November 12, 1997 Plug and Play is the name of a technology that lets PC hardware and attached devices worktogether automatically. A user can attach a new device ("plug it in") and begin working ("begin playing"). This should be possible even while the computer is running, without restarting it. Plug and Play technology is implemented in hardware, in operating systems such as Microsoft(r) Windows(r) 95, and in supporting software such as drivers and BIOS. With Plug and Play technology, users can add new capabilities to their PCs, such as sound or fax, without having to concern themselves with technical details or encountering problems. For users of mobile PCs (who are frequently changing their configurations with docking stations, intermittent network connections, etc.), Plug and Play technology helps manage their changing hardware configuration. For all users, Plug and Play can reduce the time wasted on technical problems and increase productivity and user satisfaction with PCs. There are a variety of Plug and Play technologies, including BIOS, ISA, SCSI, IDE CD-ROM, LPT, COM, PCMCIA, and drivers. A series of specifications are available for many of these. In a nutshell, each hardware device must be able to be uniquely identified, it must state the services it provides and the resources which it requires, it must identify the driver which supports it, and finally it must allow software to configure it. As of January 1996, the Plug and Play information available on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com:/developr/drg/plug-and-play contains principally the Plug and Play specifications as self-extracting zip files for download. For more up-to-date information about Plug and Play, including information about ACPI Plug and Play, see http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/. Hardware that receives the "Designed for Microsoft Windows" logo must be tested by the Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL). For up-to-date information about WHQL testing and the "Designed for Microsoft Windows" logo, see the following site on the World Wide Web: http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/ The following list describes legacy Plug and Play information available on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com:/developr/drg/plug-and-play. The files in this section are zipped files in Microsoft Word for Windows format. (The ".exe" extension indicates a self-extracting zip file.) plug-and-play root directory: README.TXT This readme file. DEVIDS.TXT List of Windows Generic Device IDS and Plug and Play BIOS device type codes. /PNPSPECS: PNPBIOS.EXE: Plug and Play BIOS specification v. 1.0a (72K zip file, 5/5/94) PNPISA.EXE: Plug and Play ISA Specification v. 1.0a (95K zip file, 5/5/94) CLAR_ISA.EXE: Clarification to Plug and Play ISA Specification v. 1.0a (54K zip file,12/10/94) PNPSCSI.EXE: Plug and Play SCSI Specification v. 1.0 (69K zip file, 3/30/94) PNPLPT.EXE: Plug and Play Parallel Port Device Specification v. 1.0a (26K zip file9/9/94) PNPCOM.EXE: Plug and Play External COM Device Specification v. 0.99 (42K zip file, 10/20/94) ESCD.EXE: Extended System Configuration Data Specification v.1.02a (44K zip file, 5/31/94) /CATALOG: PNPCAT.DOC: Replaced by updated material on http://www.microsoft.com/windows/thirdparty/logod.htm /WHTPAPER: These deleted files are replaced by current information http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/: BMIDE1.ZIP IDE96.ZIP LOGOFACT.ZIP LOGOBKGD.ZIP PNPBKGD.ZIP PNPFACT.ZIP W95QANOV.ZIP PCI1.EXE PNPBIOS.EXE: Plug and Play BIOS Functionality and Windows 95 (Microsoft Word file; 27K zip file, 10/94) PNPMCIA.EXE: PCMCIA Card Support in Windows 95 (Microsoft Word file; 33K zip file 7/94) /TESTS: All files deleted. Replaced by information on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql /TESTS/PNPBIOS: Deleted /TESTS/PNPISA/ISOL/EXE: Deleted /TESTS//PCMCI/ATE.EXE: Deleted /TESTS/PCMCIA/DTPL.EXE: Deleted /TESTS/PCI/PCI.EXE: Deleted /TESTS/PNPCT/PNPCT.DOC: Deleted /MCL: All documents in this section deleted. Replaced by information on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql MCLINFO.DOC: Deleted. CONTRACT.DOC: Deleted. XXXFORM.DOC: Deleted. XXXPROC.DOC: Deleted. /GUIDES: All files deleted. Replaced by information on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql/ PC95GUIDE.TXT: Deleted. Replaced by the readme.txt file. MMHWGUID.DOC: Deleted. /GUIDES/HCT: All files deleted. Replaced by information on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql/ or http://www.microsoft.com/hwtest/ CT.DOC: Deleted. SCT.DOC: Deleted. DCT.DOC: Deleted. ACT.DOC: Deleted. NCT.DOC: Deleted. BCT.DOC: Deleted. PCT.DOC: Deleted. MCT.DOC: Deleted. PNPCT.DOC: Deleted. OCT.DOC: Deleted. ISVCT.DOC: Deleted. /PRESENTS: All files deleted. Replaced by information on http://www.microsoft.com/windows PNP.PPT: Deleted. HWDESIGN.PPT: Deleted. PNPARCH.PPT: Deleted. WIN95.PPT: Deleted. /AVICLIPS /PNP.AVI: Deleted. See information on http://www.microsoft.com/windows /PCI/PCI.ZIP: Deleted. Replaced by files on ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/services/whql LEGAL DISCLAIMER: ------------------------------ The information contained in these document represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. These documents are for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THESE DOCUMENTS. 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