Monolithic Device Drivers May Prevent Windows 2000 Class Drivers from Working

If a monolithic driver is installed on a Windows 2000-based computer, 32-bit software may not access the hardware device correctly, or at all.

A monolithic driver is a type of device driver that contains all the instructions needed to function without being required to communicate with the miniport driver subsystem. Monolithic drivers bypass the Windows 2000 class drivers. Windows 2000 class drivers that normally handle device interaction may not interact with the device correctly, if at all, when monolithic drivers are in place. This may result in a wide variety of error messages, or Windows 2000 may not detect or communicate with the hardware device.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who want to provide support for a specific hardware device under Windows 2000 must create a device driver that is able to communicate between the hardware device and the Windows 2000 class driver for that type of hardware. If a hardware device is listed as being compatible with Windows 2000 on the Hardware Compatibility List Web site, you do not need to use a monolithic driver. Instead, contact the OEM for the hardware device and obtain an updated driver.

The Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List is available at the following Microsoft Web site: