Fix: INF file you selected does not support this method of installation
By Kevin Arrows February 13, 2020
4 minutes read
Kevin is a certified Network Engineer
Some people are encountering the inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error when trying to install one or more drivers on a Windows PC. This error message occurs before the installation can start. Typically, the error is encountered when the user tries to right-click the inf file and chooses Install from the contextual menu.
The INF file you selected does not support this method of installation.
What is causing the Inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error
We investigated this particular error by trying to replicate the issue and looking at various user reports. Based on our investigations, there are several scenarios that will lead to the apparition of this issue:
- INF file doesn’t have the [DefaultInstall] section – For an INF file to be installed using the conventional Right click > Install method, it needs to have a [DefaultInstall] section and potentially other types of ‘default’ sections like [DefaultInstall.
Service], [DefaultUninstall] or [DefaultUninstall.Service].
- INF file can only be installed through a Command line – If you’re trying to install an INF file that is missing a default section, the only way to install it is through an elevated Command Prompt.
- INF driver is incompatible with your OS architecture – You might also see this error message if you’re trying to install an INF driver that is not configured to run on the OS infrastructure that you’re using.
If you’re struggling to resolve this particular issue, this article will provide you with a basic set of troubleshooting steps. Below you have a collection of methods that other users in a similar situation have used to either fix or circumvent the issue entirely. For the best results, follow the steps below in order until you find a fix that is effective in your particular scenario.
Method 1: Installing the .inf file from Device Manager
A lot of users have managed to install .
inf drivers that were displaying the inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error by using Device Manager. This might work if the INF driver doesn’t have the required install parameters to run conventionally (Right-click > Install) but it’s configured to be installed through Device Manager.
Here’s a quick guide on installing the INF driver from Device Manager:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “devmgmt.msc” and press Enter to open up Device Manager. If prompted by UAC (User Account Control) click Yes at the prompt.Run dialog: devmgmt.msc
- Once you get inside Device Manager, right-click on the device that whose INF driver belongs to. Then, click on Update Driver software (or Update Driver).Right-click on the device and choose Update driver
- At the next window, click Browse my computer for driver software.
Click on Browse my computer for driver software - At the next screen, click on Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.
Click on Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer - In the next screen, click the Have Disk… button then click on Browse. From the Locate File window, navigate and select the INF file and click Open. Once the INF file is ready to be installed, click the Next button to complete the installation process.Click on Have Disk… and then on Browse
- If the INF driver is installed successfully without the inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error, you managed to resolve the issue. All that’s left to do now is restart your computer and see if the device is functioning properly at the next startup.
If you’re still encountering the inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error while using Device Manager to install the INF driver, move down to the next method below.
Method 2: Installing the .inf driver from Command line
If you are getting the inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error when you’re trying to install an INF driver conventionally and Method 1 has produced the same results, it’s very likely that this issue is occurring because the INF driver does not have the right parameters to support a conventional or Device Manager installation.
Luckily, the INF drivers that have this problem can still be installed from an elevated Command Prompt. Here’s what you need to do:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Then, type “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open up an Elevated Command Prompt. When prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) click Yes.Run dialog: cmd then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter
- Once you get into the elevated Command Prompt, insert the following command and press Enter to install the INF file through the command line:
C:\> rundll32 syssetup,SetupInfObjectInstallAction DefaultInstall 128 .
\<file>.infNote: Keep in mind that you’ll have to replace the last part (<file>) with the name of your file in order for this to work.
If this method doesn’t work or yields a different error message, move down to the final method below.
Method 3: Check if the driver is compatible with your PC architecture
If the two methods above didn’t allow you to install the .inf driver on your system, it’s very likely that the driver in question is intended to function with a certain type of OS architecture while your OS is different. Most of the time, this happens when the user tries to install a 32-bit INF driver on a 64-bit computer.
Here’s a quick guide on checking the OS architecture of your PC:
- Press Windows key + R to open up a Run command. Then, type “msinfo32” and press Enter to open up the System Information screen.Run dialog: msinfo32
- In the System Information window, select System Summary from the left-hand pane.
Then, moving to the right-hand pane, see the Value listed under System Type.Check the System Type under System Summary
Now that you know your system architecture type, compare it with the architecture of the INF driver that you’re trying to install. If they are different, you’ve identified the cause of the inf file you selected does not support this method of installation error.
If this scenario is true, you have two options:
- You look for another INF driver that is designed to work with your OS architecture type.
- You clean install your Windows version to accommodate the OS architecture type of the INF driver that is causing the issue. If you decide to do this, you can follow this guide (here).
windows 7 — What causes «The INF file you selected does not support this method of installation.» error?
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3 years, 7 months ago
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101k times
This question is related to this one.
Also, I think it’s not duplicate of this question, since I’m not asking about specific device but a more general case.
Where can I find information about driver .inf files and how windows checks if they are usable? I know that many people do modify .inf files so there must be some information on the Internet.
Basically I have a bad .inf file and would like to see what’s wrong with it and how to fix it if possible.
- windows-7
- drivers
- inf
INF files format reference: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms764958(v=VS.85).aspx
It would help to read the Creating Setup Applications (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa376920(v=VS.85).aspx) page to learn the sequence followed, so you can step through the INF manually. I suppose a programmer could attach a debugger to setup and figure out what its failing on.
1
In order for the «Right Click/Install» method to work, there must be a [DefaultInstall] section in the INF file and, potentially some other «Default» sections:
[DefaultInstall.Service] [DefaultUninstall] [DefaultUninstall.Service]
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/ff547465(v=vs.85).aspx
If there is no [DefaultInstall] section, you get the message “The INF file you selected does not support this method of installation.”
You might try to select the inf file from Device Manager:
Right-click the device, select Update Driver Software, then Let me pick, click Have disk, Browse to the inf file and install.
If this doesn’t work, I don’t believe you can fix the inf file. The product you have probably doesn’t match your operating system (it might be 32-bit when your Windows 7 is 64-bit).
You can also give more information, such as posting the inf file (actually the entire product, if possible).
2
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You may receive error message
when you try to install a device driver on a computer that is running a 64-bit version of Windows
Problem
When you try to install a device driver on a computer that is running the x64 version of Windows, you may receive the following error message:
A compatible driver for this device was not found at the specified location.
If there is a driver in this location, make sure it is for the Windows x64 Edition operating system.
Cause
This message usually appears if the device driver is not designed for 64-bit versions of Windows. It can also happen if the device driver is for 64-bit versions of Windows, but the setup .inf file is parameterized incorrectly.
For more information about .inf file requirements for x64 computers, see the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/driver/install/64INF_reqs.mspx
Solution
To resolve this issue, use one of the following methods.
-
Make sure you are using a driver designed for 64-bit versions of Windows.
-
«Decorate» the INF file manually. However, manually parameterizing driver .inf files is not recommended. Instead, we recommend contacting the device manufacturer for an updated version of the device driver.
You cannot change the INF file of a 32-bit driver to be compatible with INF file parameterization requirements. x64 versions of Windows require the use of 64-bit driver files.
Status
This behavior is by design of this product.
Additional information
For more information about .inf file parameterization requirements for 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
888728 Description of device driver .
inf parameterization requirements for 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional
Technical support for 64-bit Windows operating systems
Because a 64-bit Windows operating system is included with the hardware purchased, the hardware vendor is responsible for providing appropriate technical support. To optimize system performance, the vendor may install additional components, such as custom device drivers, and adjust certain operating system settings. Microsoft provides limited technical support for users of 64-bit versions of Windows. However, in the first place, you should contact the equipment manufacturer directly. The manufacturer is best placed to support the software it installs.
For more information about 64-bit editions of Windows XP Professional, visit the Microsoft Web site at the following address:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/64bit/default.
mspx For more information about 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003, visit the Microsoft Web site at the following address:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/64bit/x64/default.mspx
INF check errors and warnings — Windows drivers
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- Article
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This section describes driver installation errors and warnings that may appear as a result of the automatic INF check that Microsoft Visual Studio performs or when you run the InfVerif tool.
