25 replies to this topic

[Shibby]

Hello guys...
I'm working on an universal image made via ATIH2010 with UR, and i was wondering... as i'm planning to use this image to get windows ready for almost every machine i find, i was wondering if there is a way i can install the drivers in a Windows XP SP3 image.

Here is the bigger picture...
I load my LiveXP, backup all data needed to later (including drivers) and then i recovery my windows image...
On the first boot of windows, i would like to auto install all drivers from my packs/folders if possible at boot time, if not, some automated way.

I guess u guys got what i meant, i'm not good to express myself. >.<

Well... any suggestions are welcome.

PS: Dipe for NonPE on RunOnceEX would ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuule

[steve6375]

Can you explain some more what you want to use this for.

Do you want to install an XP image to lots of different types of PCs and notebooks - or just one type?
Do you want to have all the drivers in the image for ALL possible PCs in the world?
Do you want to install an XP image or install XP using setup.exe/winnt32.exe and add a specific driver folder depending on which system you have?
Is this just for your one PC (i.e. offline backup/restore method)?

[Shibby]

I want to restore the ATIH2010's image of XP to different types of PCS and Notebooks.
Yes, i can use some external HDD to store the drivers all possible computers.
I have a built image with a naked XP that i use Acronis to "restore" to lots of computers, but everytime i need to install all drivers. and i was wondering if there isnt any DIPE like program or method to make it for me.

[wimb]

I think this thread will be interesting to you.

http://www.911cd.net...hp?showforum=37

IMG_XP package was developed to create Universal XP Image files,
which can be used for restore on (m)any computer(s)

[Shibby]

@wimb
I already got the universal windows thing... my only problems is the driver install.
See... i install windows xp pro sp3 with all programs needed e.g. office, ps, adobe. Then i prepare it to be universal.
But after its all set, when i recover the new windows into some new HDD, the only thing i still need to do is to install the specific drivers of that MB n accessories, e.g. LAN, WLAN.
And thats the only part of the whole method wich i can`t make automatic... everytime i need to browse into my ExternalHDD and install the drivers.

With the IMG_XP, you think i can incorporate in my already-made system to only install the needed drivers on the 1st windows boot in the machine?

[wimb]

And thats the only part of the whole method wich i can`t make automatic... everytime i need to browse into my ExternalHDD and install the drivers.

IMG_XP_Update allows you to improve the image with the previously installed divers
But of course each next machine on which you restore can have its specific driver needs.

Gradually can get a more Universal Image which can be used on more machines.
The cyclus of the learning process, which involves booting the image from FiraDisk RAMDISK,
install of drivers and Update of the XP Image by using IMG_XP_Update,
is described in the reference.

It does not solve all future problems, but can help to reduce them.

[Shibby]

So it would be like... i just wont need to install the drivers in those machines i already installed at least once with the same xp?

I`ll just update the image with drivers. It helps... but doesnt solve it i guess. Coz every new machine that comes over, i`ll have to install drivers, and update with IMG_XP. I guess its faster to install manually then =\

[wimb]

So it would be like... i just wont need to install the drivers in those machines i already installed at least once with the same xp?

I`ll just update the image with drivers. It helps... but doesnt solve it i guess. Coz every new machine that comes over, i`ll have to install drivers, and update with IMG_XP. I guess its faster to install manually then =\

You don't install XP on other machines, but only boot the image from Firadisk RAMDISK,
let it adjust to the hardware in 3 min and install any missing drivers,
followed by IMG_XP_Update.
Then you boot the Image from FiraDisk RAMDISK on totally different hardware and again do the IMX_XP_Update procedure.

After several machines your Image is sufficiently Universal to be used on many machines without install of drivers.
After you have got such image, then IMG_XP_Restore is in 5 min, that is much faster than ordinary install of XP.

[amalux]

Shibby, I assume you know about Universal Restore for your Acronis; this takes care of boot device drivers, NIC etc. For other plug and play drivers you could adapt the internal scripts for Driver Import PE AE to suit your needs. Maybe auto-backup existing drivers prior to restore with smart driver backup or just supply driver packs at local folder.

[sbaeder]

I could be wrong, but doesn't the "driverpacks" web site have something like this already...

(go off and search around...)

Yep - there is a "Stand-Alone-Driver" method...and a FAQ on it...Look here...http://forum.driverp...pic.php?id=2264

This should do the trick.

