JP2001312453A - Electronic equipment, control method for electronic equipment, and computer-readable storage medium with control program for electronic equipment stored therein - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it easy to handle a peripheral equipment device connected to an interface where plural devices can be connected and its device driver. SOLUTION: A USB driver file is copied to a SYSTEM directory (S101) and an INF file is copied to an INF directory (S102). The INF file is read in a memory (S103) and device ID information of USB in the INF file is obtained (S104). A registry of the system is read in (S105) so that it can be edited, a registry path is generated by using the device ID obtained in the step S104, and registry information below the path is listed; when a Class key is 'Unknown' (S107), information on the registry path is all deleted. When not 'Unknown', a return to a step S106 is made so as to check a next listed registry path.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electronic device for connecting peripheral devices via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected, a control method thereof, and a computer readable program storing the control program. It relates to a storage medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, peripheral devices such as printers have been widely used together with computer systems. Conventionally, printers are Centronics ports or RS232C
In many cases, only one printer per port is connected to the computer via a serial port such as the one described above. In recent years, however, one port has been connected via a more general-purpose interface such as a so-called USB port. More and more printers are connected to each other.

[0003]

On the other hand, Microsoft Windows (trade name: Windows 95, 9)
The family is widely used as the OS of a personal computer. However, although it supports the USB device, the device driver currently attached as a standard is Not very much.

[0004] For example, U in Windows 98
The procedure for installing the SB driver is substantially the same as that for installing other drivers, that is, the so-called SETUP. This is performed by manually or by using an installer program such as EXE at the time of booting the OS by a program called “wizard”, or by automatically or semi-automatically booting the device by a PnP (plug and play) operation.

For example, when a USB device is connected to a personal computer after the OS is started, the OS detects the USB device and displays a device driver installation dialog of a wizard program. In this dialog, the user must correctly specify the directory where the device driver is stored.

When the user specifies a directory (a directory on a CD-ROM or a floppy (registered trademark) disk) in which a device driver is stored via a dialog, the OS detects the detected U in the specified directory.
It is checked whether a device driver for the SB device exists, and if a corresponding device driver exists, this is installed and the process is terminated.

However, if the user specifies an incorrect directory and there is a device driver that does not correspond to the detected USB device, or if there is no device driver in the directory in the first place, the OS identifies the detected USB device as “unknown”. Device, and the device will no longer function properly. In this state, erroneous data is still registered in the setting data of the OS called a registry. In this state, even if the USB device is connected again, the USB device is recognized as “unknown device”. It becomes completely unusable.

[0008] When such a situation has occurred,
The user cannot install a normal device driver unless the user explicitly deletes the device manually using a program such as a device manager and repeats the correct operation. Moreover, such measures are difficult to perform unless the user has some experience, and beginners are at a loss. In addition, some vendors require prohibitively high fees for user support for this kind of trivial trouble, and it is hoped that even a novice will be able to install a USB device (driver) without fail. Needless to say, it is rare.

When a device such as a printer is connected to a USB port for use, a plurality of devices can be connected to this type of port at the same time, which causes a new problem which has not existed conventionally. I am doing it.

That is, since the conventional printer is connected by an interface such as a Centronics interface that can only perform one-to-one communication between the host and the device, the installer for the printer driver communicates directly with the printer from the Centronics interface, for example. Having obtained the information, the appropriate printer driver was installed.

For example, in the case of Windows, a communication interface is expressed as a port, and the name (port name) of the Centronics interface on Windows is LP.
T1. Therefore, the installer of the device (driver) opens the port LPT1, requests the printer from this port for the printer name, and performs the installation process if the acquired printer name is determined to be the printer name corresponding to the installer. Had become.

However, in the USB interface and the IEEE 1394 interface, which have been widely used in recent years, a plurality of devices can be connected to one interface, and addresses are dynamically allocated. Therefore, a port name cannot be determined in advance. Therefore, the conventional method of checking a predetermined port name does not allow the installer to properly install a printer driver, thereby imposing a burden on the user.

More specifically, the problems are as follows. The USB interface in Microsoft Windows is not recognized as a port unless a host and a device are connected. Moreover, the USB interface can connect up to 127 devices, and cannot predict in advance what the name will be even if it is recognized as a port. Therefore, it is difficult to detect a connected device, for example, a printer (model) using a predetermined port name as in the related art, and there has been a problem that the user must select an appropriate driver.

Alternatively, a printer driver can be automatically installed by using a plug and play function in Windows, but a unique function cannot be added because a vendor-specific application cannot be installed. . Therefore, an installer is indispensable for installing a printer driver.

[0015] The above problems are not special to USB port-connected printers, and devices connected via a network such as Ethernet (registered trademark) in the sense that device names and addresses cannot be predicted in advance. Is equally applicable.

In a configuration in which external devices are connected via a network such as Ethernet, it is not unusual for a plurality of devices (for example, printers) having the same function to be simultaneously connected to their ports or networks. Printers may be connected to the port or network.

It has been a general method to distinguish printers by giving a name such as a nickname separately from the product name. However, this method, when forgetting the nickname, did not know which printer was really the printer you wanted to print. So I had to print a trial and see which printer it came from. Therefore, there is a demand for a method for distinguishing a printer that wants to print without performing test printing.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems,
Anyone can definitely install a device driver connected to an interface that can connect multiple devices such as SB ports to the system, and identify external devices such as printers that are connected to interfaces that can connect multiple devices such as USB ports. An object of the present invention is to enable the user to easily confirm the device such as a printer that he or she wants to use.

[0019]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, input / output to / from a peripheral device is controlled by controlling the peripheral device via a device driver of the device, and registration of the device driver is performed. Device information of which registry information is registered in the registry information storage means, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the control program. The device ID information corresponding to the device driver to be searched is searched by the registry information storage unit, and when a part of the searched registry information is unknown, the registry information is deleted.