Starting with Visual Studio 2015 with WDK 10, the following INF file errors may appear in the Error List area when building the driver.
If you use InfVerif.exe from the command line, the tool displays these errors on the command line or in the HTML version of the results.
Error Guide
InfVerif follows the general rule that the lower the number of errors, the worse the problem.
Most error codes can be either a warning or an error depending on the arguments provided by InfVerif.
Handling Errors
All errors must be resolved in order to pass the driver tests in the Hardware Development Center Dashboard. Errors are associated with the following conditions:
- The INF parser cannot successfully interpret inf
- The INF parser can only interpret inf by assuming a default value (ambiguous syntax).
- The arguments to InfVerif indicate that the rule set should be applied to the INF (for example, universal)
Although you do not need to correct warnings before submitting the driver to the Dev Center, it is recommended that you take the time to understand the problem.
If you don’t understand the given warning, your INF may not always behave properly.
Warnings are typically associated with the following:
- Syntax that may be incorrect but has valid scenarios where it is appropriate
- Syntax valid for given InfVerif parameters, but is an error in other modes such as Universal
Generic setting issues are reported as errors if:
- In Visual Studio, you create a driver with the target framework set to generic or mobile .
- Run InfVerif.exe from the command line and specify the /u flag.
Generic setting issues are displayed as warnings if:0108 desktop .
Error codes
Error codes are listed in the following classifications:
- INF file syntax (1100-1299)
- Universal INF (1300-1319)
- Windows driver (1320-1329)
- Installation (2000-2999)
Not all error codes are listed below, as many of them have self-evident meanings.
Errors in the range 1000-1099 are considered self-evident, as they are major syntax errors.
Syntax in INF file (1100-1299)
Although InfVerif fails, the driver installation may still succeed.
This is because when installing the driver, if errors are present in the INF file, Windows also tries to use the default value for the setting.
Windows does not complete driver installation due to errors in this range, but errors in this range indicate that behavior may change based on OS version or SKU.
In cases where the driver installs successfully, these errors point to then that the driver may not install properly.
| Error code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1100: DriverStore copy file name mismatch | This error occurs when a file is copied or renamed from its original driver store name and location to a different driver store name and location. Example:
[SourceDisksFiles] DriverFile. The driver store maintains the original directory structure of the driver packages. In the above code, the original location of DriverFile.sys is INF location \x64, but the CopyFiles directive places it at INF location \SubDirectory. The same error will be shown if the file was renamed as part of the copy. |
| 1203: partition not found | For example, the following INF syntax causes error 1203:
[MyInstallSection] CopyFiles=driverFile.sys This error is reported because directive CopyFiles expects a section name (specifying a list of files to copy). However, directive CopyFiles can specify a file name. To distinguish between a section name and a file name, precondition the file name with an @ marker, as shown below: [MyInstallSection] CopyFiles=@driverFile. |
| 1204: Vendor cannot be Microsoft | The Vendor field in the [Version] section cannot specify Microsoft.
[Version]
Signature="$Windows NT$"
Class=Sample
ClassGuid={78A1C341-4539-11d3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}
Provider="Microsoft"
|
| 1205: The [Driver_files] section referenced by [Directive1] and [Directive2]. | This warning is generated every time two different directives point to the same section.
Note that while this is indeed an error in most cases, in some cases 1205 is reported even though the condition is in place. |
| 1212: Cannot use [DefaultInstall] and [Manufacturer] | A single .inf file cannot contain the values [DefaultInstall] and [Manufacturer]. InFs created with both should remove one of the two partitions. |
| 1220: Cannot directly reference section defined in included INF | If an . inf file refers to a DDInstall section in an included .inf file, directive 9 must be used0108 Needs . Any other directive that refers to a section from the included INF results in error 1220.
