Windows 10: inf files and PNF files differ; normal?

Using command prompt or desktop.ini from cmd.exe I have found files in the windows\inf folder that have a conflict. Not all, but a lot of files have the same name with a different extension (inf or PNF). The inf files are dated prior to the laptop build but the PNF files have the current date. Is this normal or is my machine wacked?

:)

 

A service installation section in this INF is invalid

Thanks for identifying the inf file it also worked for me with my Nokia 1520. I think that you still get the same error if you try to update it through Device Manager because it uses the 'PNF' file. This is created from the 'INF' file the first time it
is run and so if there is a 'PNF' file there it will use that rather that use the original 'INF' file. I think that if you deleted the 'PNF' file then it would update ok through Device Manager. I've been retired now for over twelve years and this is something
that I am sure I remember from way back when Windows started to use these files. Thanks for jogging my memory.

 

USB Disk drive no longer works on Desktop, works fine on MS Surface

I could not give it a Drive Letter, the device did not show up in Disk Management. Also the .inf and .PNF files were in the Windows\INF directory.

 

Quite normal. Every driver has both an INF and PNF file (same filename, different extensions). INF is a text based file. It tells Windows what devices the driver supports and how to install the driver package (destination directorries to copy files, registry modifications needed, etc). INF is a text based file you can open with notepad. PNF is the compiled version of the INF.