JP2017162106A - Information processor and install method of device driver - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an OS having compatibility with not only a present driver that the OS supports but also a previous driver which was supported by an OS of previous generation, which is capable of allowing a user to know the reason of un-installability when the support of a driver of previous generation becomes unavailable.SOLUTION: When an attempt to install a driver of previous generation on an OS fails, the OS refers to the date when the driver was created. When the date is newer than a reference date, the OS estimates the reason of the failure that the OS restricts the installation of the driver of previous generation and outputs a message representing the reason to notify the reason.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and a device driver installation method.

  There is a program called an installer for installing a printer driver that performs processing such as creation of print data on a host computer. The installer installs the printer driver with reference to a reference file that describes information such as the version of the operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS) in which the printer driver can be installed and port settings. For example, in the reference file, information indicating that a printer driver can be installed in OSs of versions 4, 5, and 6, but cannot be installed in version 3, is recorded.

  The driver architecture may change as the operating system version is upgraded. In such a case, if a driver (also referred to as a new driver) of an architecture (referred to as a new architecture) that conforms to the upgraded operating system is not provided, a device controlled by the driver may become unavailable. There is sex. In order to prevent such a situation, the upgraded operating system is compatible with a driver (also referred to as a legacy driver) of an architecture (referred to as an old architecture) that conforms to an older version of the operating system. It may be made like this. In such an operating system, it is necessary to continue supporting legacy drivers in addition to new drivers. However, to alleviate the burden of supporting older architecture drivers, install all older architecture drivers, or newly created or certified drivers with older architectures, to the new version of the operating system. May not be possible.

  On the other hand, in recent years, an automatic update system is provided in which a host computer receives update information of a new OS from an OS distribution server on the Internet connected via a network and executes an OS update process. When the host computer and the printing device are connected via a network or the like, the method of selecting the device control method based on the combination of the version of the OS installed in the host computer and the version of the controller of the printing device is patented It is described in Document 1.

JP 2007-11793 A

  When the operating system is upgraded by such an automatic update system, the new operating system may be an operating system that restricts installation of the legacy driver. In this case, it may not be possible to install the old architecture driver using the installer. From the user's point of view, it seems that the driver has suddenly become impossible to install, and it is difficult to identify the cause.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional example. When the driver cannot be installed, particularly when the driver cannot be installed due to the loss of compatibility with the operating system, the cause is notified to the user. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

An information processing apparatus that is controlled by an operating system and installs a device driver,
Detection means for attempting to install the target driver to be installed and detecting the occurrence of an error during the installation;
When an error is detected by the detection unit, a first determination unit that determines whether a creation date or an authentication date of the target driver is before a predetermined reference date;
If it is determined by the first determination means that the creation date or authentication date of the target driver is not earlier than the reference date, the cause of the error is a restriction on installation of the target driver in the operating system. A message indicating the possibility that the target driver was created or the date of authentication is determined to be earlier than the reference date, the message indicating that the cause of the error is another cause And a cause discriminating means for outputting.

  According to the present invention, when the driver cannot be installed, the user can be informed of the cause.

Overall view of the system Printer driver module configuration diagram (A) Britan driver installation method flowchart, (b) Printer driver print queue registration method flowchart (A) The figure which shows print queue registration user I / F, (b) The figure which shows print queue addition user I / F System configuration diagram of printer driver (A) A diagram showing a registration queue file, (b) a diagram showing a printer specification description file, (c) a diagram showing an example of saving a printer specification description file in the OS. OS update process details flowchart The figure which shows the difference of OS Y day and X day, Legacy driver and New driver Driver file configuration diagram 1 Flowchart 1 of the driver installer representing the present invention Figure showing error message display example 1 Driver file structure 2 Flowchart 2 of the driver installer representing the present invention Driver file configuration 3 Flowchart 3 of the driver installer representing the present invention Diagram showing error message display example 2 in the driver installer Block diagram of host computer

<Example 1>
1 to 14 show an embodiment according to the present invention. The first embodiment will be described with reference to these drawings.
[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is an overall view of a system representing the present invention. A host computer (that is, an information processing apparatus) 101, an OS server 102, and a printing apparatus 103 are each connected to a network 100. In this embodiment, the operating system installer on the host computer 101 is supplied from an external medium such as a CD-ROM or the OS server 102 on the network, and is realized by executing the program loaded in the RAM of the host computer with the CPU. Shall be.

  FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the host computer 101. In the host computer 101, the CPU 111 comprehensively controls each device connected to the system bus 114 in accordance with a program stored in the RAM 112. The RAM 112 also functions as a main memory and work area for the CPU 111. The ROM 113 stores various basic programs and data of the system. The display operation unit I / F 115 controls display of information on the display operation unit 116. The display operation unit 116 has a display function and at the same time serves as a touch panel and controls input from the user. The network I / F 117 controls the network module 118 to realize network communication. The external memory I / F 119 controls access to the external memory 121 such as a flash memory or a solid state disk. The external memory 121 stores various applications 126 including the operating system program (hereinafter referred to as OS) 122, and functions as a storage medium that can be stored or read by the host computer 101. The OS 122 includes an application framework 123 for operating an application, various system programs 124 provided by the OS 122, and a library 125 that stores various utility functions. Various settings by the system program 124 are stored in the user setting information system storage area 130. The application 126 includes an application execution code. Further, the application 126 includes a system setting acquisition unit 128 that acquires values set by the control unit 127 of the user I / F and the system program 124 of the operating system 122. Further, a storage area 129 for user setting information set by the user with the application 126 is provided. An example of the application 126 is an installer for installing a device driver such as a printer driver. The OS 122 is a version of an operating system that supports a new architecture (or new generation) printer driver. The OS 122 is also compatible with the printer driver (or the old generation printer driver) of the old architecture, and installs the printer driver (or the new generation printer driver) of the old architecture under certain restrictions. it can. The new generation printer driver is also called a native printer driver, and the old generation printer driver is also called a compatible printer driver. The certain restriction is, for example, that installation of a compatible printer driver created or certified before a predetermined reference date is allowed, but installation of a compatible printer driver created or certified after the reference date is not allowed. Alternatively, there may be a restriction that installation of a compatible printer driver created or authenticated after the reference date is permitted until a predetermined date, but not thereafter.

  The internal configuration of the OS server 102 is basically the same as the internal configuration of the host computer 101 shown in FIG. When the OS server 102 receives an update information inquiry from the host computer 101 connected to the network 100, the OS server 102 compares the OS update information stored in a database (not shown) and makes an inquiry as necessary. The OS data stored in the database is transmitted to the original host computer 101.

[Printer Driver Installation Basic Flow]
In this embodiment, a printer driver will be described as an example of software to be updated. First, the installation of the printer driver will be described. The printer driver to be installed is composed of a module group as shown in FIG. The printer driver 201 includes a graphic rendering module 202, a UI control module 203, a printer specification description file 204, a color processing module 205, and an input / output control module 206. Depending on the function of the printer driver, it may be composed of other modules.

  The printer driver 201 can be configured in several ways. For example, in order to support a plurality of printers with one printer driver, the graphic rendering module 202 and the UI control module 203 are configured to be compatible with a plurality of printers. In this case, the printer specification description file 204 is included in the printer driver for the corresponding printer. With such a configuration, the UI control module 203 displays and controls the UI in accordance with the printer specification description file 204. The graphic rendering module 202 issues a page description language and a printer control command suitable for each printer. That is, a print job composed of a page description language and printer control commands suitable for each printer is created.

  Next, a basic procedure for installing the printer driver 201 having such a configuration in the host computer 101 will be described. FIG. 3A shows a printer driver installation procedure. It is assumed that the user prepares a CD-ROM in which the printer driver is stored or obtains a printer driver installer via the network. In the obtained step 301 (shown as “S301” in FIG. 3A, the same applies hereinafter), the user activates the obtained printer driver installer (hereinafter also simply referred to as an installer). The user may start up after copying the installer to the external memory 121, or may start up as long as it is stored in the CD-ROM. The activated installer is expanded in the RAM 112 by the operating system and executed by the CPU 111. Based on this operation, in step 302, the installer stores each module of the printer driver 202 in a predetermined location in the external memory 121. Although the storage location differs depending on the printing system, as an example, in a CUPS (Common Unix Printing System), it is / Library / Printers /.

Under this directory, printer driver modules are stored for each vendor. Furthermore, it is also possible to store the printer driver types separately under the directory for each vendor. For example, when there are different printer drivers called PDL1 and PDL2 of the vendor ABC, / Library / Printers / ABC / PDL1 /,
/ Library / Printers / ABC / PDL2 /
This directory can be created and the printer driver can be stored under that directory.

  In step 302, the modules of the printer driver 201 are stored in the directory of the external memory 121. This completes the installation of the printer driver. However, in order to actually output to the printer, the user needs to register the printer using the printer driver 201.

[Print queue registration procedure]
FIG. 3B shows a procedure for registering a print queue. A flow is demonstrated along this procedure, using a required figure. FIG. 3B shows processing executed by the operating system in response to a user operation.