In this example, the installation section A.INF refers to the equivalent installation section in B.INF. A.INF contains: A.INF [InstallSectionA] Include = B.INF Needs = InstallSectionB AddReg = AddRegB ; WARNING 1220 B.INF contains: B.INF[InstallSectionB]AddReg = AddRegB[InstallSectionB.Services] ... Directive Needs must refer to an equivalent installation section to be processed in the current installation section. For example, the Needs directive in [InstallSectionA.Services] must point to . Services of another install partition. Directive Needs can also be used to enable the behavior of another DDInstall section of the same INF. |
| 1221: Unable to change regular key services key, must use HKR | This error indicates that the .inf file refers to a location under the services registry key, such as HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\ServicesemService>< Name . When accessing the services key, use the relative root ( HKR ) to associate the registry value with the device or driver instance.
When using HKR The registry value will not be present until the device is installed. |
| 1230: File xxxx is missing from the [SourceDisksFiles] section. | This means that the file was specified as part of the driver package, but the original location of the file relative to INF is not specified in the [SourceDisksFiles] section.
[SourceDisksFiles] filename=disk id Note that this error often occurs when specifying [SourceDisksFiles] versions (e. |
| 1233: no directive required for signing | The [Version] section requires the CatalogFile directive (and associated catalog file) to get the signature in the driver package.
CatalogFile=wudf.cat |
| 1235: string token not defined in [Strings] | The specified string token is not defined in the [Strings] section. For example, the INF file specifies %REG_DWORD% as add-in registry key specified by directive AddReg , but there is no corresponding REG_DWORD = 0x00010001 in the [Strings] key.
This error often occurs when an .inf file specifies a registry value that contains an environment variable. Example: [MyAddReg] HKR,DllPath,%SystemRoot%\System32\myDll.sys This line causes INF parsing to attempt to find the SystemRoot token from the [Strings] section, rather than the intended behavior of storing the «%SystemRoot%» literal in the registry. [MyAddReg] HKR,DllPath,%%SystemRoot%%\System32\myDll.sys |
| 1280/1281: class name and ClassGuid mismatch | These errors indicate that a well-known class or ClassGuid is being used in the INF, but one of those values is inconsistent. For example, given the following well known Class/ClassGuid pair:
Class = sample
ClassGuid = {78A1C341-4539-11d3-B88D-00C04FAD5171}
The following error results in error 1280 because the ClassGuid is well known but the class doesn’t match:0164 The following error results in error 1281 because the class is well known but the ClassGuid does not match:
Class = sample
ClassGuid = {99f58d4a-8093-4968-a93e-f74b26bb7f0a}
|
1285: Cannot specify the [ClassInstall32] section for a Microsoft-defined class. |
As of Windows 10, IHV-provided inFs cannot use [ClassInstall32] in an INF file of any Microsoft-defined class. |
| 1296: Specified non-equipment service | Starting with Windows 10, version 1809, this has changed from a warning to an error. Teh. Service partitions are required for each specific target OS. This is recommended and applies to all INFs, not just 1809.
If you didn’t previously enable this section because you didn’t have services and were using driver services for your inbox, you might need to create a . A service section that references the Inbox INF service using the NEEDS and INCLUDES statement. For example: The INF file would have the following code. Services section for each OS target to resolve this error. [XXXXXXXX.Install.NTx86.Services] include=filename.inf Needs=inf-section-name.Services For devices that do not require a function driver, the NULL driver can be specified as follows: AddService = ,2 Use this only if INF installs a non-functional device to indicate that it does not need a driver. For example: A device that only needs a filter driver and not a function driver would have two AddService directives: AddService = MyFilterDriver, My-Service-Install-Section AddService = ,2 |
| 1297: device driver not installed on any devices, use primitive driver if intended. | This means that the .inf file is a device driver, but it is not being used as a device driver. This can lead to problems in how the driver is handled by the driver store. If this is not intentional, check the hardware IDs to make sure the hardware IDs are correct. If the driver is not intended to be installed on devices, convert it to a primitive driver. For more information, see «Conversion from Device Driver INF». |
sys=1,x64 
sys
Using the Needs directive for other partition types may result in undesirable behavior. 
g. [SourceDisksFiles.amd64], but not all architectures supported by INF have a [SourceDisksFiles] section).0162
To use the literal value %SystemRoot% instead of a string replacement, use the %% escape sequence.
