An inf file is a setup file. It associates a hardware ID, such as you will see in the Manufacturers section, with various registry entires, the most important of which is the service entry since it determines the form of the HKLM\sys\CCS\Services\ entry for that device (or filter or whatever). You will also get a Hardware entry in the Registry that associates that Service for a particular Hardware ID, if it is a driver for hardware. Check the DDK/WDK for more info on inf files and driver installation.