INF development environment

A computer-implemented method for testing effects of a configuration file on an operating system executed by a computer and the computer itself, comprising:

• simulating execution of the configuration file in a development environment executed by the computer under the control of the operating system, in order to test at least one modification made thereby without actually making the modifications to the operating system and the computer, so that the computer and the operating system are insulated from changes resulting from the modifications;
• wherein the development environment further comprises an Interpreter that parses the configuration file and simulates actions taken by the operating system in response to commands in the configuration file;
• wherein actions taken by the Interpreter are transmitted to one or more components selected from a group comprising a Registry Emulator, a File System Emulator, a Message Handler, and a Change Log Handler;
• and
• wherein the Registry Emulator creates a temporary Registry by copying an actual Registry of the operating system, accepts changes received from the Interpreter, makes those changes to the temporary Registry, and logs the changes to the Change Log Handler, so that a developer can peruse the temporary Registry, as well as a log maintained by the Change Log Handler, to see how the configuration file would affect the operating system and the computer when installed.

An article of manufacture embodying one or more instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform method steps for testing effects of a configuration file on an operating system executed by a computer and the computer itself, the method comprising:

• simulating execution of the configuration file in a development environment executed by the computer under the control of the operating system, in order to test at least one modification made thereby without actually making the modifications to the operating system and the computer, so that the computer and the operating system are insulated from changes resulting from the modifications;
• wherein the development environment further comprises an Interpreter that parses the configuration file and simulates actions taken by the operating system in response to commands in the configuration file;
• wherein actions taken by the Interpreter are transmitted to one or more components selected from a group comprising a Registry Emulator, a File System Emulator, a Message Handler, and a Change Log Handler;
• and
• wherein the Registry Emulator creates a temporary Registry by copying an actual Registry of the operating system, accepts changes received from the Interpreter, makes those changes to the temporary Registry, and logs the changes to the Change Log Handler, so that a developer can peruse the temporary Registry, as well as a log maintained by the Change Log Handler, to see how the configuration file would affect the operating system and the computer when installed.