In that case, the INF file would identify one or more Hardware IDs as an exact match, and provide a list of Compatible Hardware IDs for that driver. While a particular device driver is associated with specific Hardware ID, that driver may be compatible with other devices as well. INF files are used to install the correct device drivers - that's the software that lets your computer communicate with the device in the most efficient manner. Windows operating systems such as Windows 10 use the Hardware ID to match to a specific INF file. Hardware IDs are useful because they help identify the manufacturer and model of every hardware device inside, or attached to, your computer.Įach Hardware ID is assigned to a particular device by the device manufacturer. The Device ID format is 'DEV_YYYY' where YYYY is a 4 digit code unique to that manufacturer's device. The Vendor ID takes the form 'VEN_XXXX' where XXXX is a 4 digit code unique to the manufacturer. The general format for a Hardware ID is \&. For example, different models of Motherboards, Graphics Cards, Printers and Network Interface Cards would have their own unique Hardware ID.
A device Hardware ID (HWID) is a set of numbers and letters that uniquely identifies any device.