  In step 401, the user opens a print queue registration dialog. In this step, the OS 122 reads the program code for printer registration from the external memory 121 to the RAM 112 and executes it. FIG. 4A shows a printer registration dialog 501 displayed by the OS 122. When the user operates an icon or the like prepared by the OS 122 for print queue registration, the OS 122 displays a printer registration dialog 501 in response to the operation. The printer registration dialog 501, that is, the printer registration user I / F, displays the registered print queue list 502 for displaying the currently registered printer list and the detailed information of the printer selected in the registered print queue list 502. A printer details display area 503 is included. Also displayed on this screen are a button 504 for registering a print queue and a button 505 for deleting the printer currently selected in the registered print queue list 502. A button 506 is a button for closing this dialog.

  In step 402, the user clicks a print queue addition button 504 in the printer registration dialog 501. In response to the user operation, the OS 122 displays a print queue registration dialog 601 in step 403. In step 404, the user inputs necessary information to the dialog 601 displayed here, and adds a print queue, that is, a logical printer. FIG. 4B shows a print queue registration dialog displayed by the OS 122. In a print queue registration dialog (also called a printer addition dialog) 601, a text box 602 is a control for designating a network address of the connected printer, in this example, an IP address. A text box 603 is a control for inputting a printer name for identifying a print queue. A text box 604 is a control for inputting a place where the printer is installed. The printer name 603 and the printer location 604 are character strings used when displayed in the registered print queue list 502 and the printer details 503. A drop-down list 605 is a control for selecting a printer driver used by the print queue when registering the print queue. The printer drivers listed here are selected by the OS 122 from the printer drivers stored in the printer driver storage directory (/ Library / Printers) of the OS 122 described above. In the example of FIG. 4B, the address is 192.168.1.10, the print queue name is “PrinterC”, the location is “2F”, and “ABC PDL1” is selected as the printer driver. . When the add button 606 is clicked in this state, the OS 122 additionally registers a print queue having the designated parameter. If this dialog is closed without adding, a dialog close button 607 is clicked.

  In step 405, the OS 122 registers the print queue designated by the user in the system. This step will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing a state where a printer driver has already been installed and a print queue has been registered. In FIG. 5, a graphic rendering module 703 is a graphic rendering module 202 of a printer driver installed in a predetermined directory (/ Library / Printers /) of the OS 122 by the above-described procedure. Similarly, the UI control module 705 is the UI control module 203 of the installed printer driver. The color processing module 704 is the color processing control module 205 of the installed printer driver. The input / output control module 708 is the input / output control module 206 of the installed printer driver. The printer specification description file 706 is the printer specification description file 204 of the installed printer driver. The back end module 707 is provided by the OS 122, and is a module for transferring print data generated by the graphic rendering module 703 to the input / output control module 708 that transmits the data to the printer. Further, the print queue registration information 709, the printer specification description file 710, and the printer setting file 711 are generated by the OS 122 during the printer registration process in step 405 of FIG. 3B, and details thereof will be described below.

  In step 405, the OS 702 collects information input to the print queue registration dialog 601 and performs printer registration. This registration is performed as follows. FIG. 6A shows a file in which information of a print queue to be registered is described, which is described in a markup language. This file is created, for example, in response to an input button 606 being pressed after each item is input in the print queue registration dialog 601. The printer tag 801 includes an identifier of a print queue, and the identifier is described by connecting a printer name and a printer address with an underscore. A printer name 802 describes the name of the printer. The installation location 803 describes the input location. The address 804 describes the actual print queue. In this example, the address 804 indicates transmission to the IP address of 192.168.1.10 by the lpd protocol. The printer driver name 805 describes the name of the printer driver (ABC PDL1 in this case) used by this printer. A printer tag 806 indicates that the description of the printer is completed. In step 405, the OS 702 creates the print queue registration information and adds the print queue registration information to a predetermined file in the external memory 121. For example, in the CUPS system, the predetermined file is a printers.file stored in the / etc / cups / directory. It is a conf file. This is the print queue registration information 709. If multiple print queues are registered, printers. In conf, the description of FIG. 6A is repeated for each corresponding printer for the print queue.

  In step 405, the OS 702 registers the printer specification description file 706 in the system. In FIG. 5, the OS 702 acquires the printer specification description file 706 of the printer to be registered from the UI control module 705 of the printer driver, and registers the printer usage description file 710 at a predetermined system location prepared for each print queue.

  Before describing the method for registering the printer specification description file 706, the printer specification description file 706 itself will be described. FIG. 6B shows an example of the printer specification description file 706. This file is described according to the printer specification description format. The following explanation is based on the format. A line 901 describes a comment. The comment starts with "*%". Line 902 describes the vendor name. A line 903 describes a printer name corresponding to the printer specification description file 706. A line 904 describes a page description language supported by the printer specification description file 706. A line 905 describes the version of the printer driver. After this, the functional specifications of this printer are described. The functional specification is one function from the * OpenUI line to the * CloseUI line. * Open UI is followed by a function name prefixed with "*", and the function name is separated by ":" to indicate the type of function to be selected. This type includes “PickOne” and “Boolean”, and “PickOne” represents a function for selecting one of the options. “Boolean” indicates that this function is controlled by On / Off.

