to help you find a suitable driver for the device that was detected.
If this wizard starts, you have the following two options:
Install The Software Automatically Choose this option if the device came with an installation CD or floppy disk that contains Windows Server 2003–compatible drivers.
Install From A List Or Specific Location Choose this option if you've downloaded a compatible driver or want to choose a specific driver, bypassing Windows default selection.
If Windows Server 2003 detects the Plug and Play device and the Found New Hardware Wizard starts automatically, you can choose the Install The Software Automatically option, which is the recommended and default option. Click Next to access the search and installation options page. By default, Windows Server 2003 searches all removable drives and looks for appropriate Setup Information files. If the wizard finds a specific driver that is compatible, it installs it. If the wizard finds multiple drivers that might be compatible, it displays a list of matching drivers and allows you to choose the driver to use.
In some cases, the wizard is unable to find a suitable device driver. If this happens, the wizard prompts, asking if it is okay to connect to the Internet, as shown in the screen on the following page.
Click Yes to allow the wizard to use Windows Update to connect to the Internet and search for the device driver at the Windows Update site. If the computer doesn't have an Internet connection or you know another location where the software might be located, click Back, and then choose the Install From A List Or Specific Location option.
If Windows Server 2003 detects the Plug and Play device and the Found New Hardware Wizard starts automatically, you can choose the Install From A List Or Specific Location option so that you can install a driver you've downloaded for the device. Select this option, and then click Next to display the search and installation options page. By default, the Search For The Best Driver In These Locations and Search Removable Media options are selected (as shown in the following screen), and Windows Server 2003 will search all removable drives if you click Next. Because you've downloaded a driver, you should select the Include This Location In The Search option instead and then enter the full file path to the folder that contains the driver you downloaded. You can click Browse to find the location as well.
When you are ready to continue, click Next so the Windows operating system can search the specified locations for the driver. If the wizard finds a specific driver that is compatible, it installs it. If the wizard finds multiple drivers that might be compatible, it displays a list of matching drivers and allows you to choose the driver to use. As before, if no driver is found, the wizard will try to use Windows Update and find the driver on the Windows Update site.
Bypassing the default driver makes it possible to install an unsigned driver from a manufacturer rather than a signed driver included with Windows Server 2003. If you want to do this, choose the Install From A List Or Specific Location option when the Found New Hardware Wizard starts, and then click Next to display the search and installation options page. On this page, select Don't Search, I Will Choose The Driver To Install. After a short delay, the wizard shows a list of compatible drivers by model type, as shown in the following screen. If applicable, clear the Show Compatible Hardware option to display all of the drivers that are available by device type. Choose a device, and then click Next to complete the installation.
Although Windows Server 2003 doesn't detect or set up non–Plug and Play devices automatically, it does maintain a driver cache for these devices. This driver cache has hundreds of drivers, any one of which you might be able to use. You might also be able to use a Windows 2000 driver if a Windows Server 2003 device driver isn't available. In either case, you install the device using the Add Hardware Wizard. Follow these steps:
If the device has a CD or a downloadable Setup program, run it to copy the driver files to your hard disk.
Connect the device to the computer. For internal devices, such as an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) card, you must shut down the computer, add the device, and then restart the computer.
Access Control Panel, and then double-click Add Hardware to start the Add Hardware Wizard.
Click Next to skip the Welcome page and begin searching for the device. If the wizard finds the device, you can select it to install the correct device driver and complete the setup. In most cases, however, the wizard won't find the device and will instead ask you whether the hardware is connected, as shown in the following screen:
If you've already connected the new hardware, select Yes, I Have Already Connected The Hardware, and click Next to continue. Go on to Step 5.
If you haven't connected the hardware, click No, I Have Not Added The Hardware Yet, and then click Next. The only option you have now is to click Finish. You must connect the hardware and then restart the Add Hardware Wizard. Skip the remaining steps.
The next wizard page shows a list of all installed hardware, as shown in the screen on the following page. The device you are trying to install shouldn't already be on the list (if it is, it is already installed and you must troubleshoot the installation). To add the new hardware device, scroll to the bottom of the list and select Add A New Hardware Device. Click Next to continue.
Tip
Troubleshoot device installation
If the device you're trying to install is already listed, check the icon to determine what needs to be done to troubleshoot the installation. If the icon has a yellow warning mark with an exclamation point, the device has a configuration problem. If the icon has a red warning mark with an x, the device has been disabled or is improperly installed.
Determine whether the wizard should search for new hardware or whether you want to select the hardware from a list, as follows:
If you choose Search For And Install, the wizard searches for and tries to detect any devices on its list of non–Plug and Play devices. The process takes a few minutes to go through all the device types and options. When the search is completed, any new devices found are displayed, and you can select a device to complete the installation. If the wizard doesn't find the device, you'll be prompted to click Next and search manually; if this happens, proceed by following the next bullet item.
If you choose Install The Hardware That I Manually Select, or if no new devices are found in the automatic search, you'll have to select the hardware type yourself. Select the type of hardware, such as Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) and redundant arrays of independent disks (RAID) controllers, and then click Next. Afterward, scroll through the list of manufacturers to find the device's manufacturer, and then choose the appropriate device in the Model pane, as shown in the screen on the following page. Follow the remaining prompts to complete the wizard.
On the final page, the wizard shows the results of the installation. If you have problems, use the troubleshooting links.
