JP2013077206A - Device object re-registration program and device object re-registration method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily re-register a device object in an operating system while suppressing time and effort of a user even when the device object is unintentionally deleted by a wrong operation of the user and the like.SOLUTION: A PC acquires information including setting information required for re-registration of a printer object which is registered in a registry as printer information for restoration from among various kinds of information included in the printer object, and stores the information in a RAM (S110). After that, the PC determines (monitors) whether or not the printer object is deleted (S120), and when the printer object is deleted (S120:YES), performs re-set up (re-registration) of the deleted printer object on the basis of the printer information for restoration stored in the RAM.

Description

  The present invention relates to a device object re-registration program for re-registering a device object, which is information including setting information required by an operating system when controlling a device to be controlled through a device driver, with the operating system, and The present invention relates to a device object re-registration method.

  When various devices such as a printer and a scanner are connected to a computer and these devices are used via the computer, it is generally necessary to install a device driver for controlling the device in the computer. For example, when using a printer as a device, it is necessary to install a printer driver in the computer.

  When the printer driver is installed in the computer, the printer driver program itself is stored in a predetermined storage area of a storage device (for example, a hard disk drive) of the computer. When the printer driver is installed, various setting information relating to the printer and the printer driver, including information input by the user during the installation operation, is registered as a printer object in the computer operating system (for example, a patent). Reference 1).

  Various setting information is registered in the registry in the operating system. The registry information itself is stored in a predetermined storage area in the storage device of the computer. When a printer object is registered in the operating system, when a printer registration confirmation folder (printer folder) is displayed on the computer, an icon (printer icon) indicating the printer object is displayed.

  The various setting information included in the printer object includes, for example, the name of the printer, the storage location of the printer driver, the connection port of the printer, and information on whether or not the printer is a normally used printer (so-called default printer). is there.

JP 2009-98744 A

  By the way, in the computer in which the printer driver is installed and the corresponding printer object is registered in the operating system as described above, the user may accidentally delete the printer icon from the printer folder. If the printer icon is deleted, the user cannot use the corresponding printer even though the printer driver itself remains.

  That is, the user can delete the printer icon (for example, by right-clicking the mouse with the mouse pointer over the printer icon to display various menus and selecting “Delete”). When this is done, the printer icon image is not simply deleted from the printer folder, but the corresponding printer object is deleted by the deletion operation. That is, the printer object is deleted from the registration information in the registry. Therefore, even if a printing operation is performed by an application, the printer icon is no longer displayed and the printer cannot be used.

  For example, when a computer and a corresponding printer are connected via a network, information indicating a printer network address is stored as information on a connection port of the printer included in the printer object. Using this information, the computer transmits a command to the corresponding printer to control the printer. If the printer icon is deleted, the computer cannot send commands to the printer and cannot control the printer.

  Therefore, in order to be able to use the printer again, it is necessary for the user to install the printer driver again, which causes a problem that the user is very troublesome and troublesome. This problem is not limited to the printer object, but may also occur in a device object corresponding to other various devices.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and even if a device object is unintentionally deleted due to a user's erroneous operation or the like, the device object can be easily re-registered in the operating system while reducing the user's trouble. The purpose is to be able to make it.

Hereinafter, the configuration employed in the present invention will be described.
The device object re-registration program according to claim 1 is a device object corresponding to the device, which is information including setting information required by the operating system when the device to be controlled is controlled via the device driver. A computer registered in the operating system by installing a device driver re-registers at least the device object in the operating system among the setting information included in the device object registered in the operating system. Re-registration information storage control means for storing information necessary for storage in the storage means as re-registration information, and the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage means When the device is in an abnormal registration state that is not normally registered in the operating system, it functions as a re-registration unit that re-registers the device object in the operating system based on the re-registration information stored in the storage unit It is characterized by that.

  If the computer functions as the above-described means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, information necessary for re-registering the device object registered in the operating system is stored as re-registration information. If the registration state of the device object becomes abnormal, the device object can be re-registered based on the stored re-registration information.

  Therefore, even if the device object is deleted for some reason, for example, the device object is deleted due to a user's mistaken operation, etc., the device object can be easily re-registered. The device can be used.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 2 is the device object re-registration program according to claim 1, wherein the re-registration unit corresponds to the re-registration information stored in the storage unit. When the device object is in the abnormal registration state and the cause of the abnormal registration state is not due to the corresponding device driver being uninstalled, the device object is re-registered. .

  If the device object is re-registered unconditionally after becoming in an abnormal registration state, it will be re-registered even when the user formally uninstalls the device object at his / her own will, for example. That would be against the user's will.