  A line 906 is a function * PageSize, which indicates that one of the options is selected (PickOne). The default value of this function is described in line 907 in the line following line 906. This line starts with the character string “* Default”, followed by the function name defined in the previous line. This line indicates that the default of the function “PageSize” is A4. From the next line to the point of * CloseUI on line 910, one option for this function is described per line. For example, line 908 indicates that A3 is one of the options of PageSize. This describes a function for selecting a page size, and the page size is omitted because there are many options. The last description of this function is line 910, and the function name described in * OpenUI is described after * CloseUI. This represents a single function. The next line 911 to line 916 describe another function. Although a duplicate description is omitted, this block has a function called Duplex, which selects one of the options, and represents that the option is selected from None, Simplex, and Duplex. Actually, this expresses a function for specifying double-sided printing, and None is not specified. Therefore, Simplex means single-sided printing and Duplex means double-sided printing according to the printer default setting.

  Next, a method for registering the printer specification description file 706 by the OS 702 will be described. The OS 702 acquires the printer specification description file 706 corresponding to the printer from the UI control module 705 and stores it in a predetermined location of the system. FIG. 6C illustrates the storage location and its file. The storage location is the / etc / cups / ppd / directory of the external memory 121, and the file to be stored is the file name with the printer name as the file name, followed by the printer address after the underscore. The added printer specification description file 710 is “PrinterC — 192.168.1.10 — .ppd” 1004. In FIG. 5, the OS 702 indicates that the printer specification description file 706 is stored in the printer specification description file 710. Through the above steps, registration of the print queue is completed.

[OS update method]
Next, an example of a method for updating the OS 122 in the host computer 101 will be described. In FIG. 7, first, the user performs a start-up operation by turning on the host computer 101 (S1101). Thereafter, the system BIOS, the boot loader, and the like recorded in the ROM 114 are sequentially activated, and then the OS 122 is activated (S1102). Step 1103 and subsequent steps are processing by the OS 122. After starting up the OS 122, the OS 122 inquires about update information of the OS 172 stored in the OS server 102 on the network 100 (S1103). The OS 122 receives the response, and when the OS 122 determines that there is update information (S1104), the OS 122 downloads and installs an updated version of the OS 122 from the OS server 102 on the network 100 (S1105). The update process of step 1105 is repeated for the number of software to be updated. After determining that there is no software to be updated (S1108) and when determining that there is no update information in S1104, the startup of the OS 121 is completed (S1107). ).

[Correlation between OS update timing and driver creation (or certification) timing]
FIG. 8 shows an example of the correlation between the OS update time and the driver creation (or authentication receipt) time in explaining the present embodiment.

  The reference date 1201 is a date for distinguishing whether the printer driver of the old architecture is a legacy driver or a new driver. An old architecture driver created or certified before the reference date 1201 is defined as a legacy driver, and an old architecture driver created or certified after the reference date 1201 is defined as a new driver. In this example, the OS does not restrict the installation of the legacy driver, but restricts the installation of the new driver. The reference date 1201 is hereinafter also referred to as Y day. In the example of the figure, Y day is July 01, 20xx, and the printer driver 1203 created or authenticated on March 31 of the same year is a legacy driver. On the other hand, the printer driver 1204 created or authenticated on November 30, 20xx after Y day is a new driver.

  Next, an expiration date 1202, which is a boundary date at which the new driver 1204 cannot be installed due to an OS update, is also referred to as X day 1202 in this figure, and is January 1, 20yy in the figure (where yy is xx And so on). As shown in the figure, both the legacy driver 1203 and the new driver 1204 of the printer driver of the old architecture can be installed before X day, but the new driver 1204 cannot be installed on this OS after X day. .

[Driver installation file set]
Next, FIG. 9 shows a set (all configurations) of printer driver installation files representing this embodiment. The installation set 1301 is normally recorded on a medium 1300 such as a compact disc or a DVD, and is bundled as a product together with the printing apparatus 103. The media 1300 often includes application software that is convenient for using the printing apparatus 103 in addition to the installation set 1301. The install set 1301 is software distributed together with the printer driver. The installer 1302 for installing the printer driver, the installer reference file 1303 necessary for the installer 1302 to operate, the modules and functions installed additionally by the installer The file includes an installer related file 1304 including necessary modules and the like, a driver set 1305 of the installed printer driver itself, and the like. The installer reference file 1303, the installer related file, and the like are associated with the driver.

