Installing From an INF File

After you retrieve installation information from an INF file, there are several file-handling functions that you can use to install the files listed in an INF section. Low-level functions such as SetupInstallFile5WF_.. and SetupInstallFileEx13S.0Q6 install a single file.

There are also functions to handle compressed files. The SetupGetFileCompressionInfoNC.K8H function returns information about compressed files. This information can then be used by SetupDecompressOrCopyFile22S91ZP to copy and, if necessary, expand the file.

High-level functions such as SetupInstallFromInfSectionK132WM, SetupInstallFilesFromInfSectionLKNZCT, and SetupInstallServicesFromInfSection2ISFPV5 process the installation operations in an INF section. Of these, SetupInstallFromInfSection is the most versatile because it can perform any type of installation operation listed in the Install3AN5O2 section of an INF file. This includes the registry and INI operations listed in the AddReg, DelReg, UpdateInis, or UpdateIniField lines of an Install section.

The SetupInstallFilesFromInfSection and SetupInstallServicesFromInfSection functions queue operations from an INF section to an existing file queue. For more information, see File QueuesGGIZ0U.

In contrast, the SetupInstallFromInfSection function creates and destroys its own internal queue. A common use for SetupInstallFromInfSection is to call it after all files have been successfully copied to perform the registry and INI transactions.

In addition to the functions previously listed, the Setup API includes functions that queue file installation operations, either by file, or by INF section. For more information, see File QueuesGGIZ0U.