In older operating systems such as windows XP and 2000, the driver source files needed for installing the devices were typically found in several locations.
- %SystemRoot%\Driver Cache\i386\drivers.cab
- %SystemRoot%\Driver Cache\i386\service_pack.cab
- .inf files under %windir%inf
- .sys files under%SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers
- Support DLLs under %SystemRoot%\System32
- Third Party co-installers in various locations.
DriverStore is a new and a central location in Windows Vista and Windows 7 where all the driver files will be stored, before they are copied to theirfinal destination during the device driver installation.
For example, the driver package developed by Microsoft that contains the core mouse
support files is present in the following folder:
C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\msmouse.inf_amd64_neutral_6f653f6716c1448c
Keeping the drivers in a central store allows for a much faster device installation and a more reliable driver rollback.
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