  Therefore, if the device object re-registration program configured as described above causes the computer to function as each of the above means, the cause of the abnormal registration state may be other factors than device driver uninstallation. , Device objects can be re-registered. Therefore, unnecessary re-registration such as re-registration even when the cause of the abnormal registration state is due to uninstallation can be eliminated.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 3 is the device object re-registration program according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the re-registration means is the re-registration program stored in the storage means. When the device object corresponding to information is in the abnormal registration state and the corresponding device driver remains in a predetermined storage area of the computer, the device object is re-registered.

  When a device object is in an abnormal registration state, the corresponding device driver does not remain in the specified storage area of the computer. For example, the device driver is no longer necessary, such as being uninstalled at the user's own will. It is intentionally deleted and the need for re-registration can be considered low.

  Therefore, if the computer is caused to function as the above means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, the device object is re-registered when the corresponding device driver remains in the abnormal registration state. Since it is registered, unnecessary re-registration of the device object can be eliminated.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 4 is the device object re-registration program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the re-registration unit is stored in the storage unit. When the device object corresponding to the re-registration information is in the abnormal registration state and the corresponding device is connected to the computer, the device object is re-registered.

  Although the device object is in the abnormal registration state, the corresponding device is still connected to the computer. This means that the device may still be used in the future, that is, it is unintentionally abnormal for some reason. It can be considered that it may have been registered.

  Therefore, if the computer is caused to function as the above-described means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, the device object will be displayed when the corresponding device is connected to the computer when an abnormal registration state occurs. Will be re-registered. Therefore, even if the device object is deleted unintentionally, the corresponding device can be used continuously.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 5 is the device object re-registration program according to claim 4, wherein the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage unit is the abnormality. In the registered state, if the corresponding device is not connected to the computer, an uninstall unit that uninstalls the corresponding device driver is provided.

  If a device object is in an abnormal registration state, the corresponding device is not connected to the computer, so it is highly likely that the device will not be used in the future, so a device driver corresponding to that device is not required. Can be considered.

  Therefore, if the device functions as the above means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, when an abnormal registration state occurs and the corresponding device is not connected to the computer, The device driver can be uninstalled. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a problem that an unnecessary device driver remains in the computer.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 6 is the device object re-registration program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the re-registration information stored in the storage unit Re-registration necessity selection means for allowing the user to select whether or not to re-register the corresponding device object when the device object corresponding to is in the abnormal registration state, The device object is re-registered when the re-registration necessity selection unit selects the re-registration.

  If the computer functions as the above-described means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, the user is asked whether or not the device object should be re-registered when the device object enters the abnormal registration state. It can be selected and re-registered when re-registration is selected. Therefore, re-registration according to the user's will can be performed reliably.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 7 is the device object re-registration program according to claim 6, wherein the re-registration necessity selection unit does not select the re-registration. Uninstalling means for uninstalling the corresponding device driver is provided.

  The fact that the user himself / herself did not indicate the intention of re-registration can be considered that the re-registration of the device object is no longer necessary, and the corresponding device driver itself is no longer necessary.

  Therefore, if the device functions as the above means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, when the device object enters the abnormal registration state, the user selects re-registration of the device object. If not, the corresponding device driver can be uninstalled. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate a problem that an unnecessary device driver remains in the computer.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 8 is the device object re-registration program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the re-registration information is stored in the storage unit. If the device object corresponding to the device object is in the abnormal registration state, the uninstallation necessity selection unit that allows the user to select whether or not to uninstall the corresponding device driver, and the uninstallation necessity selection unit And uninstalling means for uninstalling the device driver when the device driver is selected to be uninstalled.

  Whether or not the corresponding device driver itself should be uninstalled when the computer object functions as the above means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above when the device object enters the abnormal registration state. The user can select it and uninstall it when uninstall is selected. Therefore, it is possible to reliably perform uninstallation according to the user's will.

  The device object re-registration program according to claim 9 is the device object re-registration program according to claim 8, wherein the re-registration unit uninstalls the device driver by the uninstallation necessity selection unit. If no selection is made, the device object is re-registered.

  If the computer functions as the above-described means by the device object re-registration program configured as described above, the corresponding device object can be re-registered when the user does not select uninstallation. Therefore, even if the device object is in an abnormal registration state unintentionally for some reason, it becomes possible to use the corresponding device normally.

  The device object re-registration method according to claim 10, wherein the device object corresponding to the device, which is information including setting information required by the operating system when controlling the device to be controlled via the device driver, A method for re-registering the device object in a computer registered in the operating system by installing the device driver, the setting included in the device object registered in the operating system Among the information, at least information necessary for re-registering the device object in the operating system is stored in the storage means as re-registration information. If the device object corresponding to the re-registration information is in an abnormal registration state that is not normally registered in the operating system, based on the re-registration information stored in the storage unit A re-registration procedure for re-registering the device object with the operating system.