Alternatively, when a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device is installed in the system, the device ID information is extracted from an installation information definition file.

Alternatively, a peripheral device is connected via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected, and the peripheral device is controlled via a device driver of the device to perform input / output with respect to the device. In a computer-readable storage medium storing a device, a control method thereof, and a control program thereof, it is determined whether or not the number of the input / output ports is increased, and when the number of the input / output ports is increased, the number of the ports is increased via the increased port. , A device name of a peripheral device corresponding to the peripheral device is acquired, and when the acquired device name indicates a specific corresponding model, a process of installing a device driver of the peripheral device is adopted.

Alternatively, an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be connected at the same time to perform input / output to / from the device, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable program storing the control program In a possible storage medium, a confirmation command for confirming a peripheral device to be selected as an input / output destination by a user is transmitted via the input / output port, and the peripheral device receiving the confirmation command receives the confirmation command. A configuration to notify the user was adopted.

Alternatively, an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be connected at the same time to perform input / output to / from the device, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable program storing the control program In a possible storage medium, status information determined according to the operation or operation state of the peripheral device is received from the peripheral device via the input / output port, and the peripheral device is used as an input / output destination according to the received status information. The configuration to select was adopted.

[0024]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] In the present embodiment, Wi
An example of a process for installing a device driver on Windows (product name) will be described. In this embodiment, when the device driver is installed, the setup is executed with reference to the so-called INF. However, when the system registry is searched and the corresponding device is an “unknown” device, the registry is automatically set. By removing the corresponding registry path from, anyone can undoubtedly install the device driver on the system without requiring an explicit delete operation.

FIG. 1 illustrates a hardware configuration for realizing the present embodiment. The illustrated configuration is a very general configuration of a known personal computer.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral H01 denotes a control unit (hereinafter referred to as CPU) for controlling the present embodiment, H02 denotes a keyboard for inputting various data, and H03 denotes a color display for displaying image data stored in a RAM H04. so,
It is composed of a CRT or an LCD display.

Reference numeral H04 denotes a read-only memory (hereinafter referred to as ROM) for preliminarily storing a control procedure for controlling the entire apparatus and other necessary information, H05 denotes a random access memory (hereinafter referred to as RAM) used as a work area, and H06. Is a hard disk in which various data reading / writing and programs are stored. The setup program described later is supplied in a state of being stored in the hard disk H06, a CD-ROM (not shown), a floppy disk, or the like, and is stored in the RAM H05 (or further using a virtual storage mechanism mounted on the hard disk H06). Be executed.

Reference numeral H07 denotes a USB interface to which a USB device H08 is connected. Any device such as a printer, a keyboard, a mouse, a tablet, a sound device, and a digital camera can be considered as the USB device H08. H09 is a data bus,
It is composed of an address bus, a data bus, various control signal lines, and the like, and is used to transfer various data.

FIG. 2 shows a file configuration of a device driver installed in the present embodiment. Figure 2 USB
DEV. SYS is a USB device (in this case, a printer)
A driver file, which is described in the form of an executable file that can be dynamically incorporated into the system.

Further, USBDEV. INF is a setting file used when installing the above driver. Because of its extension, it is commonly called an INF file. SETUP. EXE is an installation program embodying the present invention. Each file shown in FIG. 2 is supplied in a state stored in a hard disk H06, a CD-ROM (not shown), a floppy disk, or the like. For example, when supplying a USB-connected printer, the CD-RO
It is assumed that these files are supplied together with the printer stored in the M or a floppy disk.

Note that the driver for the USB port itself is separately installed.

FIG. 3 shows the USBDEV. Indicates the contents of INF. The INF file is a text file in which sections are defined by names enclosed in [] as shown in the figure, and then mnemonics of predetermined control parameters and values to be defined in the parameters are arranged. It is a line number and does not form part of the data.

The [Version] section in the first to fourth lines indicates that the device is a USB device and the vendor (Provider) of the device is “Qanon”.

The following section [Destination
Dir] (the fifth to sixth lines) indicates that the installation destination directory is the WINDOWS @ SYSTEM directory.

The [Manufacturer] section (lines 7 to 8) includes the above Provider and the following Qanon. This defines the section relation.

[Qanon. Section] (line 9 to line 10) is the USB device ID “USB @ VI
D_04A9 & PID_1052 ”is defined, that is, the device ID“ USB @ V ”.
It is defined that the installation of “ID — 04A9 & PID — 1052” is performed according to the method of the [Qanon.USB] section described later, and that the name is defined to be “Qanon USB Device”.

[Qanon. USB] section (11
From line 13 to line 13), the file copy at the time of installation is described in [Qanon. CopyList]
It is defined to follow the information in the section. Here, the addition of the registry information is described in [Qanon. A
ddReg] section.

[Qanon. CopyList] section (lines 14 to 15) includes usbdev. sy
s file (FIG. 2) is to be installed. [Qanon. [AddReg] section (lines 16 to 23) is information to be added to the system registry. Here, a driver name, a device type, a device ID, and the like are defined.

Next, with reference to FIG. 4, a description will be given of the processing of the registry in the case where "unknown device" has occurred during installation. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the entry of the device is opened using the registry editor. USB
Tevis registry information is HKEY_LOCAL_M
It is recorded under ACHINE \ Enum \ USB. The registry is actually recorded on the hard disk H06 in the form of a data file, but when accessed using a registry editor, it is displayed as a hierarchical structure as shown. “￥” indicates a hierarchical boundary, similar to the directory delimiter in the file system.

In the case of the present device, when the installation operation is performed, HKEY_LOCAL_MACH as shown in FIG.
INE \ Enum \ USB \ VID_04A9 & PID
Data is recorded in the serial number key of the device below _1052.

