Microsoft is currently looking for betatesters that want to provide some of their insight for DIFx. Driver Install Frameworks (DIFx) is the latest Microsoft initiative in the evolution of driver install technologies and tools that began with the incorporation of Plug and Play into Microsoft® Windows® 95. The goal of the Driver Install Frameworks initiative is to provide the infrastructure and tools to make device and driver installation "just work." Users should find drivers and devices easier to diagnose and be confident that drivers can be uninstalled or rolled back if needed. For vendors, it should be easier to create quality driver packages, integrate value-add software, and brand the install experience leveraging standard Windows mechanisms and tools. It is also important to ensure that driver packages are correct and safe.

Get the Driver Install Frameworks and develop device installations quickly and economically that will successfully execute on current and upcoming versions of Windows. The Driver Install Frameworks tools that will help developers write better installation packages include: ? Driver Install Frameworks for Applications (DIFxApp) - a Windows Installer (MSI) custom action dynamic-link library (DLL) that you can use to install driver packages that are represented as MSI components in an MSI installation package. ? Driver Package Installer (DPInst) - an executable that simplifies the software-first installation of driver packages. ? Driver Install Verifier (DIVer) - monitors hardware-first device installations to determine if a driver package follows Windows Plug and Play guidelines. If you are interested in participating, please visit www.betaplace.com and log in using Guest ID difxbeta. Fill out the nomination survey on the site and you will be contacted with further instructions if necessary. Participation in this beta will be to a limited number of participants. More information