How to interject drivers for a dell oem Image?
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I have about 200 XP boxes and laptops that we are going to replace with new Dell Windows 7 boxes before April and the Goal I’m am trying to reach is As soon as the boxes get here put them on the bench image them and then deployed Them, and I’m trying to get it as streamline as much as I possibly can. We already have Multipliable models of dell windows 7 boxes and laptops now. The way we have been doing our images is. That we get one model and build an image off that model and then sysprep it and then take the image. We are using FOG to take our images, and I found a nice little how to on creating VM and making images off of snap shots off of that VM. Which works really great for us because we are a local government (county). So since we are a county we have a lot of different departments that have different software and setup needs.
These are the different ways that I have also tried to do my images. I have followed quite a few different How-tos on how to do a master image across master platforms but I have had no luck with it at all. Here’s one of the how-tos that I’ve used that uses dpinst and I cannot get it to work at all in my answer file. I don’t know if it’s because I’m picking up on how to layout my drivers in Driver folder or what. The way I did it and I think it the wrong way is I copied all of the .INF Files for the drivers I’ve downloaded and off of the different model Dell Recovery cd’s and placed them in the Drivers Folder. Then I did a little more reaching around and found were people have broken up the drivers in sub Folders under the drivers folder. One folder for each of the following Audio, Chipset, Network, and Video. At first I just did the .INF files again in to the folders that represent they type of driver they are. Again it didn’t work so I tried it again with adding everything that was in the driver folder I extracted including the .dlls, .exe, and anything else that was in there, but it still didn’t work they only other thing that I didn’t try is this. Is this with the drivers in there sub folders I just dumped everything in to that sub folder. So now I’m wondering if I was to break up the different drivers in to their own subfolder if that would make a difference or not.
So I couldn’t get the dpinst to work so I went a different way of doing the images. But I’m still having the same issue that I have been having and that is. I can’t figure out how to embed the drivers for the different models in to the image. So I got the bright Idea that I would just get the different drivers and install them on to the VM, and please correct me if this is the wrong way of thinking about this. Well with this approach I can get the network drivers all day long. So far I haven’t had any problem with the computers that I have imaged so far with the network drivers… However the Chipset drivers are the ones that I’m having a hard time with. I try to install them like I been doing with the network drivers thinking hey it worked with the network driver. So it should work with the Chipset Drivers. Boy was I wrong it fails out every time because the hardware doesn’t match. So I have been beating myself up over this for days now. Please also keep in mind that I’m still testing and fine tuning this process that I started with taking images with a snap shot. And I have 3 different models that I push the images to and test and see if they are getting all their drivers.
I’ve also Read about customizing the install.wim file, but with that I haven’t had any luck keeping the oem activation in the image. So I guess what I’m asking is if there is a way to place all the drivers for different models dells in the VM that I have created the Images from. Yesterday while looking through the dell site for more drivers I ran across the dell DRIVER CAB that supposed to have all the drivers for the model that you have. So I downloaded it and then I Started reading the read me file, and then I became a little confused because it talks about different ways to install the drivers and I’m not sure how do what its telling me I’ll copy that part in to show you what I’m talking about.
"Description:
With the Dell
Client Systems Deployment CAB, an Information
Technology Administrator can perform the following tasks:- Use Microsoft
Windows operating system-based PnP enumeration
capabilities to install drivers for applicable devices - Create a system-level optimized deployment sequence
- Setup an appropriate boot control sequence
- Optimize the deployment of targeted system-specific driver packages
Contents:
This file contains the following sections:
- Criticality
- Minimum Requirements
- Release Highlights
- Installation
- User Notes"
I’m not sure what PnP is and I have never heard of it much less know how to go about using it . So I would really appreciate someone pointing me in the right direction on this. Then also in the read me I found some installation instructions that just confuses me a lot more. I will paste it here for you.
"Windows Explorer supports native viewing of CAB contents. Users can
also use WinZip to examine the contents of the cab. Optionally
Microsoft provides a couple of tools via the Windows XP Service Pack 2
Support Tools to examine the cabinet files. Extraction tools (CabArc
and Extract) are available from Microsoft at the following location:
[url]http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?[/url]
FamilyId=49AE8576-9BB9-4126-9761-BA8011FABF38&displaylang=en.- CAB Management Tool from Microsoft
Using CabArc to extract the driver contents and maintain directory
structure:
CabArc.exe -p x <cab file path> . <output path>
(e.g. C:\CabArc.exe -p x C:<cab-file-name> . C:\drivers) - Extract Utility from Microsoft
Once you are in the directory where you want to extract, enter the
following command: extract /Y /E <cab-file-name>"
I used 7zip to extract the file but I’m guess what I’m getting confused about is this how do I get windows to check the devices against these drivers during windows set-up? basically all I want is to have 1 image that has all the drivers I need for any dell desktop or laptop model that have, and I want to be able to update the image with newer drivers for when we get models that are newer and requires new drivers.
Please advise with any advice and knowledge you have. - Use Microsoft
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anyone?
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darkxeno,
Maybe try putting your post into different paragraphs so it’s easier to read.
I for one have not taken the time to read it all.
I’ll try to make your life easy as pie though.
You know which drivers you want in the image correct?
Start by creating your base image. If you’re to sysprep awesome, boot the system into audit mode.
To do this, install Windows 7 from disc as normal.
When it’s done installing, and is at the screen that tells you to name the machine, do not go further.
Type the key combination: CTRL + SHIFT + F3
The system will reboot into Audit mode. From here you will be logged into a false administrator account that will keep popping up with the sysprep window.
Install all the software/updates you want to be contained on the image.
When you’re ready, (maybe from USB Flash) extract the drivers you need inserted into the image.
Extract them and place them in a folder on your desktop. All drivers you want inserted, place in the folder.
You’ll need the folders and associated installer files.
As long as you can access the infs and the inf’s can work with the proper files needed for the install you’ll be set.
Next, open a command prompt.
WINDOWS+R: type cmd: click okay.
From the command prompt go to your desktop and driver directory:
example:
[code]cd c:\users\administrator\desktop\drivers[/code]Once there in command prompt type this command on one line:
[code]for /r “C:\users\administrator\desktop\Drivers” %i in (*.inf) do pnputil -a %i[/code]
You’ll get some popup’s I’m sure. Make sure, if it’s and unsigned driver, [b]DO NOT[/b] install it as it will screw up sysprep.
hope this helps.
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I will try that tom and i broke it up for easier reading as well
