Enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input. Stopping or disabling this service will result in system instability.
This service also exists in Windows 10, 11, 8, Vista and XP.
Startup Type
Windows 7 edition | without SP | SP1 |
---|---|---|
Starter | Automatic | Automatic |
Home Basic | Automatic | Automatic |
Home Premium | Automatic | Automatic |
Professional | Automatic | Automatic |
Ultimate | Automatic | Automatic |
Enterprise | Automatic | Automatic |
Default Properties
Display name: | Plug and Play |
Service name: | PlugPlay |
Type: | share |
Path: | %WinDir%\system32\svchost.exe -k DcomLaunch |
File: | %WinDir%\system32\umpnpmgr.dll |
Error control: | normal |
Group: | PlugPlay |
Object: | LocalSystem |
Privileges: |
|
Default Behavior
The Plug and Play service runs as LocalSystem in a shared process. It shares the executable file with other services. If the Plug and Play fails to load or initialize, the error is recorded into the Event Log. Windows 7 startup should proceed, but a message box is displayed informing you that the PlugPlay service has failed to start.
Dependencies
If the Plug and Play is stopped, the following services will not start and initialize:
- Fax
- Smart Card
- Tablet PC Input Service
- Telephony
- Virtual Disk
- Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
- Windows Driver Foundation — User-mode Driver Framework
- WWAN AutoConfig
Restore Default Startup Type of Plug and Play
Automated Restore
1. Select your Windows 7 edition and Service Pack, and then click on the Download button below.
2. Save the RestorePlugandPlayWindows7.bat file to any folder on your hard drive.
3. Right-click the downloaded batch file and select Run as administrator.
4. Restart the computer to save changes.
Note. Make sure that the umpnpmgr.dll
file exists in the %WinDir%\system32
folder. If this file is missing you can try to restore it from your Windows 7 installation media.
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Symptoms
When a user inserts a smart card into a smart card reader on a computer that is running Windows 7, Windows 7 tries to download and install the smart card minidrivers for the card by using Plug and Play services. If the driver for the smart card is not available at any of the preconfigured locations such as Windows Update, Windows displays an error message in the notification area that states that the driver software was not found.
Cause
All smart cards require additional software to work in Windows unless there is an inbox driver that lets the user use the card without installing additional software. The Windows Smart Card Framework was improved in Windows 7 to enable automatic download for smart card minidrivers from Windows Update or from other similar locations, such as a WSUS server, when the smart card is inserted into the reader. All smart cards that successfully pass the logo requirements, as published by the Windows Logo Program, benefit from this feature.
However, if the software that is required to use a smart card in Windows is not logoed or is of a type that differs from a minidriver, such as a PKCS#11 driver, a custom CSP, middleware, or an ActiveX control, the automatic download option fails because Microsoft certifies only smart card minidrivers. Therefore, if the user inserts a card for which a custom CSP is not already registered, the user receives an error message that states that the driver software is missing for the smart card device even though the user can use the smart card through additional software that was installed on the user’s computer from a custom installation.
Workaround
You can safely ignore this error message. If you do not want to receive this message in the future, disable the driver detection for this smart card. To do this, follow these steps:
-
Click Start, type devmgmt.msc, and then press ENTER to start Device Manager.
-
In Device Manager, right-click Smart Card under Other devices, and then click Disable.
-
When you see a Smart Card dialog box, click Yes.
Important You must repeat these steps for any new smart card that you plug into the card reader on this computer.
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Enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input. Stopping or disabling this service will result in system instability.
Default Settings
Startup type: | Automatic |
Display name: | Plug and Play |
Service name: | PlugPlay |
Service type: | share |
Error control: | normal |
Group: | PlugPlay |
Object: | LocalSystem |
Path: | %SystemRoot%\system32\svchost.exe -k DcomLaunch |
File: | %SystemRoot%\system32\umpnpmgr.dll |
Registry key: | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\PlugPlay |
Privileges: |
|
Default Behavior
Plug and Play is a Win32 service. In Windows 7 it is starting automatically on the operating system startup. Then the Plug and Play service is running as LocalSystem in a shared process of svchost.exe. Other system components, such as drivers and services, may run in the same process. If Plug and Play fails to start, Windows 7 attempts to write the failure details into Event Log. Then Windows 7 startup should proceed and the user should be notified that the PlugPlay service is not running because of the error.
Dependencies
If Plug and Play is stopped, the following services cannot start:
- Fax
- Smart Card
- Tablet PC Input Service
- Telephony
- Virtual Disk
- Windows Audio Endpoint Builder
- Windows Driver Foundation — User-mode Driver Framework
- WWAN AutoConfig
Restore Default Startup Configuration of Plug and Play
1. Run the Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Copy the commands below, paste them into the command window and press ENTER:
sc config PlugPlay start= auto
sc start PlugPlay
3. Close the command window and restart the computer.
The PlugPlay service is using the umpnpmgr.dll file that is located in the C:\Windows\system32 directory. If the file is removed or corrupted, read this article to restore its original version from Windows 7 installation media.
Windows 7
Windows has supported Plug and Play for device and driver installation since Windows 9X. When you install a new device, typically Windows 8 recognizes and configure
it. To support Plug and Play, devices contain configuration and driver information. Each Plug and Play device must:
- Be uniquely identified.