FIG. 4 shows a device having the serial number 000000, and the Class information of the registry information indicates the type of the device. If the installer was successfully executed using the INF file as shown in FIG.
If the device is a B device, the Class information is “USB”. However, since the user has specified an incorrect directory at the time of installation, there is a device driver that does not correspond to the detected USB device. If there is no driver, the value of this class information is “Unknown” indicating “unknown device” as shown in FIG.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of the installation program of this embodiment. The illustrated program is the SETUP. Implemented as part of EXE,
It is stored in a CD-ROM or a floppy disk and supplied.

In step S101 of FIG. 5, the USB driver file USBDEV. WINDO SYS
Copy to the WS \ SYSTEM directory. Then, in step S102, USBDE which is an INF file
V. Copy INF to WINDOWS \ INF directory.

In step S103, the USBDEV. IN
F file is read into the memory, and in step S104, [Qanon. [Section], and acquires USB device ID information. here,
The second parameter on the right side of the tenth line of the INF file in FIG. 3 is a USB device ID.

In step S105, the system registry is read so that it can be edited, and HKEY_LOCAL_M is added before the device ID obtained in step S104.
ACHINE {Enum} is added to create a registry path, and the registry information below this path is enumerated. FIG.
If the contents of the registry are the device ID "USB @ VI
A device with a serial number 000000 corresponding to D_04A9 & PID_1052 "is listed.

In the loop of steps S106 to S108, if a plurality of devices are registered in the registry path having the same device ID, these are sequentially listed.

In step S106, it is determined whether the listed registry paths remain. Step S if remaining
The process proceeds to step 107, and if there are no remaining files, the installation process ends. In step S107, the Class key is set to "Un
It is determined whether or not it is “known”.
If “now”, the process proceeds to step S108, and “Unknown” is performed.
If it is not "wn", the process returns to step S106 to check the next listed registry path.In step S108, all information of the registry path whose Class key is "Unknown" is deleted.

As described above, when the user specifies the wrong directory when installing the device driver targeted by this program, there is a device driver that does not correspond to the detected USB device, or the directory is not included in the first place. If the device driver does not exist, the value of this class information can be deleted from the registry path information of “Unknown” indicating “unknown device” as shown in FIG. If an operation such as reconnection is performed and a correct directory is specified, the driver of a USB device such as a printer can be normally installed.

Therefore, the user does not need to perform an operation for deleting an explicit driver by using a registry editor or the like as in the prior art, and easily prepares a USB device by himself without requiring expensive user support. Installation can be performed.

In the SETUP. It goes without saying that EXE can be stored in any installation media and provided without being limited to a floppy disk or CD-ROM.

In the above embodiment, the device ID of the USB device is USB @ VID_04A9 & PID
Although _1052 is used, it goes without saying that other device IDs can be applied. In the above, USB
Although the port has been exemplified, it is needless to say that the above technique can be similarly applied to an interface for connecting a plurality of external devices, for example, an interface such as IEEE1394.

[Second Embodiment] In the above, the operation of the registry at the time of executing the installer has been described. Hereinafter, the configuration of the installer suitable for a device dynamically connected to a port such as a USB will be described in detail. I do.

The present embodiment is also an installer corresponding to a USB printer that operates on Windows of Microsoft Corporation. In the case of a USB printer, two device drivers are required. One is a printer driver and the other is a lower USB driver. US
The B driver is a device driver for transmitting and receiving data via USB. Therefore, the installer corresponding to the USB printer needs to install two device drivers.

The installation procedure in this embodiment is as follows. When the user starts the installer of this embodiment (or is automatically started by a program such as a wizard), the screen of FIG. 7 is displayed.
The user connects the USB printer to the host. Thereby, the USB driver is installed via the installer program described later.

The installation process of the driver of the USB port itself is performed not by the installer of the present embodiment but by the installer attached to Windows as in the above embodiment. Also, the USB driver creates a new port when installed.

The above operation is based on US in Windows.
This is a general specification of the B driver. Once the USB driver is installed, the installer of the present embodiment recognizes the new port, obtains the name of the connected printer, and selects the optimal printer driver. While the file is being copied, the screen shown in FIG. 8 is displayed, the file copy process is performed, and the printer driver is registered. The user only needs to start the installer and connect the printer.

FIG. 6 shows a hardware configuration for realizing the present invention. Since the configuration of FIG. 6 is substantially the same as that of FIG. 1 of the above-described embodiment, a duplicate description will be omitted here.

In FIG. 6, reference numeral H07 denotes a printer interface, and H08 denotes a printer. It is assumed that USB is used as the printer interface H07.

Next, the operation of the installer of the printer device driver according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. The name of the execution file of the printer installer is the same as that of the first embodiment.
EXE, and is supplied in a state of being stored in a hard disk or by a medium such as a CD-ROM or a floppy disk as in the above-described embodiment.

When the installer binary (SETUP.EXE) on these media is explicitly started by the user or started via the wizard,
In step S101 of FIG. 14, a file related to the USB driver is copied to the system (see FIG. 2). By copying the USB driver file in advance, the user does not need to specify the file.

Step S102 is a step of listing all the port names of the system and storing them in the memory as a port list A. FIG. 9 shows the structure of the port list. FIG. 9 shows LPT1, COM1, FILE, and US
This is an example in which a port called BPRN01 is stored.

In step S103, the installer screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed.
Prompt to connect B printer. When the user connects the printer to the USB port, a process for waiting until the port check interval time is reached in step S104.
In this embodiment, the interval time is set to 2 seconds. When two seconds have elapsed, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S105, all port names of the system are listed and stored in the memory as a port list B.

In the step S106, the ports existing in the port list A are deleted from the port list B. As a result of this deletion, the newly added port remains in the port list B. If no ports have been added, nothing remains.

In step S107, it is determined whether a port remains in port list B. If no port remains, the process returns to step S104, and if a port remains, the process proceeds to step S108.