  If the computer is operated by the device object re-registration method configured as described above, information necessary for re-registering the device object registered in the operating system is stored in the storage means as re-registration information. If the registration state of the device object becomes abnormal, the device object can be re-registered based on the stored re-registration information.

  Therefore, even if the device object is deleted for some reason, for example, the device object is deleted due to a user's erroneous operation or the like, the device object can be easily re-registered.

1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an entire printing system according to an embodiment. (A) is an explanatory view showing a screen display example of a printer folder, and (b) is an explanatory view showing an example of restoration printer information stored by a status monitor. 3 is a flowchart of printer object monitoring software according to the first embodiment. It is a flowchart of the printer object monitoring software of the second embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with an example.
[First Embodiment]
First, the printing system of the first embodiment will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a printing system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as “PC”) 10 and a printer 30.
In this printing system 1, as shown in FIG. 1, the PC 10 includes a CPU 11, ROM 12, RAM 13, HDD (hard disk drive) 14, operation unit 15, display unit 16, USB interface (USB I / F) 17, network interface ( Network I / F) 18 and the like, and these are connected to each other via a bus 20.

  The HDD 14 is a storage device that stores various software (programs) including an OS (Operating System) 21, a printer driver 22, a status monitor 23, and other various applications. The ROM 12 is a known non-volatile memory, and stores a predetermined program and data such as BIOS.

  CPU11 performs control with respect to each part of PC10, and various calculations according to the various programs etc. which were memorize | stored in ROM12 and HDD14. When various programs stored in the HDD 14 are executed by the CPU 11, the program is once read into the RAM 13, and the CPU 11 executes the program according to the program read into the RAM 13.

  The RAM 13 is a volatile memory used as a main memory or the like that is directly accessed from the CPU 11. In the RAM 13, when the CPU 11 executes the status monitor 23, recovery printer information (see FIG. 2B) described later is also stored.

  The operation unit 15 includes a keyboard and various pointing devices. Specific examples of the pointing device include a mouse, a touch pad, and a pointing stick. The display unit 16 is configured by a liquid crystal display or the like. The display unit 16 also has a function as a so-called touch panel (a function as the operation unit 15) that accepts an operation by pressing (touching) various displayed menu buttons and the like. The network I / F 18 is a communication interface for connecting the PC 10 to a LAN (Local Area Network) 100.

  The PC 10 includes a USB I / F 17 for connecting various peripheral devices with a USB cable. Therefore, when the printers 30 and 40 have USB I / F, the printers 30 and 40 and the PC 10 can be connected with a USB cable.

  The printer 30 includes a CPU 31, ROM 32, RAM 33, NVRAM (Non Volatile RAM) 34, an operation unit 35, a display unit 36, a printing unit 37, a network I / F 38, and the like.

  The CPU 31 executes control of various parts in the printer 30 and various calculations according to various control programs stored in the ROM 32. The RAM 33 is used as a main memory or the like that is directly accessed from the CPU 31 and is also used as a buffer for storing print data received from the PC 10. The NVRAM 34 is an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory for storing data that should be retained even when power supply is cut off, such as various setting information related to the printer 30. The operation unit 35 is an input device operated when the user gives a command to the printer 30 by manual operation. The display unit 36 is a display device configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display. The printing unit 37 is configured to be able to execute printing on a sheet-like medium (for example, recording paper) by an inkjet or electrophotographic printing mechanism. The network I / F 38 is a communication interface for connecting the printer 30 to the LAN 100.

  Next, an outline of software (various programs) included in the PC 10 will be described. In the present embodiment, the PC 10 is equipped with an OS 21 (for example, Windows (registered trademark, the same applies hereinafter)) having a multitask function, and a plurality of processes function in parallel, and the plurality of processes cooperate with each other. Various processes are executed. Since the function of this type of OS itself is known, detailed description thereof will be omitted here, but the description will be continued on the assumption that the PC 10 is equipped with Windows as the OS.

  In this way, the printer 10, the status monitor 23, and other applications (not shown in FIG. 1) are installed as software for executing control of the printer 30, printing-related processing, and the like on the PC 10 equipped with the OS 21.

  The application is represented by, for example, document creation software or spreadsheet software. When an operation for instructing printing of a document created by the application is performed in the PC 10, the application generates a print-related command corresponding to the document to be printed, and transmits the command to the printer driver 22 via the OS 21. To do.