[Shibby]

@Amalux
How could i use DIPE AE in nonPE? I just tried and it said it can't run outside PE. DIPE in AutoRunOnceEX would be the most suitable situation i could find.
I already use Universal Restore in Acronis, so this my XP/Vista/7 image became universal. I'm just thinking a way to auto install the drivers wich are specific for the machine i'm installing xp at boot time, or at its first boot... something like that. This way i dont need to install every machine's driver manually.
I'll try to read more about DIPE AE to see if i can turn it to run in nonPE.

@sbaeder
I'll take a look at it... i didn't know about it so far.
Thanks for the info... as soon as i get time enough to try it, i'll post some feedback.

[amalux]

I was just thinking of using the script's internal backup/search routines to utilize an appropriate tool, I know dpinst.exe works for this but I'm sure there's others too. Here's some info on dpinst that might help:
http://msdn.microsof...y/ff550803.aspx
http://msdn.microsof...y/ff544775.aspx

Let me know if you need help with it, I'm sure we can get something going that will do what you need.

[wimb]

It helps a lot when you integrate Mass Storage drivers in your XP Setup Source.
Use DPsBase.exe for Integrating in your XP Setup Source BTS DriverPack Massstorage with TXT Mode Enabled.
http://driverpacks.net/downloads
http://driverpacks.n...verpacks/latest
http://www.911cd.net...showtopic=23553

DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe is also quite useful for automatic post- install of device drivers

It is part of IMG_XP package and located here
IMG_XP\POST_INSTALL\INSTALL_DRIVERS\DriverForge\DriverForge.v4.5.4.exe

[Shibby]

@amalux
I'm pretty sure dpinst.exe gonna work... i'll just w8 till tomorrow so i can take a look on it and find out how it works exactlly. I'm reading the links u sent so far. A lot to read btw >.<

@wimb
DriverForge was an option... but i'm not sure if its installs everything without user intervation. Does it? If it does, i might take a look too.

[sbaeder]

@sbaeder
I'll take a look at it... i didn't know about it so far.
Thanks for the info... as soon as i get time enough to try it, i'll post some feedback.

Basically, this is the DPInst approach also mentioned...

[Shibby]

All right...
I've been reading about DPinst... So far what i got is... it includes the DPs into a windows installation ISO/CD, and writes on the system where the files are stored, and gives you the possibility of erasing it all after its all set.
I liked it... only thing i didn't find out...
Would i be able to... lets say... store the DPs in some external place? Like my external HDD? Coz otherwise, the image of the windows will be huuuge, and it makes me lose more time than installing manually.

So now thnking again... i would need some like... redirect the path that windows understand as path to the drivers to some external folder wich contains the packs/loose idc... and after its all installed, return it to its normal state, since i don't want final users having to deal with redirect the path back to its original.

any ideas? DPInst would be great if i could redirect to external DPs... not in windows source.

[amalux]

DPInst would be great if i could redirect to external DPs... not in windows source.

Here's what you do...

Make dpinst.cmd with the following text:

@echo off
title DPInst Autorun
color 1f
for %%d in (B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) do (
if exist %%d:\Drivers set dir=%%d:\Drivers
)
echo.
echo DPInst is installing drivers from "%dir%".
echo.
echo.
echo This may take a few minutes to complete.
if exist %dir% start/wait "" %dir%\dpinst.exe

and drop it into your system path (C:\windows\system32). Load it at start with a runOnce entry:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]
"dpirun"="dpinst.cmd"

Now put dpinst.exe, along with dpinst.xml and your DPs (unpacked), in a folder named 'Drivers' at the root of any drive for auto-detection and you're set. Dpinst.xml can be setup to run dpinst silently like this:

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<dpinst>
<search>
<subDirectory>*</subDirectory>
</search>
<legacyMode/>
<quietInstall/>
</dpinst>

Read about the different switches to see what works best for you.

[amalux]

A word of warning about previous post, the xml options I posted will try to load every driver you supply in that folder which can take considerable time, scan hardware may be a better choice; read about it in the link I provided. Also, certain (audio, video) drivers can force a reboot when installed by dpinst; that's alright because the setup will continue but could be problematic if too many such drivers included. Test with known drivers first is best advice and of course have a boot disk handy if anything goes wrong

[Shibby]

@Amalux
I'm trying to use it as you said.