In step S108, it is determined whether the port names remaining in the port list B are USB interface ports. In the present embodiment, the port name of the USB interface is “USBPRN number”. Therefore, the head of the port name remaining in the port list B is "USBPR".
Judge whether it is "N", and if the head is "USBPRN", it is US
Judge as the port of the B interface. If it is determined that the port is a USB interface port, the process proceeds to step S109. Otherwise, the process returns to step S104.

In step S109, a port of the USB interface is opened. In step S110, GET_DEWC of the USB protocol is read from the opened port.
It requests an E_ID request and acquires the device ID of the connected USB device. This device ID is
This is a character string as shown in FIG. Device I of FIG.
D is "Qanon" for the device manufacturer and the product name is "
ABC-3000 ".

In step S111 of FIG. 15, the USB interface port opened in step S109 is closed.

Step S112 is a step for creating a plug and play ID (PnPID for short) from the device ID. This PnPID is obtained by adding the name of the MFG tag of the device ID and the name of the MDL tag. FIG.
PnPID is "QancmABC
-3000 ".

In step S113, it is determined whether the PnPID created in step S112 is described in the corresponding printer list of the installer. Here, the structure of the corresponding printer list of the present embodiment is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the corresponding printer list is PnPID
And the corresponding file name. In the example of FIG. 11, this installer is “ABon” manufactured by “Qanon”.
C-300 "," ABC-80v "," ABC-800
It can be understood that the PnPID created in step S112 is described in the corresponding printer list, and the corresponding printer is determined in step S1.
Proceed to 14, and if not described, return to step S104.

In step S114, step S103
The installation screen 1 displayed in step 2 is deleted, and during the copying of the file, the installation screen 2 in FIG. 8 is displayed in step S115. In step S116, a file name described in the corresponding printer list is obtained. In step S117, the file obtained in step S116 is copied.

In step S118, it is determined whether all the files of the corresponding printer list have been copied. When all copying is completed, the process proceeds to step S119. If the copying has not been completed, the process returns to step S117.

In step S119, step S117
Register the file copied in step 2 as a printer driver in the system. In step S120, step S115
The installation screen 2 displayed by is deleted.

As described above, a port increase determination is performed to determine whether the number of input / output ports has increased, a printer name is acquired through the increased port, and it is determined whether the acquired printer name is a printer corresponding to the installer. Since the installation process is performed when it is determined to be a compatible model, it is possible to install the optimal driver when connecting a device such as a printer even with an interface such as a USB interface whose port name is not predetermined. it can.

[Third Embodiment] This embodiment is an example in which the addition of a port is more efficiently determined than in the second embodiment.
The hardware configuration is the same as that of the above embodiment, and the operation of the installer in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

The name of the execution file of the printer installer is the same as that of the second embodiment. EXE, and is supplied in a state of being stored in a hard disk or by a medium such as a CD-ROM or a floppy disk as in the above-described embodiment.

When the installer binary (SETUP.EXE) on these media is explicitly started by the user or started via a wizard,
In step S201 in FIG. 16, a file related to the USB driver is copied to the system. By copying the USB driver file in advance, the user does not need to specify the file.

In step S202, the installer screen shown in FIG. 7 is displayed. This screen prompts the user to connect a USB printer. When the user connects the USB printer, in step S203, a process of waiting for a message sent from the system is performed. Here, the message is a command sent from the system to the application.
For example, a message is sent when the screen is rewritten or a key is pressed.

In step S204, it is determined whether the message sent from the system is a WM_DEVICECHANGE message. This WM_DEVICECH
An ANG message is sent when the status of a device connected to a personal computer changes. If the message is a WM_DEVICECHANGE message, the process proceeds to step S205; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S20.
Return to 3.

In step S205, WM_DEVIC
The cause of the ECHANGE message is checked to determine whether a port has been added. If a port has been added, the process proceeds to step S206. Otherwise, the process returns to step S203.

In step S206, it is determined whether the head of the name of the added port is "USBPRN". When step S206 is affirmed, step S207
The process proceeds to step S203. If the result is negative, the process returns to step S203.
Step S207 is a step of opening the port determined to be USB in step S206. Step S2
08 is USB port GE from open port
A T_DEVICE_ID request is requested, and a device ID is obtained. This device ID is the same as that of the second embodiment. Step S209 is step S207
Close the port of the USB interface opened with.

In step S210, a plug and play ID (PnPID for short) is created from the device ID.
As described above, PnPID is obtained by adding the name of the MFG tag of the device ID and the name of the MDL tag.

In step S211, it is determined whether the PnPID created in step S210 is described in the corresponding printer list of the installer. The corresponding printer list is the same as in the second embodiment. If the PnPID created in step S210 is described in the corresponding printer list, it is determined that the printer is a compatible printer, and the process proceeds to step S212. If not, the process returns to step S203.

In step S212, step S202
Deletes the installation screen 1 displayed in step S2
At 13, an installation screen 2 of FIG. 8 is displayed. Then, in step S214, a file name described in the corresponding printer list is obtained. Further, step S2
Step 15 is a step of copying the file obtained in step S214.

In step S216, it is determined whether all the files in the corresponding printer list have been copied. If all the files have been copied, the flow advances to step S217. In step S217, the file copied in step S215 is registered in the system as a printer driver. Further, in step S218, the installation screen 2 displayed in step S213 is deleted.

As described above, the message sent from the system at the time of device connection is WM_DEVICEC.
It determines whether the message is a HANGE message, further determines whether or not the number of input / output ports has increased according to the content thereof, obtains a printer name through the increased port, and obtains the printer name corresponding to the printer corresponding to the installer. The installation process is performed when it is determined that the device is a compatible model. Therefore, even if the port name is not determined in advance, such as a USB interface, an optimal driver can be selected when connecting a device such as a printer. Can be installed.
In the present embodiment, since a message sent from the system at the time of device connection is used, the addition of a port can be determined more efficiently than in the second embodiment.

