DDks are device driver kits, which are equivalent to SDKs for writing device drivers. Windows NT includes DDks.

If your system has hardware devices that are not on the Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List, you should contact the manufacturer of the device to determine whether they have new, updated Windows 2000 drivers for their device. Many peripheral makers have become very proactive in supplying updated drivers for their devices-often, posting their latest drivers and product compatibility information on their Internet Web sites, where they can be downloaded by customers. The second alternative is to try the device with Windows NT or Windows 9x drivers to see if it will work. The final option is to get a device that is listed on the Windows 2000 HCL.

To minimize the adverse affects of poorly written device drivers on the system, Microsoft works with hardware suppliers and signs (certifies) their drivers for Windows 98 compatibility by adding special digital codes to them. This Driver Signing tool is valuable to administrators who do not want users to introduce questionable devices and drivers into the system. The Signature Verification Tool (SIGVERIF.EXE) is used to check files to determine whether Microsoft has signed them. It also determines whether the files have been modified since they were signed.

This arrangement can be established through the Device Manager's Disable in This Hardware Profile option. This setting will keep the driver from loading up until it is reactivated, and is located in the Properties window for that particular device.

Installing a new operating system on a hard drive has evolved into the five basic steps that follow: Partition the drive for use with the operating system. Format the drive with the basic operating system files.Run the appropriate Setup utility to install the complete operating system. Load all the drivers necessary for the operating system to function with the system's installed hardware devices. Reboot the system to activate all the system components.

The Device Manager page contains a set of buttons that permit its various functions to be accessed. These buttons include Properties, Refresh, Remove, and Print. Typical Device Manager Properties pages provide tabs that can be used to access general information, device settings, device drivers information, and device resources requirements and usage.

If the device is not PnP, or ifit must beinstalled manually because Windows 9x could not detect it, selecting the No option and clicking Next will produce a hardware component list. The Hardware Wizard guides the manual installation process from this point and prompts the user for any necessary configuration information. If Windows 9x does not support the device, you must click the Have Disk button and load drivers supplied by the device's manufacturer.

HIMEM.SYS loads the DOS extended memory driver (XMS). This driver manages the use of extended memory installed in the system so that no two applications use the same memory locations at the same time. This memory manager should normally be listed in the CONFIG.SYS file before any other memory managers or device drivers. HIMEM.SYS also creates a 64KB area of memory just above the 1MB address space called the high memory area (HMA). With this, the DOS=HIGH statement is used to shift portions of DOS from conventional memory into the HMA.

To install software for an infrared device, simply right-click the Infrared icon on the taskbar. Make sure that the Enable Plug and Play check box is checked and verify that the new device is within range. If you are not sure whether the device you are installing is Plug-and-Play capable, check its user's guide. If it is not a Plug-and-Play device, install its drivers by accessing the Add New Hardware icon in the Control Panel.

The registry is a hierarchical database that stores Windows 2000 hardware and software settings. The registry controls the Windows 2000 operating system by providing the appropriate initialization information to start applications and load components, such as device drivers and network protocols. The registry contains a variety of different types of data, including the hardware installed on the computer, the installed device drivers, applications, network protocols, and network adapter card settings.