  The printer driver 22 is well-known software (device driver) having a control function of the printer 30 and a print data generation function so that the printer 30 can be used from the PC 10. When a print instruction is given by the application, the printer driver 22 generates and outputs print data in accordance with a command transmitted from the application via the OS 21. The print data output by the printer driver 22 is sent to the printer 30 via a spooler (not shown).

  The printer driver 22 is generally installed in the PC 10 by an attached installer. In the PC 10, when installation of the printer driver 22 by the installer is started, an API (Application Program Interface) of the OS 21 is called, and the printer driver 22 is installed in cooperation with the OS 21. The installed program of the printer driver 22 is stored in a predetermined folder (system folder in this embodiment) of the HDD 14.

  In the process of installing the printer driver 22, various setting information regarding the printer 30 and the printer driver 22 including information input by the user is registered in the OS 21 as a printer object (indicated as “printer OJ” in FIG. 1). Is done. Specifically, the printer object is registered in a registry managed by the OS 21. The registry information (data) itself is stored in a predetermined folder in the HDD 14.

  The printer object registered in the registry includes the name of the printer 30, the storage location of the printer driver 22, the connection port of the printer 30 in the PC 10, information on whether the printer 30 is a default printer, and the printer driver 22. Various setting information required by the OS 21 when the printer 30 is controlled via the network is included.

  When a printer object is registered in the OS 21 by installing the printer driver 22, a printer corresponding to the printer object (that is, the printer 30 in this example) can be operated and used from the PC 10.

  Specifically, when a printer registration confirmation folder (printer folder) is displayed on the display unit 16 by performing a predetermined operation on the PC 10, the printer object of the registered printer 30 is displayed in the printer folder. The printer icon is displayed.

  FIG. 2A shows an example of the printer folder display screen 50 displayed on the PC 10. In the printer folder display screen 50 of FIG. 2A, as an output device (printer and FAX) registered in the PC 10, that is, as an output device usable in the PC 10, the printer A (namely, the printer 30 in FIG. 1). ), □□ company printer B, FAX, and zzzPDF (software for generating a PDF file). Of these, the printer 30 (XX company printer A) is set as a default printer. Therefore, the printer icon 51 indicating the printer 30 on the printer folder display screen 50 is a check mark (background). Black circle) is added.

  Further, when a user performs a print execution operation during execution of an application in order to cause the printer 30 to print data created by various applications such as document creation software and spreadsheet software on the PC 10, the application registers in the registry via the OS 21. By referring to the information, the printer corresponding to the printer object registered in the registry is displayed. Also in this case, in this embodiment, four types of printers shown in FIG. 2A are displayed. On the other hand, for example, when the user selects the printer 30 and issues a print instruction, the OS 21 and the printer driver 22 cooperate to transmit print data to the corresponding printer 30 while referring to the corresponding printer object. Is called.

  The status monitor 23 sends a status inquiry command to the printer 30 and receives a response from the printer 30 in order to check the operation status of the printer 30 and status information such as out of paper, and needs the received status information. The software is displayed on the display unit 16 of the PC 10 according to the above. The status monitor 23 is software that can be executed residently (as a resident process) after the OS 21 is started. The status monitor 23 is configured to be automatically installed together with the printer driver 22 when the printer driver 22 is installed.

  In addition to the status information confirmation function described above, the status monitor 23 of the present embodiment monitors the printer registration status, that is, monitors whether the printer object is normally registered in the OS 21. It also has an object monitoring function. Specifically, the printer object monitoring function is realized by the CPU 11 executing printer object monitoring software which is one of programs constituting the status monitor 23. This printer object monitoring software can also be resident in the PC 10 and always executed while the OS 21 is running, and is basically set to function as a resident process also in this embodiment.

Note that the OS 21, printer driver 22, status monitor 23, and application programs are all stored in the HDD 14 as described above.
Among the printer object monitoring functions realized by the printer object monitoring software, there are the following four main functions.

  First, when re-registering the printer object in the OS 21 among various setting information included in the printer object corresponding to the printer 30 registered in the OS 21 (specifically, registered in the registry). This is a recovery printer information storage function for storing necessary information in the RAM 13 as recovery printer information. Printer object re-registration refers to recovering (deleting) a printer object when the registration status of the printer object becomes abnormal, such as when the printer object is accidentally deleted. To the previous state).

  FIG. 2B shows an example of restoration printer information. As shown in FIG. 2B, the printer information for restoration of this embodiment includes the printer name, printer driver path (file location information), default printer information indicating whether or not the printer is a default printer, and port. There are four types.