  FIG. 9 illustrates the installer reference file 1303 in more detail. The installer reference file is generally a text file, and is a chapter that defines an OS on which the printer driver 1305 can be installed (indicated as “installable OS” in the figure), and a decision branch date between the legacy driver and the new driver. Y day (reference date) etc. are described. Information defining an installable OS can also be referred to as compatibility information for the operating system. In the driver set 1305, in addition to the driver module file that configures the installed printer driver, an information file (shown as an INF file in the figure) that defines the details of the installed driver file and the printer driver are installed in the OS. An authentication file (shown as a catalog file in the figure) that proves that the user has been authenticated in advance is included. The authentication file can also be called authentication information indicating that authentication has been received.

[Printer driver update processing]
An operation flow of the printer driver installer 1302 is shown in FIG. After the user activates the installer module 1302 by double-clicking a mouse (not shown) or the like, in step (described as “S” in the figure) 1401, attribute information, particularly version information, of the OS 122 on which the installer 1302 is activated is displayed. Read. The driver to be installed is, for example, one that the installer matches with the device connected to the host computer as an option, and is selected by the user. If there is only one applicable option, it may be the installation target.

  In step 1402, the description content of the reference file 1303 for the installer 1302 is read. In this embodiment, information on which OS can be installed and information on a reference date (Y day) that is a decision branch date of the legacy driver and the new driver ("LIM" in the figure) are read. In step 1403, based on the information read in steps 1401 and 1402, it is determined whether the currently operating OS is not an OS that can install the target driver (ID = 0 in the figure). If the determination result in step 1403 is YES (that is, installation is impossible), a message indicating that the running OS is an OS that is not supported by the installer 1302 is displayed in step 1404, and the operation of the installer is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step 1403 is NO, that is, if it is determined that the currently operating OS is an OS capable of installing the target driver, the printer driver installation operation is started in the next step 1405. The printer driver is installed in cooperation with the operating system, for example, by using an operating system API or the like by the installer. Installation includes, for example, replying and copying of archived files, setting of various setting items, registration in a registry, and the like. Therefore, in the installation process, the installation may fail due to an error detected by the installer itself or an error detected by the operating system.

  When the printer driver installer 1302 detects (or detects) an error for some reason (step 1406), time information (hereinafter referred to as a time stamp) created in the catalog file included in the printer driver file 1305 in step 1407: FIG. Then, “TS”) is compared with the Y-day information (LIM) read in step 1402 (step 1408). If the time stamp of the catalog file is a date before Y day, the printer driver is a legacy driver and should be able to be correctly installed in this OS. Therefore, the cause of the failure in installation is not that the printer driver is a new driver, but is considered to be an error of another cause. Therefore, an error message indicating that an installation error has occurred is displayed as in the conventional function (step 1410).

  On the other hand, if the time stamp of the catalog file in step 1408 is a date after Y day, the printer driver to be installed may be determined by the new driver and the OS 122 and may not be installed. In this case, an error message indicating that the driver to be installed cannot be installed because of a new driver is displayed in step 1410. Thus, step 1408 is a process for determining the cause of the installation error.

  FIG. 11 shows a display example of each error message. The display example of step 1404 is an error message 1501, the display example of step 1409 is an error message 1503, and the display example of step 1410 is an error message 1505. Represent.

As described above, the printer driver installer according to this embodiment operates as follows. In this example, it is assumed that X date, which is the expiration date shown in FIG. 8, is not recorded in the reference file, and only the operating system knows the expiration date.
1. A reference date as a reference for the installable OS and the legacy / new driver is read from the installer reference file included in the installation set.
2. It is determined whether or not the target driver to be installed (including clean installation and overwrite installation) can be installed in the OS on which the installer is running. If possible, start installing the target driver. Installation is performed, for example, by copying a program or data file including a driver module and registering it in the OS. If not possible, output a message to that effect.
3. Check for errors during installation. If an error occurs, the creation date (or certification date) at which the catalog file (namely, authentication information) was created is referenced and compared with the reference date contained in the reference file. If the creation date of the catalog information is after the reference date, the error may have occurred because the OS does not allow the installation of the driver on that creation date. Therefore, a message to that effect is output. Otherwise, it outputs a message that some other error has occurred. It is determined whether the catalog file creation date is after the reference date or before the reference date, but it is determined whether the catalog information creation date is after the reference date or before the reference date. May be. This depends on the definition of the base date.

  In this way, when the installation fails, the cause is suggested to the user that the creation date of the catalog information of the driver to be installed is after the reference date (or after the reference date). be able to. In other words, it is possible to notify the user that the failure may have been caused by trying to install an older generation (old architecture) driver whose installation is restricted.

