install-inf

Abstract

install-inf.pl is a simple Perl script which can be used as a lighweight replacement for Zadig.

Motivation

If you ever tried to replace a standard Windows driver for some USB device with a libusb-compatible one (such as the stock winusb.sys driver) then you know that it's not as simple as it sounds in the official Microsoft WinUSB guide.

Going through the Device Manager and navigating to the .inf-containing folder usually ends up with messages like "The best driver for your device is already installed" or "The folder you specified doesn't contain a compatible software driver for your device".

The trick is to force-update the driver. This can be achieved by calling UpdateDriverForPlugAndPlayDevices SetupAPI function while passing it the hardware ID of a device and the path to a particular .inf file.

Usage

1. Prepare the proper .inf file as described in the official Microsoft WinUSB guide.

2. [OPTIONAL] Create a .cat file using inf2cat and sign it with signtool

3. Make sure Perl is accessiblve via PATH environment variable. Note that you need 64-bit Perl on 64-bit Windows.

4. From an elevated command prompt run:

   perl install-inf.pl <path-to-inf>

5. Unless you have created a properly signed .cat file, you will see a "Windows Security" warning stating that "Windows can't verify the publisher of this driver software". When you do, fearlessly hit "Install this driver software anyway".

6. Go to the Device Manager and make sure your device has moved from its original group into "Universal Serial Bus devices" and its name is now the same as in the .inf file.

7. Congratulations! Now you can work with your device via libusb API.