  In this embodiment, for the printer 30, the printer name is set to “printer A” in the registry of the OS 21, the printer driver path is “C: \ Windows \ System32... The default printer information is “ON” (that is, the printer is the default printer), and the port is set to “IP # xx.xxx.xx.xxx”. Therefore, these four types of information are stored in the RAM 13 as restoration printer information corresponding to the printer 30 by the printer object monitoring software.

  The second main function realized by the printer object monitoring software is a printer object registration state monitoring function that monitors the registration state of the printer object corresponding to the printer 30 registered in the registry of the OS 21. That is, the printer object monitoring software monitors whether the printer object is normally registered in the OS 21, in other words, whether the printer object is in an abnormal registration state where the printer object is not normally registered.

  The third main function realized by the printer object monitoring software is the RAM 13 when the printer object is not registered normally (for example, deleted) as a result of monitoring by the printer object registration state monitoring function described above. This is a printer object re-registration function that causes the printer object to be re-registered in the OS 21 using the recovery printer information stored in.

  However, in this embodiment, when a printer object is in an abnormal registration state, the printer object is not necessarily re-registered. As will be described later, the connection state of the printer 30 and the printer driver 22 in the HDD 14 are not registered. It is determined whether or not to re-register based on the presence or absence, the presence or absence of re-registration by the user, and the like.

  Conversely, when a printer object is in an abnormal registration state, if the corresponding printer driver 22 should be deleted rather than re-registering the printer object, the printer driver 22 is formally uninstalled. This uninstall function is the fourth main function realized by the printer object monitoring software.

  In the PC 10 configured as described above, when the user displays the printer folder display screen 50 (see FIG. 2A) on the display unit 16, the printer icon may be deleted by mistake by a user operation. There is. When an operation for deleting the printer icon is performed from the printer folder display screen 50, the OS 21 also deletes the printer object corresponding to the deleted printer icon from the registry, and the corresponding printer can be used. Disappear. That is, for example, if the user accidentally deletes the printer icon 51 corresponding to the printer 30, the printer object corresponding to the printer 30 is also deleted, thereby making the printer 30 unusable.

  In contrast, in the present embodiment, when a printer object is deleted, it is detected as an abnormal registration state of the printer object by the printer object monitoring software. The printer object re-registration function described above automatically re-registers the printer object, thereby enabling the printer 30 to be used again.

  Next, the processing contents of the printer object monitoring software, among the status monitor 23 executed by the PC 10, will be described with reference to FIG. When the status monitor 23 is read into the RAM 13 by the activation of the OS 21, the CPU 11 executes the printer object monitoring software included in the read program of the status monitor 23 as a resident process.

  When the CPU 11 starts executing the printer object monitoring software shown in FIG. 3, first, based on the registration information in the registry (here, the registered contents of the printer object corresponding to the printer 30), the printer information for recovery (FIG. 2B). )) Is acquired and stored in the RAM 13 (S110).

  Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the printer object corresponding to the printer 30 that is the monitored printer object has been deleted from the registry of the OS 21 (S120). Deletion here does not mean that the corresponding printer object has been completely deleted. For example, some information has been deleted, or the content of the information has become abnormal due to some reason. This is a broad concept including a case where the registration state of the printer object is an abnormal registration state that is not normal.

  If the printer object has not been deleted and has been registered normally (S120: NO), the process returns to S110, but if the printer object has been deleted (becomes an abnormal registration state) (S120: YES), the CPU 11 Determines whether the printer 30 corresponding to the deleted printer object is connected to the port of the PC 10 (here, “IP # xx.xxx.xx.xxx”) (S130). In this example, the fact that the port of the printer 30 is “IP # xx.xxx.xx.xxx” is stored in the RAM 13 as restoration printer information. Therefore, the determination in S130 is based on the recovery printer information stored in the RAM 13 and whether or not the printer 30 is connected to the stored port “IP # xx.xxx.xx.xxx”. It is done by judging.

  Various specific methods for the determination in S130 are conceivable. For example, it is possible to make a determination based on whether a predetermined command is sent to the port and a predetermined response is transmitted from the printer 30 in response to the command. .

  If the printer 30 corresponding to the deleted printer object is connected to the port of the PC 10 as a result of the determination process in S130 (S130: YES), the printer object may have been deleted but may be due to an erroneous operation by the user. There is sex. Therefore, in this case, the CPU 11 determines whether data of the printer driver 22 remains in the system folder of the HDD 14 (S140).

  Here, if the data of the printer driver 22 remains in the system folder, it is highly likely that the printer object has been deleted unintentionally due to an erroneous operation by the user. Therefore, when the data of the printer driver 22 remains (S140: YES), the CPU 11 causes the display unit 16 to display the “recover” and “not recover” buttons, which have been deleted for the user. It is urged to determine whether or not to restore (re-register) the printer object (S150).

  Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the “recover” button has been pressed by the user (S160). When the “restore” button is pressed by the user (S160: YES), the CPU 11 adds the printer information for recovery (printer name, printer driver 22) to the printer addition API provided in the OS 21. Passing the path, default printer information, and port) causes the OS 21 to execute re-setup (re-registration) of the printer object (S180). As a result, the OS 21 re-registers the deleted printer object in the registry based on the received recovery printer information, and recovers the normal state before the deletion.

  Further, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the printer 30 has been registered as a default printer based on the printer information for recovery (S190). If it is not the default printer (S190: NO), the CPU 11 returns to S110 to determine whether it is a default printer. If this is the case (S190: YES), the printer 30 is changed to the default printer (S200), and the process returns to S110.

  In S160, when the “Recover” button is not pressed (S160; NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the “Restore” button is pressed (S170). The process returns to the determination process of S160 unless the “do not restore” button is pressed by the user (S170: NO), but if the “do not restore” button is pressed by the user (S170: YES), the corresponding printer driver In order to completely uninstall the program 22, the process proceeds to S210 and subsequent steps. The processing after S210 will be described later.

  If the printer driver 22 data does not remain in the system folder in the determination process of S140, the cause of the deletion of the printer object is that the printer driver 22 is officially uninstalled. It is considered that there is no need to restore the deleted printer object. Therefore, if data of the printer driver 22 does not remain (S140: NO), the CPU 11 sets the printer object of the printer as a monitoring target if another printer that can be monitored by the printer object monitoring software is installed. After doing so (S250), the process returns to S110.

  On the other hand, if the printer 30 corresponding to the deleted printer object is not connected to the port of the PC 10 as a result of the determination process in S130 (S130: NO), the cause of the printer object deletion is the user's printer driver 22 It may be due to the user's own will, such as an uninstall operation. Therefore, in that case, the CPU 11 causes the display unit 16 to display “Uninstall” and “Do not uninstall” buttons, and formally uninstalls the printer driver 22 corresponding to the deleted printer object to the user. It is urged to determine whether or not to do so (S210).

  Then, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the “Uninstall” button has been pressed by the user (S220). If the user presses the “Uninstall” button (S220: YES), the CPU 11 activates the uninstaller for the printer driver 22 and uninstalls the printer driver 22 (S240). As a result, the file of the printer driver 22 and related registry registration information are completely deleted. After uninstallation is performed by starting the uninstaller in S240, the CPU 11 performs the process of S250 described above and then returns to S110.

  In S220, when the “Uninstall” button is not pressed (S220; NO), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the “Do not uninstall” button is pressed (S230). Then, unless the “do not uninstall” button is pressed by the user (S230: NO), the process returns to the determination process of S220, but when the “do not uninstall” button is pressed by the user (S230: YES), S140 and subsequent steps. Proceed to the process.

  According to the PC 10 of the present embodiment described above, even if the printer object is deleted due to a user's erroneous operation or the like and the corresponding printer 30 can no longer be used, the user can re-execute the printer driver 22 by the process of S180 and the like. The printer object can be easily restored (re-registered) without performing an installation operation, and as a result, the printer 30 can be used again.

  Further, when the user wants to uninstall the printer driver 22, if the user is a user with limited knowledge about the printer, it can be uninstalled simply by deleting the printer icon from the printer folder display screen 50. There is a possibility that you can just delete the icon.

  However, in the PC 10 of this embodiment, when the printer icon is deleted (that is, when the printer object is in an abnormal registration state), the printer object is not necessarily re-registered. Then, it is asked whether or not it is necessary to restore (S150). Then, the “not restored” button is pressed (S170: YES), and further the “uninstall” button is pressed (S220: YES), so that the complete uninstallation is finally performed (S240). ).

  Therefore, even a user who has little knowledge about printers and printer drivers (particularly knowledge about uninstallation) can easily and reliably uninstall unnecessary printer drivers. This also prevents unnecessary printer drivers from remaining indefinitely without the user's knowledge.

  Further, when the printer object is deleted and the corresponding printer driver 22 does not remain in the system folder (S140: NO), the PC 10 determines that there is a possibility that it has been officially uninstalled, and the printer. Does not re-register the object. If the corresponding printer driver 22 remains in the system folder (S140: YES), the printer object is re-registered (S180). Therefore, unnecessary re-registration of the printer object can be eliminated.