<Example 2>
Next, FIG. 12 shows a set (all configurations) of printer driver installation files representing the second embodiment. The installation set 1601 is usually recorded on a medium 1600 such as a compact disc or a DVD and is bundled as a product together with the printing apparatus 103. In many cases, the media 1600 includes application software that is convenient for using the printing apparatus 103 in addition to the installation set 1601. The installation set 1601 is software distributed together with the printer driver. The installer 1602 for installing the printer driver, the installer reference file 1603 necessary for the installer 1602 to operate, the modules and functions installed additionally by the installer An installer related file 1604 including necessary modules and the like, a file set 1605 of the installed printer driver itself, and the like are included.

  In the figure, the installer reference file 1603 is described in more detail. This reference file 1603 is generally a text file, a chapter defining an OS on which the printer driver 1605 can be installed (denoted as “installable OS” in the figure), and a decision branch date between a legacy driver and a new driver. Information such as Y day (reference date) and X date (expiration date) as date information on the boundary at which the New driver 1204 cannot be installed due to the update of the OS 122 is described.

  In the printer driver file 1605, in addition to the files constituting the printer driver to be installed, an information file (shown as an INF file in the figure) defining the details of the installed driver file and the printer driver are installed in the OS. An authentication file (shown as a catalog file in the figure) that certifies that authentication has been performed in advance is included.

  Next, FIG. 13 shows an operation flow of the printer driver installer 1602 representing the second embodiment. After the user activates the installer module 1302 by double-clicking a mouse (not shown) or the like, in step 1701, the version information of the OS 122 on which the installer 1602 is activated is read. The driver to be installed is, for example, one that the installer matches with the device connected to the host computer as an option, and is selected by the user. If there is only one applicable option, it may be the installation target.

  In step 1702, the contents described in the installer reference file 1603 are read. In this embodiment, information on which OS can be installed, Y day information ("LIM1" in the figure) that is the decision branch date of the legacy driver and the new driver, and the new driver 1204 cannot be installed by updating the OS 122. X date (expiration date) information ("LIM2" in the figure) as the date information of the boundary is read. In step 1703, based on the information read in steps 1701 and 1702, it is determined whether the currently operating OS is not an OS capable of installing the driver to be installed (ID = 0 in the figure). If the determination in step 1702 is YES (that is, installation is impossible), a message indicating that the running OS is an OS that is not supported by the installer 1602 is displayed in step 1704, and the operation of the installer is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step 1703 is NO, that is, if it is determined that the currently operating OS is an OS capable of installing the target driver, the printer driver installation operation is started in the next step 1705.

  If the printer driver installer 1602 detects an error for some reason (step 1706-YES), the time information ("TS" in the figure) created in the catalog file included in the printer driver file 1605 in step 1707 and the read Y The data (LIM1) of the data is compared (step 1708). If the creation date of the catalog file is after the Y day, that is, the reference date (that is, if it is a new driver), the process branches to step 1709. Next, in step 1709, the current date and time information is acquired from the OS 122 and compared with the X day information (LIM2). Here, if the current date and time is not before X day (LIM2), that is, the due date (that is, if the current date is after the due date), the installed printer driver is a driver created after Y day. In addition, it is determined that the current date has already passed X day. Based on these facts, the printer driver to be installed is determined by the new driver and the OS 122, and an error message 1503 indicating that the printer driver may not be installed is displayed in step 1710.

  On the other hand, if the time stamp of the catalog file of the printer driver is the date before Y day, or if the current date is before X day even after Y day, the printer driver to be installed is It should be able to install correctly on this OS. Therefore, since this is an error of another cause, an error message 1505 indicating that an installation error has occurred is displayed as in the conventional function (step 1711).

  The display example of step 1704, the display example of step 1710, and the display example of step 1711 are shown in FIG. 11 as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, step 1704 is 1501, step 1710 is 1503, and step 1711 is 1505.

  According to the present embodiment with the above configuration and procedure, when the driver installation fails, it is possible to present to the user that the failure may be caused by trying to install the new driver after the expiration date. . In other words, it is possible to notify the user that the failure may have been caused by trying to install an older generation (old architecture) driver whose installation is restricted.

<Example 3>
Next, FIG. 14 shows a set (all configurations) of printer driver installation files representing the third embodiment. The installation set 1801 is normally recorded on a medium 1800 such as a compact disc or a DVD, and is bundled with the printing apparatus 103 as a product. In many cases, the medium 1800 includes application software that is convenient for using the printing apparatus 103 in addition to the installation set 1801. The installation set 1801 is software distributed together with the printer driver. The installation set 1801 includes an installer 1802 for installing a printer driver, an installer reference file 1803 for each generation necessary for the installer 1802 to operate, and an installer reference file 1804. Further, the installation set 1801 includes an installer related file 1805 including modules to be additionally installed by the installer, modules necessary for functions, and the like, and driver file sets 1806 and 1807 for each generation, which are printer drivers to be installed. Consists of. In the example of FIG. 14, the Nth generation file and the N + 1th generation file that is one generation newer than that are included as the installer reference file and driver file for one device (in this case, the printer).