[Fourth Embodiment] An example in which an optimum printer is determined using further different information will be described below. Since the information used in the present embodiment is information that the USB device always has, it can be applied to an installer of a device other than a printer. The hardware configuration is the same as in the second and third embodiments, and FIG. 18 and FIG.
The operation of the installer in this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

The name of the execution file of the printer installer is the same as that of the third embodiment. EXE, and is supplied in a state of being stored in a hard disk or by a medium such as a CD-ROM or a floppy disk as in the above-described embodiment.

When the installer binary (SETUP.EXE) on these media is explicitly started by the user or started via the wizard,
The process proceeds to step S301 in FIG.

In step S301, files related to the USB driver are copied to the system. By copying the USB driver file in advance, the user does not need to specify the file.

In step S302, all port names of the system are listed and stored in the memory as a port list A. The structure of the port list is as shown in FIG. 9, where FIG. 9 shows LPT1, COM1, FILE, and USBP.
The port RN01 is stored.

Step S303 is a step for displaying the installer screen of FIG. This screen allows the user
Prompt to connect B printer. Then, step S304
Is a process of waiting until the port check interval time comes. In the present embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the interval time is set to 2 seconds, and when it reaches 2 seconds, step S305 is performed.
Proceed to.

In step S305, all port names of the system are listed and stored in the memory as a port list B. Step S306 is a step of deleting a port existing in the port list A from the port list B. As a result of the deletion, the newly added port remains in the port list B. If not, nothing remains.

Step S307 is a step for judging whether or not a port remains in the port list B. If no port remains, the process returns to step S304. If a port remains, the process proceeds to step S308.

Step S308 is a step for judging whether the port names remaining in the port list B are ports of the USB interface. In this embodiment, since the port name of the USB interface is “USBPRN number”, the head of the port name remaining in the port list B is “USBPN”.
RN ", and if the beginning is" USBPRN ", U
It is determined that the port is an SB interface port. USB
If it is an interface port, the process proceeds to step S309; otherwise, the process returns to step S304.

In step S309, a port of the USB interface is opened. In step S310, GET_ is performed from the opened port using the USB protocol.
Request a DESCRIPTOR request and obtain a device descriptor. This device descriptor is a structure that stores basic information of the device.
This data is common to all Windows device files, not limited to devices. FIG. 12 shows an example of the structure of the device descriptor and its contents. In FIG. 12, the vendor ID of the device descriptor is an ID meaning a manufacturer, and the product ID is an ID for distinguishing a product.
In the case of FIG. 12, the vendor ID is 04A9 and the product ID is
Is 0000.

In step S311, step S309
Close the port of the USB interface opened with. Then, in step S312, step S3
Vendor ID from device descriptor obtained in 10
And the product ID.

In step S313, it is determined whether or not the vendor ID and product ID extracted in step S312 are described in the corresponding printer list of the installer. FIG. 13 shows the structure of the corresponding printer list included in the installer of the present embodiment. The corresponding printer list includes a vendor ID, a product ID, and a file name corresponding to the product ID. If the vendor ID and product ID created in step S312 are described in the corresponding printer list, it is determined that the printer is a corresponding printer, and the process proceeds to step S314. If not, the process returns to step S304.

In step S314, the installation screen 1 displayed in step S303 is deleted. Then, in a step S315, the installation screen 2 of FIG. 8 is displayed. The installation screen 2 is displayed while the file is being copied. Further, a step S316 obtains the file name described in the corresponding printer list, and a step S317
Copies the file acquired in step S316.

In step S318, it is determined whether all the device driver files of the printers in the corresponding printer list have been copied. When all copies are completed, step S3
Go to 19, otherwise return to step S317.
Then, in step S319, the file copied in step S317 is registered in the system as a printer driver, and in step S320, the installation screen 2 displayed in step S315 is deleted.

As described above, GET_DESCRI
A device descriptor is obtained by using the PTOR protocol, a device name (printer name) is obtained, and a port increase determination for determining whether an input / output port is increased is performed.
The printer name is acquired via the increased port, and the acquired printer name is determined to be a printer corresponding to the installer. If the printer name is determined to be a compatible model, the installation process is performed. Even with an interface whose name is not determined in advance, an optimum driver can be installed when a device such as a printer is connected.

Although the present embodiment is limited to the USB interface, there is an advantage that any interface can be used as long as a port is added when a device driver is installed.

In the above, Microsoft is used as the OS.
Although Windows of the company was considered, it goes without saying that the above technology can be applied when a similar mechanism is used to specify a device such as a printer in an arbitrary OS.

[Fifth Embodiment] In the present embodiment, the US
In the case where a plurality of external devices such as a printer are connected via an interface such as a B port and Ethernet, a configuration for easily confirming an external device which the user wants to use is illustrated.

In the present embodiment, a "confirmation command" is transmitted to the printer selected by the host, and the printer is made to respond to the "confirmation command" so that the printer which the user wants to use can be easily confirmed. More specifically, "confirmation command"
The printer that receives the sound generates an audible sound, whereby the user determines from which printer the sound is emitted. Thus, the correspondence between the printer displayed on the host and the actual printer can be confirmed.

First, a hardware configuration for realizing the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG.
Alternatively, in the drawings equivalent to FIG. 6, the same or corresponding members are denoted by the same reference numerals. Printer interface H
Reference numeral 07 denotes a port such as a USB port that allows simultaneous connection of a plurality of printers H81, H82,. The other configuration is the same as that of FIG. 1 or FIG. 6, and the detailed description is omitted here.

In this embodiment, a "confirmation command" is transmitted from the computer (host) to the printers H81, H82,..., And at this time, the control procedure shown in the flowchart of FIG. 21 and the dialog shown in FIG. Used.

The control procedure shown in FIG. 21 is supplied in a state stored in a hard disk as a program executable by the CPU H01, or supplied from a medium such as a CD-ROM or a floppy disk as in the above-described embodiment.
More specifically, such a program is supplied as a part of a printer driver program, and is started from a control panel, a menu or an icon for controlling the printer, or via a print dialog of an application. The titles of menus and icons may be "printer confirmation", "printer selection", and the like.