Universal INF (1300-1319)
Important!
The driver .inf file is generic if there are no errors or warnings with an error number in the range 1300 — 1319 .
The following errors and warnings are related to the INF setting:
| Error or warning code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1300: found legacyXxx | This error occurs when using deprecated sections or directives such as LogConfig or DDInstall.CoInstallers . |
| 1301: found legacyXxoperationXx | This error occurs when using deprecated sections or directives such as LogConfig or DDInstall.CoInstallers . |
| 1302: found legacyXxoperation forXxx | This error occurs when the operation affects something external to the driver package, such as deleting a service or deleting a file. |
| 1303: Obsolete operation detected that defines co-installers | Error 1303 indicates that the AddReg operation specifies a cointaller. Example:
AddReg = HKR,CoInstallers32,0x00010000,"MyCoinstaller.dll" |
| 1304: Obsolete operation detected using non-relative key | Error 1304 indicates that a registry operation uses a registry root other than HKR. |
| 1305: Obsolete operation detected using multi-sz added value | Error 1305 indicates that INF removes a value from REG_MULTI_SZ or adds a value to an existing REG_MULTI_SZ . |
| 1306: Obsolete operation detected with non-system target path | Error 1306 indicates that the file copy specifies a target that is not in %SystemRoot%. |
| 1310-1312: Wrong section extension for Needs directive | Needs directives efficiently copy and paste the needed section into the link section. As a basic check, InfVerif compares the section extension. This means that [DDInstall. Services] can only use the Needs directive for other [DDInstall.Services] sections. |
| 1313-1314 missing include directive | Each section that uses the Needs directive must have a corresponding Include directive to refer to the .inf file that contains the target section. Previously, the Needs directive would have been valid if the Include directive was in a different INF section. |
| 133x: functional errors | Multiple registry keys are written to the same global key. For example, different keys might have a service configured for different service configurations, a global registry key with different data values, or a target file pointing to different source files. |
Windows driver (1320-1329)
Important!
The driver .inf file complies with the Windows Driver requirements if you do not receive any errors or warnings with an error number in the range 132x .
These requirements are detailed in the Driver Isolation Requirements documentation .
The following errors and warnings are related to Windows Driver requirements:
| Error or warning code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1320: Registry Root Xxx is not isolated from HKR | Error 1320 indicates that a registry key operation does not meet the registry requirements defined in the read/write state . |
| 1321: Registry Root Xxx Xxx values not isolated from HKR | Error 1321 indicates that a registry value operation does not meet the registry requirements defined in read and write status . |
| 1322: path to target file Xxx for file Xxx not isolated from DIRID 13 | Error 1322 indicates that the file is being copied to an invalid destination as specified in run from Driver Store .
|
| 1323: Service registry key Xxx must be under the Parameters subkey | Error 1323 indicates that the service registry value is not set to HKR in the settings subkey, as defined in the service registry status . |
| 1324: [Version] section must specify PnpLockdown=1 | Error 1324 indicates that PnpLockdown is not listed in the version section. This specification causes PNP to add extra protection to the binaries in the driver package to prevent tampering and should always be specified in driver packages. |
Installation (2000-2999)
Problems in the range 2000-2999 are displayed as warnings. Below are the possible values.
| Error code | Description |
|---|---|
| 2083: section not referenced or not used | This warning indicates that the . inf file contains a section that is not referenced by a link. When the driver is installed, the content of the section referenced by the warning is not evaluated. |
| 2222: The obsolete directive will be ignored. | This warning indicates that INF specifies a deprecated directive. When installing the driver, the directive referring to the section is not evaluated. For example, directive INF LogConfig is no longer supported, so the next section results in this warning.
[InstallSection.LogConfigOverride] LogConfig=LogConfigSection ... For information about which INF directives are deprecated, see INF directives. |
| 2223: the partition must have the architecture design | This warning indicates that the .inf file contains manufacturer section INF , which specifies model section without architectural clearance. For example, the following INF syntax will result in warning 2223:
[Manufacturer] %MfgName% = InstallSection |