  Further, when the printer object is deleted and the corresponding printer 30 is not connected to a predetermined port of the PC 10 (S130: NO), the PC 10 determines that there is a possibility that it has been officially uninstalled. Then, the printer object is not re-registered immediately. On the other hand, when the corresponding printer 30 is connected to a predetermined port of the PC 10 (S130: YES), the printer object is re-registered from the viewpoint that there is a possibility of deletion due to an erroneous operation of the user. Move on to processing. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine whether or not the printer object needs to be registered according to the connection status of the printer 30.

  Further, when the printer 10 re-registers the printer object, the PC 10 allows the user to select “recover” or “not recover” (S150). Also, when uninstalling the printer driver 22, the user is allowed to select “uninstall” or “not uninstall” (S210). Therefore, re-registration or uninstallation according to the user's will can be performed reliably.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, another example of the printer object monitoring software executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 10 that is different from the processing content in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The printer object monitoring software of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is executed by the CPU 11 of the PC 10 in exactly the same way as the printer object monitoring software of the first embodiment shown in FIG. Compared with the above, mainly the processing of S330 is added, and after the “do not uninstall” button is pressed (S450: YES), the “recover” and “do not recover” buttons are displayed. (S350) A point in which whether or not the data of the printer driver 22 remains in the system folder (S380) is determined after the “recover” button is pressed, and the system in which the “restore” button is pressed If no data of the printer driver 22 remains in the folder (S380: YES), the user himself / herself needs to be reinstalled. That prompts the Rukoto user (S420), different, FIG. 3 is basically the same as for the other processes.

  That is, when the execution of the printer object monitoring software shown in FIG. 4 is started, the CPU 11 first obtains the printer information for recovery (see FIG. 2B) based on the registry registration information and stores it in the RAM 13 (S310). Subsequently, it is determined whether the monitored printer object has been deleted (S320). If the printer object has not been deleted (S320: NO), the process returns to S310. If the printer object has been deleted (S320: YES), the CPU 11 determines that the deletion has been formally uninstalled by the uninstaller. It is determined whether it is a thing (S330).

  In the determination process of S330, when the deletion is performed by the uninstaller (S330: YES), the CPU 11 monitors the printer object of the printer if another printer that can be monitored by the printer object monitoring software is installed. After making the target (S470), the process returns to S310.

  If it is not determined by the uninstaller in the determination process of S330 (S330: NO), the CPU 11 determines whether the corresponding printer 30 is connected to the port of the PC 10 (“IP # xx.xxx.xx.xxx”). Is determined (S340). As a result of the determination in S340, if the printer 30 is connected to the port of the PC 10 (S340: YES), the CPU 11 causes the display unit 16 to display the “recover” and “not recover” buttons (S350). ).

  If the “Restore” button is not pressed (S360: NO), it is determined whether or not the “Restore” button is pressed (S370). If not (S370: NO), the process returns to S360. If pressed (S370: YES), the process proceeds to S430. On the other hand, if the “Restore” button is pressed (S360: YES), it is determined whether data of the printer driver 22 remains in the system folder of the HDD 14 (S380).

  If the data of the printer driver 22 remains in the system folder (S380: YES), the CPU 11 proceeds to S390 and subsequent steps, and executes printer object re-setup (re-registration) as in S180 and subsequent steps in FIG. . In the determination process of S380, when the data of the printer driver 22 does not remain in the system folder (S380: NO), the CPU 11 prompts the user to reinstall himself (S420). Specifically, it is conceivable to display the fact on the display unit 16.

  On the other hand, as a result of the determination process in S340, if the printer 30 corresponding to the deleted printer object is not connected to the port of the PC 10 (S340: NO), the process proceeds to the process after S430, but the process after S430 (specifically Since S430 to S470) are the same as the processes after S210 in FIG. 3 (specifically, S210 to S250), the description of the processes after S430 is omitted here. However, in this embodiment, when the “Do not uninstall” button is pressed in the determination process of S450 (S450: YES), unlike the case where the “Do not uninstall” button is pressed in FIG. “Yes” button and “No recovery” button are displayed (S350).

The same actions and effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained by the PC 10 of the present embodiment described above.
[Modification]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment described above, and can be implemented in various other forms.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, four types of information (printer name, printer driver path, default printer information, and default printer information, as shown in FIG. Port)), but this is only an example. However, at least the information necessary for the OS 21 to re-register the printer object needs to be included.

  In the above embodiment, the recovery printer information is stored immediately after the execution of the printer object monitoring software. However, various other timings for storing the recovery printer information are conceivable. For example, it may be stored when the user performs an operation (for example, right click of the mouse) that leads to deletion of the printer icon. Specifically, for example, a control that monitors the occurrence of an event that leads to the deletion of the printer icon, such as a right click of the mouse on the printer icon, and stores the printer information for recovery when such an event occurs. Can be realized by the CPU.