When activated by the menus and icons as described above, the program is executed in step S01 in FIG.
, A list of printer names connected to the host is displayed. 22 is a display area for listing the names of printers connected to the host. If the number of printers is large, this area is controlled to be scrollable. The printer name is GET_DESCRI as shown in FIG.
In addition to using the product name character string obtained using the PTOR protocol, if the same printer exists, a character string generated by automatically adding a number after this product name character string can be used. Alternatively, a nickname set arbitrarily by the user may be used.

In step S02, the process waits for a mouse click from the user. Here, the user selects the desired printer name by clicking with the mouse,
The confirmation command is transmitted by pressing the "confirm" button. By pressing a “select” button, a printer to be used for printing can be selected.

If a click event has occurred, it is determined in step S03 whether or not the printer name portion of the dialog shown in FIG. 22 has been clicked. When the printer name is clicked, steps S04 and S0
5 is executed. That is, in step S04, the printer name that has been highlighted is restored to the original, and in step S05
Then, the name of the newly clicked printer is highlighted.

Steps S06, S08, and S10 correspond to “confirm”, “cancel”,
The click of each button of "selection" is detected.

First, in step S06, it is determined whether the "confirmation" button in FIG. 22 has been pressed. If the "confirmation" button has been pressed, in step S07, a confirmation command is issued to the currently highlighted printer. send. The format of the confirmation command is arbitrary, and in this embodiment, any format may be used as long as an audible sound can be generated using a speaker or the like of the printer. For example, if there is a command (such as a command for generating a warning sound) corresponding to the PDL (page description language) of the printer, it can be used. The printer will beep when it receives this command.

In step S08, "cancel" in FIG.
If the button has been pressed, all printer selections are invalidated in step S09, and the dialog processing ends. If the "select" button has been pressed in step S10, the dialog processing is terminated in step S11 with the currently highlighted printer as the newly selected printer. If the "select" button has not been pressed in step S10, the process returns to step S02 and waits for a new mouse click.

On the other hand, the printer performs the processing as shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, step S0
In step S1, the command waits for a command. When a command is received, it is determined in step S02 whether the received command is the confirmation command transmitted in step S07 of FIG. 21. Sounds.

After step S04, the original printer processing is performed. If the received command is a print command, the corresponding print processing is performed (step S05).

In this way, the user can check the list of printers using the dialog (FIG. 22) and send a confirmation command to the target printer to generate a beep sound. It can be easily confirmed.

The above technology is not limited to printers,
When connecting a plurality of external devices (for example, input devices such as scanners) via an interface such as a port or Ethernet, use this device so that you can easily confirm the external device you want to use. Can be done.

In the present embodiment, a command that emits a sound is used as a confirmation command. However, the essence of the present invention is that a user can confirm a printer at a printing destination by causing a printer to execute a command that operates differently from printing. Thus, the operation performed by the printer in response to the confirmation command is not only the generation of an audible sound,
The operation of blinking the ED may be performed.

[Sixth Embodiment] Contrary to the above-described fifth embodiment, by performing an operation on the external device (printer) side, the "selected" state is set so that the external device can be used for output (or input). It is also conceivable.

For example, as shown in FIG. 26, when a selection button B02 is provided on a printer (corresponding to H81 or H82 in FIG. 20) as an external device and the user wants to use the printer for output, this selection button is selected. Button B0
Press 2. Pressing of the selection button B02 is transmitted to the host side according to a predetermined protocol, and the host side receiving this presses "select" to use the printer for output.
Control the state. The button B01 in FIG. 26 is a power button.

The hardware configuration on the host (computer) side of this embodiment may be the same as that of the fifth embodiment. In the present embodiment, a control procedure as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 24 and a dialog as shown in FIG. 25 are used. The program in FIG. 24 may be started at the same timing as in the fifth embodiment. Since the overall configuration of the process in FIG. 24 is substantially the same as that in FIG. 21, the description of the same details as those in the process in FIG. 21 will be omitted.

In step S01 of FIG. 24, the currently connected printer is displayed in the dialog of FIG.

At step S02, mouse input is waited. If there is mouse input, first, at step S03, the status of all printers displayed at step S01 is obtained. It is assumed that this status includes “selection status” indicating whether or not the selection button B02 in FIG. 26 has been pressed. As described above, the press of the selection button B02 is transmitted to the host side according to a predetermined protocol. If the selection status is 1, select button B0 for the printer
2 means pressed.

In step S04, “selection status =
To determine if any printer has returned a status of "1".
If there is a printer with the selection status = 1, step S05
Then, the display of the printer name which has been reversely displayed is returned to the original state, and further, the display of the printer name whose selection status = 1 is reversed in step S06.

In step S07, it is determined whether or not a mouse click has occurred based on the mouse input information obtained in step S02.
If a mouse click has occurred, the process proceeds to step S08, and if no mouse click has occurred, the process returns to step S02.

In step S08, it is determined whether or not the printer name in the dialog of FIG. 25 has been clicked. If it has been clicked, the flow proceeds to step S09; if not, the flow proceeds to step S11.

In step S09, the display of the printer name which has been reversely displayed is restored, and in step S10, the display of the printer name clicked with the mouse is reversed. That is, the printer can be selected by manual operation as in FIG.

In step S11, it is determined whether the "cancel" button in the dialog shown in FIG. 25 has been pressed. If the button has been pressed, the flow advances to step S12 to invalidate all printer selections and end the dialog processing.

In step S13, it is determined whether the "select" button in FIG. 25 has been pressed, and if not, the flow returns to step S02 to accept a new mouse input. On the other hand, if the confirmation button has been pressed, the process of the dialog is ended in step S14 with the currently highlighted printer as the newly selected printer.

