A stream class driver for use in a computer operating system functions together with a minidriver. The minidriver is associated with a particular design for an adapter, which is a hardware device that generates or receives streaming data. The stream class driver deals with common operating system tasks such as direct memory access, scatter/gather memory use and Plug n Play. The stream class driver is independent of the hardware design and can therefore function with any type of streaming device or external buses such as USB or IEEE 1394. the minidriver functionality is limited to only those functions required by the unique aspects of the hardware and for the minimum requirements of operation, thereby minimizing the complexity and burden of designing minidrivers for hardware devices.