  For the sake of convenience, the N + 1th generation driver is referred to here as a driver that has greatly evolved from the Nth generation driver, such as the configuration, operation conditions, and operation contents of the driver in the process of the evolution of the OS 122. For example, in the case of Windows (registered trademark), it can be considered that the V1 driver corresponding to Windows NT3.51 and the V2 driver corresponding to WindowsNT4.0 to WindowsXP correspond. In this embodiment, a plurality of generations of printer drivers are included in one installer set. The installer reference file 1804 at the bottom of the figure is the same as the installer reference file 1803 for the Nth generation printer driver. It is a description example in which only the difference is described. The file set 1807 is a file set for the (N + 1) th generation printer driver, and although the driver itself is different, the file configuration is basically not significantly different from the file configuration of the Nth generation printer driver.

  In the figure, the installer reference file 1803 for the Nth generation printer driver is described in more detail. The installer reference file 1803 is generally a text file, and defines a chapter that defines an OS on which the printer driver 1806 can be installed (denoted as “installable OS” in the figure), a legacy driver, and a new driver. Y day, etc., which is the judgment branch date (reference date) is described. In the printer driver file 1806, in addition to the files constituting the installed printer driver, an information file defining the details of the installed driver file (shown as an INF file in the figure) and a printer driver are installed in the OS. An authentication file (shown as a catalog file in the figure) that certifies that authentication has been performed in advance is included.

  Next, a flowchart showing this embodiment is shown in FIG. After the user activates the installer module 1802 by double-clicking a mouse (not shown) or the like, in step 1901, the version information of the OS 122 on which the installer is activated is read. The driver to be installed is, for example, one that the installer matches with the device connected to the host computer as an option, and is selected by the user. If there is only one applicable option, it may be the installation target. In this example, it is assumed that the Nth generation printer driver is selected as an installation target. In step 1902, the content of the reference file 1803 for the Nth generation installer is read from the installer reference file. In this embodiment, information on which OS can be installed and Y day information ("LIM" in the figure) that is a decision branch date of the legacy driver and the new driver are read. In step 1903, based on the information read in steps 1901 and 1902, it is determined whether the currently operating OS is not an OS that can install the driver to be installed (ID = 0 in the figure). If the determination in step 1903 is YES, a message indicating that the running OS is an unsupported OS of the installer 1802 is displayed in step 1904, and the operation of the installer is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step 1903 is NO, that is, if it is determined that the currently operating OS is an OS capable of installing the target driver, the printer driver installation operation is started in the next step 1905.

  If the printer driver installer 1802 detects an error for some reason (step 1906-YES), the time information of the catalog file included in the Nth generation printer driver file 1806 in step 1907 (hereinafter referred to as a time stamp). : "TS" in the figure) and the read Y data information (LIM) are compared (step 1908). If the time stamp of the catalog file is a date before Y day, the printer driver should be able to be correctly installed in this OS. Therefore, it can be determined that the error is caused by a different cause from the installation restriction of the previous generation driver by the operating system. Therefore, an error message indicating that an installation error has occurred is displayed as in the conventional function (step 1910). On the other hand, if the time stamp of the catalog file is Y day or later in step 1908, the printer driver is determined by the new driver and the OS 122. Therefore, in step 1909, whether or not the (N + 1) th generation printer driver is included as a driver to be installed in the printer driver installer is determined based on the description content of the reference file, the presence of the file, or the like. If it is determined that the (N + 1) th generation printer driver is included, then in step 1910, a message is displayed as to whether or not the N + 1 generation printer driver can be installed. A display example of the message is shown in FIG. If button 2002 is pressed on this screen to instruct installation, the N + 1 generation driver (V4 driver in the figure) is installed in step 1911. On the other hand, if it is canceled by pressing the button 2001, in step 1912, the printer driver to be installed is judged by the new driver and the OS 122, and an error message indicating that there is a possibility that the installation cannot be performed is displayed.

  In addition, you may add the comparison with X day shown in the 2nd Example to the judgment of a present Example. In that case, step 1709 of FIG. 13 is inserted immediately before step 1909 of FIG. 15, and if the result of determination is YES, the process branches to S1910, and if NO, the process branches to S1909.