On the printer side, the selection status can be determined by performing the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 27 illustrates a task for performing processing relating to the selection status. Since the original processing of the printer may be operated as another task, the description of the original processing of the printer is omitted here.

In step S01 of FIG. 27, the press of the operation button of the printer is accepted, and in step S02, it is determined whether or not the selection button (B02 of FIG. 26) is pressed. When the selection button is pressed, the process proceeds to step S03, where the selection status is set to 1, and when the selection button is not pressed, the selection status is set to 0 in step S04. The printer may hold this status and transmit it to the host when a status request is made using a predetermined protocol.

As described above, when the user checks the list of printers using the dialog (FIG. 25), if the user presses the select button on the printer side, the printer is already in an inverted display state. By simply confirming the selected state with the "select" button, the user can easily confirm and select the printer he / she wants to use.

The technique of the present embodiment is not limited to a printer.
When connecting a plurality of external devices (for example, input devices such as a scanner) via an interface such as a USB port and an Ethernet, the device is used to easily confirm the external device that the user wants to use. Is what you can do.

In the present embodiment, a configuration in which a dedicated “select” button is provided in the printer is exemplified. For example, an online button, another existing operation button, or a combination of pressing of a plurality of existing operation buttons is “selected”. It may be used for the operation.

[Seventh Embodiment] Alternatively, in this embodiment, when the power of the printer is turned on, the printer driver of the host may automatically "select" the printer as a printing destination. The hardware configuration of this embodiment may be the same as that of the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, a control procedure as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 28 and a dialog of FIG. 25 (the same as in the sixth embodiment) are used. The program in FIG. 28 may be started at the same timing as in the fifth and sixth embodiments. FIG.
21 and 24 are substantially the same as those shown in FIGS. 21 and 24, and the description of the same details as those in FIGS.

In step S01 of FIG. 28, the currently connected printer is displayed in the dialog of FIG. 25, and in step S02, input of a mouse is awaited.

In the step S03, it is determined whether or not there is a newly connected printer. Here, "connection" means U
It is only necessary that the printer be visible on a network such as an SB bus or Ethernet. Therefore, even when a printer connected via a USB bus or Ethernet is changed from a power-off state to a power-on state, it can be detected in this step. Specifically, the address of a printer on a bus or a network is monitored, and FIG.
Even when an explicit signal is transmitted from the printer when the power is turned on by the power button B01 or the like, it can be determined whether or not there is a newly "connected" printer.

If there is a newly connected printer, in step S04, the display of the printer name, which has been highlighted on the dialogue, is restored to the original, and step S0
In step 5, the display of the printer name of the newly connected printer is inverted.

In step S06, it is determined whether or not a mouse click has occurred based on the mouse input information obtained in step S02. If a mouse click has occurred, the process proceeds to step S07. If not, the process returns to step S02.

In step S07, it is determined whether the printer name in the dialog of FIG. 25 has been clicked. If it has been clicked, the flow proceeds to step S08; if not, the flow proceeds to step S10.

At step S08, the display of the printer name which has been inverted and displayed up to now is restored, and at step S09, the display of the printer name clicked with the mouse is inverted.

In step S10, it is determined whether the "cancel" button in the dialog shown in FIG. 25 has been pressed. If the button has been pressed, the flow advances to step S11. In step S11, all printer selections are invalidated, and the dialog processing ends.

In step S12, it is determined whether the "select" button in the dialog of FIG. 25 has been pressed, and if not, the flow returns to step S02 to wait for a new mouse input. If the confirmation button has been pressed, the dialog processing is terminated in step S13 with the currently highlighted printer as the newly selected printer.

As described above, when the user checks the list of printers using the dialog (FIG. 25), the printer that has been turned on is in the inverted display state. You can easily confirm and select the printer you want to use just by confirming it.

The technology of the present embodiment is not limited to a printer.
When connecting a plurality of external devices (for example, input devices such as a scanner) via an interface such as a USB port and an Ethernet, the device is used to easily confirm the external device that the user wants to use. Is what you can do.

[0149]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, input / output to / from a peripheral device is controlled by controlling the peripheral device via the device driver of the device, and a registry for registering the device driver is provided. An electronic device whose information is registered in the registry information storage means, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable storage medium storing the control program, the device to be registered when a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device is installed in the system. Searching the registry information storage means for device ID information corresponding to the driver;
When a part of the searched registry information is unknown, the registry information is deleted, so no operation to delete the explicit driver is required, and expensive user support is required. There is an excellent effect that it is possible to easily install a USB device by itself without the need for a USB device.

Alternatively, a peripheral device is connected through an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected, and the peripheral device is controlled via a device driver of the device to perform input / output to / from the device. In a computer-readable storage medium storing a device, a control method thereof, and a control program thereof, it is determined whether or not the number of the input / output ports is increased, and when the number of the input / output ports is increased, the number of the ports is increased via the increased port. By acquiring the device name of the peripheral device corresponding to the device, and installing the device driver of the peripheral device when the acquired device name indicates a specific compatible model, as in the case of the USB interface, , Port names are not predetermined, and multiple peripheral devices can be connected simultaneously At Do input and output ports, it is possible to install a suitable driver when connected to devices such as printers, there is excellent effect that.

Alternatively, an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be connected at the same time to perform input / output with respect to the device, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable storage device storing the control program In a possible storage medium, a confirmation command for confirming a peripheral device to be selected as an input / output destination by a user is transmitted via the input / output port, and the peripheral device receiving the confirmation command receives the confirmation command. By adopting the configuration to notify the user, unlike the USB interface, the port name is not determined in advance,
Even with an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected, there is an excellent effect that a user can easily specify a peripheral device such as a printer to be used by the user.