Here is my dpinst.XML

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<dpinst>
<search>
<subDirectory>*</subDirectory>
</search>
<scanHardware/>
<legacyMode>
</dpinst>

Here is my addDrivers.cmd

@echo off
title DPInst Autorun
color 1f
for %%d in (C D E F G Z) do (
if exist %%d:\Drivers set dir=%%d:\Drivers
)
echo.
echo DPInst is installing drivers from "%dir%".
echo.
echo.
echo This may take a few minutes to complete.
if exist %dir% start/wait "" %dir%\dpinst.exe

The issues i'm having:
-Its not installing anything.
-The dpinst.exe and dpinst.xml are in "E:\Drivers\".
-Inside E:\Drivers\ there are the drivers folders like "C,G,L,M,P,S,W".

Edit:
It now installed 1 driver, but VGA and another one werent installed.
and its taking too long... maybe i'm doing something wrong?

Edited by Shibby, 11 January 2011 - 01:22 PM.

[amalux]

The issues i'm having:
-Its not installing anything.
-The dpinst.exe and dpinst.xml are in "E:\Drivers\".
-Inside E:\Drivers\ there are the drivers folders like "C,G,L,M,P,S,W".

Edit:
It now installed 1 driver, but VGA and another one werent installed.
and its taking too long... maybe i'm doing something wrong?

So, just to be sure, you're changing the name of the runOnce entry to match your addDrivers.cmd located in system path, right? The new enty would be like this:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce]
"someEntry"="addDrivers.cmd"

and you're re-entering the above for each run (you can add an exclamation point prefix for testing): http://msdn.microsof...7(v=vs.85).aspx

Assuming the above is true, I guess you see the command window and wizard at log on (you've dropped the quiet install flag) but (some) drivers don't get installed correctly. Have you tried without scan hardware as this can cause drivers to be skipped? Take a look in DPINST.LOG (C:\WINDOWS); zip it up and post a link here if you want, hopefully we can get a better idea what's going on.

Please confirm your operating system and any other pertinent information so I can try to reproduce your results here.

[Shibby]

I'm using a windows XP professional with SP3... no modifications made. I just installed it in VMWare, and tried to install the drivers.
as i'm testing, i'm not writing it into the registry, i'm just running dpinst/addDrivers.cmd to see its behavior.
If i turn off the tag <scanHardware> it seems to take even longer to process it all. If i use the <legacyMode> it doesnt show the message to install drivers not signed, it just doesnt install it.
I'll run it in a real computer... maybe it can be that the VMWare drivers are missing from my packs, so its tryies every single driver(?).

Btw... to activate the flags like scanHardware, its "forcing" me to put this way: <scanHardware/>... is that normal?

Here is my DPINST.LOG and my DPINST.XML

[amalux]

I'm using a windows XP professional with SP3... no modifications made. I just installed it in VMWare, and tried to install the drivers.
as i'm testing, i'm not writing it into the registry, i'm just running dpinst/addDrivers.cmd to see its behavior.
If i turn off the tag <scanHardware> it seems to take even longer to process it all. If i use the <legacyMode> it doesnt show the message to install drivers not signed, it just doesnt install it.
I'll run it in a real computer... maybe it can be that the VMWare drivers are missing from my packs, so its tryies every single driver(?).

Btw... to activate the flags like scanHardware, its "forcing" me to put this way: <scanHardware/>... is that normal?

VMWare will give false results so not a good test.

Yes, turning off scanHardware takes much longer because it attempts to (pre)install every driver, not just ones needed on current HW.

legacyMode turns off unsigned driver check. You will need to add forceIfDriverIsNotBetter to get every driver installed.

Yeah, the / is normal there.

Your log crashes at last entry, Looking for Model Section [INTEL_HDC.(NUL)... Can't say what's going on, probably VMWare but everything else looks OK. Never an exact science, sometimes command switches will work better than xml flags or vice versa, just keep playing with it. You can try eliminating some unneeded drivers to speed things along and quiet mode streamlines the process as well.

[Shibby]

Yeah... i just got 2 computers to fix SO... so its my chance to test =p
As soon as i get it done, i'll post here back for a feedback.

[Shibby]

Allright... i tested it in 2 computers.
I had the dpinst files together with my drivers folders inside my external HDD 500GB.
It took toooo long and didn't install all of the drivers.

So the resolution of this was to edit windows files and registry and redirect it to a fixed folder wich i named "XP_X86" and i placed all folders inside it.
The only issue is that everytime i have to change my extenal HDD drive letter to E:, so it install all of the drivers.

It was the fastest way i could do.

[amalux]

Shibby,

Switching to internal HDD instead of external will be faster but the same setup would work for this. It's not clear what is meant by 'edit windows files and registry'; the RunOnce batch setup will find Drivers folder at root of any drive partition, including internal.