Deploy option missing in Visual Studio 2012

Question

I was trying to compile and deploy the WFP sample obtained from MSDN called msnmntr but the same problem applies to all samples.

This and all samples fail to deploy because there's one step in the documentation that are missing in Visual Studio 2012 Ultimate.

It says:

1) Open the property pages for your driver package. Right-click the driver package project in Solution Explorer and select Properties.

2) In the property pages for the driver package, click Configuration Properties, click Driver Install, and then click Deployment.

However there's no such option in the Visual Studio 2012.

{can't attach images yet ...} 

I would like to know what I'm doing wrong.

Answer 1

in what order are you installing the wdk and VS? if you installed the wdk first and then VS, go to add / remove programs and click on repair for the wdk entry.  do you have a Driver menu in the VS UI at all?

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Answer 2

Yes I have a driver menu in the VS UI and in the setting I have Driver Install (and as submenus Packages Files and kdfiles)

I put a screenshot at: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/13314319/windows-driver-development-deploy-option-missing-in-visual-studio-2012

Answer 3

So I had the same problem regarding a sample I am working with. It all came from being confused about what project they actually wanted me to edit. it turns out it wasn't the driver project, but the one called "package". Not sure if you have such a package, but that was the problem in my case.

Answer 4

I see the same problem and I don't have neither 'package' folder nor 'package' driver.

Answer 5

you can create a new package project in your solution by file -> new -> project.

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d -- This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 6

The "Driver Install Package" project type?

Answer 7

yes.

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d -- This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 8

I believe the documentation should be updated accordingly.

Answer 9

which specific doc page are you referring to? you can use the send feedback link on the top of the page, that goes directly to the doc writer.

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d -- This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 10

I'm referring to: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/hh454834%28v=vs.85%29.aspx

I can't deploy any sample from MSDN with Visual Studio 2012 Ultimate.

Answer 11

What's inside your package? Mine says it can find INF file.

Answer 12

each of the samples on msdn are deployable.  try rechoosing a machine to deploy to.

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d -- This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Answer 13

The samples lack the Driver Install Package". I've added it.

But now I get the same error as fernandotcl reported: "1>  No installation INF found in the root path of the driver. For the driver to be digitally signed, and for it to install properly the installation inf must be in the root of each driver path you have provided. If you have separate folders with different driver packages for different languages, operating systems or device categories then specify each driver set as a separate driver. Each driver package must be selected separately and must contain an installation INF."

I rechoose the machine to deploy it and got the same error.

Answer 14

Hmmm, that's not quite correct:

1) With the sample open in VS2012, when I go to File -> New -> Project, choosing "Driver Install Package", a new project is created. This project is blank, so I can't really run the sample that way.

2) So I go back to the sample in VS2012. Then if I go to File -> Add -> New project, choose "Driver Install Package", a new project is created within my solution. I can then finally right-click on this project, select "Properties", and then I can finally configure deployment on the test machine. However, when I build the solution, the driver project within the solution fails to build:

2>------ Build started: Project: Driver Package1, Configuration: Vista Debug Win32 ------
2>  ............
2>  Signability test failed.
2>  
2>  Errors:
2>  No installation INF found in the root path of the driver. For the driver to be digitally signed, and for it to install properly the installation inf must be in the root of each driver path you have provided. If you have separate folders with different driver packages for different languages, operating systems or device categories then specify each driver set as a separate driver. Each driver package must be selected separately and must contain an installation INF.
2>  
2>  Warnings:
2>  None
2>VistaDebug\inf2catOutput.log : Inf2Cat error -2: "Inf2Cat, signability test failed." Double click to see the tool output.

So I figure this isn't the right way to handle this either.

So let me try to rephrase. Consider the following:

1) Get rid of all the samples, download them again in VS2012. I'm using the "stream edit" WFP sample.

2) Open that sample in VS2012. Configure driver deployment on a remote machine.

3) Look around. There's *no driver package* by default. Going to the properties of any of the items in the solution explorer, there's *no Driver Install* section.

Am I the only one who is seeing this? I have tried this on multiple machines, clean installs, configured everything according to the documentation, and I'm currently stuck. Any help would be appreciated.

Regards,

Answer 15

As others have noticed none of the samples are deployable. Fernandonf: in the answer bellow shows how he cannot compile any of the samples with Visual Studio 2012

Answer 16

each of the samples on msdn are deployable.  try rechoosing a machine to deploy to.

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d -- This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

I have tried rechoosing a machine to deploy and all other suggestions and it seems I'm not the only one with problems to deploy samples using Visual Studio 2012 Ultimate. Is there other place where I can ask for help or support from someone from Microsoft?

Answer 17

I am one of the writers for the provisioning and deployment topics in the WDK docs. We have done some experimenting and found out that you need alter the INF file a bit so that Inf2Cat can succeed.

Here's one way to deploy and install the WFP MSN Messenger Monitor sample:

In Solution Explorer, right-click Solution ‘msnmntr’ (2 projects), and choose Add > New Project. Navigate to Windows Driver > Package. Add a new Driver Install Package named msnmntr Package.

In Solution Explorer, right-click Solution ‘msnmntr’ (2 projects), and choose Configuration Manager. Choose the configuration and platform that you want (Example: Win7 Debug, x64).

In Solution Explorer, right-click msnmntr Package, and choose Properties. Navigate to Configuration Properties > Driver Install > Deployment. Check Enable deployment. Check Remove previous driver versions before deployment. Enter the name of your target computer. Select Do Not Install.

In Solution Explorer, locate and open msnmntr.inf. In the [Version] section, add these lines:

Class =ActivityMonitor

CatalogFile = msnmntr.cat

Just above the [Strings] section, add these sections:

[SourceDisksNames]

1 = %DiskId1%,,,""

[SourceDisksFiles]

msnmntr.sys = 1,,

On the Build menu, choose Build Solution.

Locate the INF file on the target computer (Example: C:\DriverTest\DriverFiles\msnmntr.inf).  Right-click the INF file, and choose Install.

On the target computer, open a Command Prompt window as Administrator, and enter net start msnmntr.