  According to the present embodiment with the above configuration and procedure, when the driver installation fails, it is possible to present to the user a possibility that the cause of the failure is an attempt to install the new driver. In other words, it is possible to notify the user that the failure may have been caused by trying to install an older generation (old architecture) driver whose installation is restricted. In addition, if it is presumed that the installation failure is due to the limitation of installing the old generation driver by the OS, the user can be prompted to install the new generation driver.

  In this embodiment, the old generation (Nth generation) driver is, for example, a Windows (registered trademark) V3 driver, and the new generation (N + 1 generation) driver is a V4 driver. The old generation refers to the generation of the operating system, and the driver for the old generation operating system is the old generation driver. Similarly, a driver for a new generation operating system is a new generation driver. In addition, both the new driver and the legacy driver in the first and second embodiments are old generation drivers, and can be referred to as a new V3 driver and a legacy V3 driver. The V4 driver is supported by Windows (registered trademark) 8 or later (that is, can be installed), and is not supported by previous generations of Windows (registered trademark).

[Other Examples]
In the embodiment, it has been described that the installer is started manually. However, the invention according to this embodiment is also applied when the host computer receives driver update information from a server or the like and the installer is executed as a trigger. can do.

  The present invention supplies a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program This process can be realized. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

1301 Installation set, 1302 Installer, 1303 Reference file for installer, 1304 Related file for installer, 1305 Driver file

Claims (10)

An information processing apparatus that is controlled by an operating system and installs a device driver,
Detection means for attempting to install the target driver to be installed and detecting the occurrence of an error during the installation;
When an error is detected by the detection unit, a first determination unit that determines whether a creation date or an authentication date of the target driver is before a predetermined reference date;
If it is determined by the first determination means that the creation date or authentication date of the target driver is not earlier than the reference date, the cause of the error is a restriction on installation of the target driver in the operating system. A message indicating the possibility that the target driver was created or the date of authentication is determined to be earlier than the reference date, the message indicating that the cause of the error is another cause An information processing apparatus comprising: cause determination means for outputting Means for reading version information of the operating system;
Second determination means for determining whether or not the target driver can be installed in the operating system based on the version information and compatibility information indicating an operating system capable of installing the target driver;
The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a unit that outputs a message indicating that the target driver is not an installation target when the second determination unit determines that the installation is not possible. Information processing device. Third detection means for determining whether or not the date on which the target driver is to be installed is before the expiration date set for the target driver when the error is detected by the detection means. Have
Even if the cause determination means determines that the creation date or authentication date of the target driver is not earlier than the reference date by the first determination means, the third determination means causes the target When it is determined that the date on which the driver is to be installed is earlier than the expiration date set for the target driver, a message indicating that the cause of the error is the other cause is output. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.   The cause determination means determines that the creation date or the authentication date of the target driver is not earlier than the reference date by the first determination means, and the information processing apparatus selects a driver of a newer version than the target driver. 3. The information according to claim 1, wherein an instruction to install the new generation driver is received from a user and the new generation driver is installed according to the instruction by the user. Processing equipment.   The cause determination means is a case where the first determination means determines that the creation date or authentication date of the target driver is not before the reference date, and the third determination means determines that the target If it is determined that the date on which the driver is to be installed is not before the expiration date set for the target driver, and the driver has a newer generation than the target driver, the new generation driver is installed. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an instruction to be received is received from a user, and the new generation driver is installed according to the instruction from the user.   The first determination unit acquires the reference date from a reference file associated with the target driver, and acquires a creation date or an authentication date of the target driver from an authentication file of the target driver. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the third determination unit acquires the expiration date from a reference file associated with the target driver.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the target driver is an old generation printer driver supported by the operating system. A program for installing a device driver on a computer controlled by an operating system,
Detection means for attempting to install the target driver to be installed and detecting the occurrence of an error during the installation;
When an error is detected by the detection unit, a first determination unit that determines whether a creation date or an authentication date of the target driver is before a predetermined reference date;
If it is determined by the first determination means that the creation date or authentication date of the target driver is not earlier than the reference date, the cause of the error is a restriction on installation of the target driver in the operating system. A message indicating the possibility that the target driver was created or the date of authentication is determined to be earlier than the reference date, the message indicating that the cause of the error is another cause A program for causing the computer to function as cause determination means for outputting. An installation method for installing a device driver by an information processing apparatus controlled by an operating system,
A detection process that attempts to install the target driver to be installed and detects the occurrence of an error during the installation;
When an error is detected by the detection step, a first determination step of determining whether the creation date or the authentication date of the target driver is before a predetermined reference date;
If it is determined by the first determination step that the creation date or authentication date of the target driver is not earlier than the reference date, the cause of the error is a restriction on installation of the target driver in the operating system. A message indicating the possibility that the target driver was created or the date of authentication is determined to be earlier than the reference date, the message indicating that the cause of the error is another cause And a cause determining step for outputting the installation method.

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