Microsoft KB Archive/306584

= How to Remove Drivers in Windows 2000 =

Article ID: 306584

Article Last Modified on 1/31/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 1
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Service Pack 2

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This article was previously published under Q306584



SUMMARY
This article describes how to remove drivers in Windows 2000.



MORE INFORMATION
When you install an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) driver, Windows Installer copies the OEM installation file (Oemsetup.inf) to the %Systemroot%\Inf folder. Windows Installer then renames the Oemsetup.inf file to Oem#.inf, where # is an incremental number for each OEM driver that is installed.

To identify the OEM video specific Oem#.inf file, you can open each Oem#.inf file in Microsoft Notepad (Notepad.exe). Within the .inf file there is a section called Manufacturer. Find the Oem#.inf file that includes the manufacturer name for the driver you wish to remove. If you have downloaded multiple driver versions for the device, there may be more than one .inf file for a manufacturer. Find the Oem#.inf file with the latest driver version. After you find the correct driver, move that specific Oem#.inf and Oem#.pnf file to an alternate location, or rename the files to a different file name extension.

To remove a driver from Windows 2000:


 * 1) In Device Manager, right-click the device that you want to remove and then click Uninstall.
 * 2) Restart the computer.
 * 3) After you log on, you will receive a New Hardware Found dialog box with the device listed as the description.
 * 4) Click Next to start the Found New Hardware Wizard.
 * 5) Click &quot;Search for Suitable Driver&quot; and then click Next.

If this does not resolve the issue, you may need to obtain and install a newer driver.

To use the OEM driver again:
 * 1) Copy or move the Oem#.inf and Oem#.pnf files back into the %Systemroot%\Inf folder.
 * 2) Use Device Manager to remove the device.
 * 3) Restart the computer.

Windows 2000 Plug and Play should locate the device and install the OEM drivers automatically without requiring any user input.

Additional query words: uninstall

Keywords: kbwindowsupdate KB306584

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