Alternatively, an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be connected at the same time to input / output to / from the device, a control method thereof, and a computer-readable program storing the control program In a possible storage medium, status information determined according to the operation or operation state of the peripheral device is received from the peripheral device via the input / output port, and the peripheral device is used as an input / output destination according to the received status information. By adopting the configuration to select, the operation or operation state of the peripheral device, for example, the status of the peripheral device such as a printer that the user wants to use using the status determined according to the operation state of the operation means of the peripheral device or the state of turning on the main power supply An excellent effect that the device can be easily confirmed and selected can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a personal computer capable of implementing the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a file used for a device driver installation process according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows the USBDEV. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the contents of INF.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a state where a system registry is opened by a registry editor.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a personal computer capable of implementing the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an installer screen 1 displayed in the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 8 is an installer screen 2 displayed in the present invention.
FIG.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a port list used in the present invention.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing device IDs used in the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a corresponding printer list included in the installer program of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a device descriptor used in the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing different compatible printer lists of the installer program of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a personal computer capable of implementing the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is an explanatory diagram showing a printer selection dialog used in the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart illustrating control on the printer side.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is an explanatory diagram showing a printer selection dialog used in the present invention.

FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a printer provided with a selection button.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart illustrating a printer selection status.

FIG. 28 is a flowchart illustrating a control procedure according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 H01 CPU H02 Keyboard H03 Display H04 ROM H05 RAM H06 Hard disk H07 USB interface H08 USB device

Claims (15)

[Claims] An electronic device in which a peripheral device is controlled via a device driver of the device to perform input / output with respect to the device and to register registry information on registration of the device driver in a registry information storage means. When the device driver of the peripheral device is installed in the system, device ID information corresponding to the device driver to be registered is searched by the registry information storage unit, and if a part of the searched registry information is unknown, An electronic device wherein the registry information is deleted. 2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, when a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device is installed in the system, the device ID information is extracted from an installation information definition file. 3. An electronic device for inputting / outputting to / from a peripheral device by connecting the peripheral device via an input / output port capable of simultaneously connecting a plurality of peripheral devices and controlling the peripheral device via a device driver of the device. In the device, it is determined whether or not the input / output port is increased, and when the input / output port is increased, a device name of a peripheral device corresponding to the port is acquired through the increased port, and the acquired device name is specified. An electronic device that performs a process of installing a device driver of the peripheral device when the corresponding model is indicated. 4. An electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be connected at the same time and performing input / output with respect to the device, the user selects a peripheral device to be selected as an input / output destination. Send a confirmation command for confirmation via the input / output port,
An electronic device, wherein a peripheral device receiving the confirmation command notifies the user of the reception of the confirmation command to a user. 5. An electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected and performing input / output with respect to the device, wherein the electronic device is determined according to an operation or an operation state of the peripheral device. An electronic device, comprising: receiving status information from the peripheral device via the input / output port; and selecting a peripheral device as an input / output destination according to the received status information. 6. A control method for an electronic device in which input / output to / from a device is controlled by controlling a peripheral device via a device driver of the device, and registry information relating to registration of the device driver is registered in a registry information storage unit. In installing a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device in the system, device ID information corresponding to a device driver to be registered is searched by the registry information storage unit, and a part of the searched registry information is unknown. A method of controlling an electronic device, wherein the registry information is deleted. 7. The method of controlling an electronic device according to claim 6, wherein, when a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device is installed in the system, the device ID information is extracted from an installation information definition file. 8. An electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port capable of simultaneously connecting a plurality of peripheral devices and controlling the peripheral device via a device driver of the device to perform input / output to / from the device. In the device control method, it is determined whether or not the input / output port is increased, and when the input / output port is increased, a device name of a peripheral device corresponding to the port is acquired through the increased port, and the acquired device is acquired. A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: performing a process of installing a device driver of a peripheral device when a name indicates a specific corresponding model. 9. In a control method of an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected and performing input / output with respect to the device, a user should select as an input / output destination. Send a confirmation command to confirm the peripheral device via the input / output port,
A method for controlling an electronic device, wherein the peripheral device that has received the confirmation command notifies the user of the reception of the confirmation command to a user. 10. A method for controlling an electronic device which connects a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected and performs input / output with respect to the device, comprising the steps of: A method for controlling an electronic device, comprising: receiving status information determined according to the status information from the peripheral device via the input / output port, and selecting a peripheral device as an input / output destination according to the received status information. 11. A control program for an electronic device in which input / output to / from a device is controlled by controlling a peripheral device via a device driver of the device, and registry information relating to registration of the device driver is registered in a registry information storage unit. When a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device is installed in a system, a device ID information corresponding to a device driver to be registered is searched by the registry information storage means, and the searched registry is used. A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for an electronic device, which stores a control procedure for deleting the registry information when a part of the information is unknown. 12. The electronic device control program according to claim 11, wherein the device ID information is extracted from an installation information definition file when a device driver of a predetermined peripheral device is installed in the system. Computer readable storage medium. 13. An electronic device for inputting / outputting to / from a peripheral device by connecting the peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected, and controlling the peripheral device via a device driver of the device. In a computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for a device, it is determined whether or not the number of the input / output ports has increased, and when the number of the input / output ports has increased, the number of peripheral devices corresponding to the port has increased. A control program for an electronic device, comprising: acquiring a device name; and storing a control procedure for installing a device driver of the peripheral device when the acquired device name indicates a specific corresponding model. A computer-readable storage medium that stores therein. 14. A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program of an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected and performing input / output to / from the device. A confirmation command for confirming a peripheral device to be selected as an input / output destination by the user is transmitted via the input / output port,
A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for an electronic device, wherein a control procedure for notifying a user of the reception of the confirmation command is stored in a peripheral device that has received the confirmation command. 15. A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program of an electronic device for connecting a peripheral device via an input / output port to which a plurality of peripheral devices can be simultaneously connected and performing input / output to / from the device. A control procedure for receiving status information determined according to the operation or operation state of the peripheral device from the peripheral device via the input / output port, and selecting a peripheral device as an input / output destination according to the received status information A computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for an electronic device, characterized by storing a control program.