- State the services it provides and resources that it required.
- Identify the driver that supports it.
- Allow software to configure it.
Windows 8 reads this information when the device is attached to the computer, and then completes the configuration so that the device works properly with the other installed
devices. Properly implemented, Plug and Play provides automatic configuration of PC hardware and devices. The driver architecture for Windows supports comprehensive, operating system-controlled
Plug and Play. Plug and Play technologies are defined for Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers 1394 (IEEE 1394), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PC Card/CardBus, USB, Small Computer
System Interface (SCSI), Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Line Print Terminal (LPT), and Component Object Modem (COM). You can use
Device Manager to install device drivers manually that are not compliant with Plug and Play.
Windows 8 introduce several improvements to the way that users can discover and use the devices that their computers host and which connect to their computers. Windows 8
can detect nearby devices in the home, automatically making them available for use. Windows 8 also can install a Metro style device app automatically from the Windows Store,
when users connect their device for the first time. Metro style device apps that are companions to a device or PC have the ability to leverage the full range of functionality of that device or PC.
Improved Eng-User Experience
The success of driver installation depends on several factors. Two key factors are whether the device is supported by a driver package include with Windows, available
on Windows Update or available from the Windows Store, and whether the user has media with the driver package that the vendor provides. Windows 8 includes several
features that help an administrator make device driver installation more straightforward for users:
- Staging driver packages in the protected driver store. A standard user, without any special privileges or permissions, can install a driver package that is in the driver store.
- Configuring client computers to search a specified list of folders automatically when a new device attaches to the computer. A network share can host these folders.
When a device driver is accessible in this manners, Windows does not need to prompt the user to insert media. - Rebooting the system is rarely necessary when installing Plug and Play devices or Software applications. This is true because of the following reasons:
- The Plug and Play Manager installs and configures drivers for Plug and Play devices when the operating system is running.
- Applications can use side-by-side components instead of replacing shared, in-use dynamic-link libraries (DLLs).
These features improve the user experience and reduce help-desk support costs, because standard users can install approved driver packages without requiring additional
permissions or the administrator assistance. These features also help increase computer security by ensuring that standard users only can install driver packages
that you authorize and trust.
Drive Detection Process
When a user inserts a device, Windows detects it, and then signals the Plug and Play service to make the device operational. Plug and Play queries the device for identification
strings, and searches the driver store for a driver package that matches the identification strings. If a matching package is found, Plug and Play copies the device
driver files from the driver store to their operational locations, typically %systemroot%\windows32\drivers, and then updates the registry as needed. Finally, Plug and Play
starts the newly installed device driver.
If a matching package is not found in the driver store, Windows searches for a matching driver package by looking in the following locations:
- Folders specified by the DevicePath registry entry.
- The Windows Update website.
- Media or a manufacturer’s website that is provided after the system prompts the user.
Windows also checks that the driver package has a valid digital signature. If the driver package is signed
by a certificate that is valid, but which is not found in the Trusted Publishers store, Windows prompts the user for confirmation.
Staging the device driver packages in this manner provides significant benefits. After a driver package is
staged successfully, any user that logs on to that computer can install the drivers by simply plugging in the appropriate device.
Non-Plug and Play Devices
Devices that are not compatible with Plug and Play are becoming increasingly rare as manufacturers stop
producing them in favor of Plug and Play devices. The term non-Plug and Play typically applies to older
pieces of equipment with devices that require manual configuration of hardware settings before use. To
view non-Plug and Play devices, in Device Manager, click the View menu, click Show hidden devices, and then expand Non-Plug and Play Drivers.
Installing Drivers into the Driver Store
Typically standard users cannot install device drivers. However, you can use the Microsoft Plug and Play Utility (pnputil.exe) to add drivers to the
driver store manually. After the signed driver package is in the driver store, Windows considers the package trusted.
Note:
Run the pnputil.exe tool from an elevated command prompt. The tool cannot invoke the User Account Control dialog box. If you attempt to
use the pnputil tool from a command prompt that is not running as administrator, the commands fail.
To add a driver, use the -a parameter to specify the path and name of the driver, for example, pnputil -a <PathToDriver> / <Driver>.inf
.
Windows validates that the signature attached to the package is valid, the files are unmodified, and the file thumbprints match the signature.
After adding a driver, note the assigned number. Drivers are renamed oem*.inf during the addition. This is to ensure unique naming. For example, the file MyDriver1.inf
may be renamed oem0.inf. You can view the published name by using the -e parameter, for example pnputil -e.
Typically, you do not need to uninstall a Plug and Play device. Just disconnect or unplug the device so that Windows does not load or use the driver.
The following table lists the options available with pnputil.exe:
Options Descriptions -a <PathToDriver>/<Driver>.inf Add thdriver package specified by <PathToDriver>/<Driver>.inf to the driver store. -a <PathToDriver>/*.inf Add all the driver packages in the path specified. -l -a Add and install the driver package specified by <PathToDriver>/<Driver>.inf <PathToDriver>/<Driver>.inf to the driver store. -e Enumerate all third party driver packages. -d OEM <#>.inf Delete the driver package specified by OEM<#.inf. -f -d OEM<#>.inf Force the deletion of the driver package specified by OEM<#>.inf.