A computer storage architecture utilizing layered device drivers enables a user to create and install a device driver into a computer. The device driver is installed into the storage unit through a registration process. In order to permit the user to specify a device driver stack for the device driver and specify the relative position of the device driver within the device driver stack, a novel layered device driver registration system that is separate from a operating system device driver registration system is utilized. The layered device driver registration system enables the user to install one or more device drivers and to specify the placement of each device driver relative to the other device drivers in various device driver stacks. The layered device driver registration system allows a device driver to be dynamically inserted into or removed from a particular device driver stack.