Driver Install Frameworks (DIFx) version 2.1 includes the following tools:

By default, the DIFx tools support installing signed Plug and Play (PnP) function drivers and signed class filter drivers beginning with Microsoft Windows 2000. The DIFx tools can also be configured in legacy mode to install unsigned PnP function drivers and unsigned class filter drivers. In legacy mode, the DIFx tools will also install driver packages that have missing files.

DIFx requires that the supported driver types comply with the requirements that are listed in Generic DIFx Driver Package Requirements.

Additional installation considerations depend on the Windows version, the driver type, the installation mode, whether a driver is signed, and the signature type. The following topics describe these considerations: