Patent ID: 7788419

Claim:
A method for installing an auxiliary unit on a computer having an interface suitable for connecting the auxiliary unit, which computer is prepared to carry out a registration routine, comprising: upon detecting the connection of a new auxiliary unit to the interface, within the registration routine, the installation of an operating routine required for operating the new auxiliary unit is carried out, if the operating routine is not yet present in the computer; and after the installation of the operating routine, the new auxiliary unit is switchable from a basic mode to an auxiliary-unit specific mode by a background process, wherein to install the operating routine data for installing the operating routine is first transmitted from the new auxiliary unit to the computer, wherein, for determining whether the required operating routine has to be transmitted, on the computer the background process is installed, which upon connecting an auxiliary unit sends a request for identification information and checks whether identification information transmitted back by the auxiliary unit upon request by the background process is already stored in a list in the computer.