  Further, the entire printer object (that is, the entire information related to the printer 30 registered in the registry) may be stored instead of storing the information as necessary for re-registration as the recovery printer information. . In this case as well, there are various timings for storing the entire printer object in the RAM 13, for example, immediately after the start of execution of the printer object monitoring software, or when the user performs an operation leading to deletion of the printer icon. It may be.

  In the above embodiment, the printer object to be monitored by the printer object monitoring software is described as being a printer object corresponding to the printer 30, but the printer object monitoring software can simultaneously monitor the printer objects of a plurality of printers. It can also be set as such a structure. In this case, the determination of whether or not the port is connected in S130 in FIG. 3 (S340 in FIG. 4) can be performed, for example, by sending a command to each port corresponding to each printer to be monitored.

  In the above embodiment, the printer object monitoring software is described as one function included in the status monitor 23. However, the printer object monitoring software may be software independent of the status monitor 23.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the device is the printer 30 has been described as an example of application of the present invention. However, it goes without saying that the application of the present invention is not limited to a printer. The present invention can be applied to other various devices such as a facsimile machine.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Printing system 11, 31 ... CPU, 12, 32 ... ROM, 13, 33 ... RAM, 14 ... HDD, 15, 35 ... Operation part, 16, 36 ... Display part, 17 ... USB I / F, 18, 38 ... Network I / F, 20 ... Bus, 21 ... OS, 22 ... Printer driver, 23 ... Status monitor, 30 ... Printer, 34 ... NVRAM, 37 ... Printing section, 50 ... Printer folder display screen, 51 ... Printer icon

Claims (10)

When the device driver is installed, a device object corresponding to the device, which is information including setting information required by the operating system when controlling the device to be controlled via the device driver, is stored in the operating system. Registered computers
Among the setting information included in the device object registered in the operating system, at least information necessary for re-registering the device object in the operating system is stored in the storage unit as re-registration information. Information storage control means for registration;
The re-registration stored in the storage unit when the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage unit is in an abnormal registration state that is not normally registered in the operating system. A device object re-registration program that functions as a re-registration unit that re-registers the device object with the operating system based on business information. The device object re-registration program according to claim 1,
The re-registration unit is configured such that the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage unit is in the abnormal registration state, and the cause of the abnormal registration state is that the corresponding device driver is uninstalled. A device object re-registration program for causing the device object to be re-registered when it is not due to being performed. The device object re-registration program according to claim 1 or 2,
The re-registration means is such that the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage means is in the abnormal registration state, and the corresponding device driver remains in a predetermined storage area of the computer. And a device object re-registration program for re-registering the device object. A device object re-registration program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The re-registration means, when the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage means is in the abnormal registration state, and the corresponding device is connected to the computer, A device object re-registration program for re-registering a device object. A device object re-registration program according to claim 4,
When the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage means is in the abnormal registration state, if the corresponding device is not connected to the computer, the corresponding device driver is A device object re-registration program comprising an uninstalling means for uninstalling. A device object re-registration program according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
When the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage unit is in the abnormal registration state, a re-registration request is required to allow the user to select whether or not to re-register the corresponding device object. With no-selection means,
The re-registration unit re-registers the device object when the re-registration necessity selection unit selects to re-register the device object. A device object re-registration program according to claim 6,
A device object re-registration program comprising uninstalling means for uninstalling the corresponding device driver when the re-registration necessity selection means is not selected for re-registration. A device object re-registration program according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
If the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage means is in the abnormal registration state, whether or not to uninstall the corresponding device driver is to be selected by the user A selection means;
An uninstall unit that uninstalls the device driver when the device driver is selected to be uninstalled by the uninstall necessity selection unit;
A device object re-registration program comprising: A device object re-registration program according to claim 8,
The re-registration means re-registers the device object when the selection to uninstall the device driver is not made by the uninstallation necessity selection means. When the device driver is installed, a device object corresponding to the device, which is information including setting information required by the operating system when controlling the device to be controlled via the device driver, is stored in the operating system. A device object re-registration method for re-registering the device object in a registered computer,
Among the setting information included in the device object registered in the operating system, at least information necessary for re-registering the device object in the operating system is stored in the storage unit as re-registration information. Registration information storage control procedure;
The re-registration stored in the storage unit when the device object corresponding to the re-registration information stored in the storage unit is in an abnormal registration state that is not normally registered in the operating system. A re-registration procedure for re-registering the device object with the operating system based on information for use;
A device object re-registration method comprising: