An information file is an ASCII text file that contains lists of disk names, filenames, and related information that Setup and Control Panel use to install device drivers and virtual devices. The file lists the names of the installation disks, the device driver and virtual-device files, and all dependent files that must be installed with the device drivers and virtual devices.
Windows supplies default information files, named SETUP.INF and CONTROL.INF, that list all drivers and related files. Setup uses these files to install Windows, then stores the files in the Windows SYSTEM directory so that Setup and Control Panel can read the files whenever the user requests changes to the Windows configuration. Setup and Control Panel use information in SETUP.INF and CONTROL.INF to let the user replace the existing display, network, keyboard, and pointing-device drivers or to install new printer drivers and fonts.
Important:
Never modify or replace the SETUP.INF or CONTROL.INF files.
Setup and Control Panel can also read OEMSETUP.INF information files to install drivers that are not listed in SETUP.INF or CONTROL.INF. Setup and Control Panel search for and read OEMSETUP.INF files whenever the user requests the installation of unlisted drivers.
To install a driver from an OEM distribution disk, Setup or Control Panel reads the lists of available drivers from the OEMSETUP.INF file and displays this list to the user. When the user selects a driver, Setup or Control Panel copies the driver and its associated files from the specified distribution disks to the WINDOWS directory. Setup or Control Panel also updates settings in the initialization files, such as WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI, by copying the new settings to the sections specified in the information file.
Setup also copies OEMSETUP.INF files to the WINDOWS directory (for net-work installations), or the SYSTEM directory (for nonnetwork installations) as OEMx.INF. The x is a unique number. This process applies to the installation of pointing devices, keyboards, and screen displays.