To script or just install the drivers... (Full Version)

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mrucker64 -> To script or just install the drivers... (6/23/2008 11:04:44 AM)

I work at a college where it looks like a previous tech did a wonderful job creating a single image for a bundle of Dells.  The image uses Sysprep, which launches the chipset driver at first bootup, and then has a  <a href="http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314479" target="_new">driverpath</a> for each and all of the possible devices.

Since this person has left, the staff have simple loaded the image, run the drivers, and resealed the image. 

It seems to me that this client is eventually going to get bloated - having a %systemroot%\inf that is full of INF files and driver conflicts with the mess of DLLs and such. 

Any thoughts as to whether or not I'm just being negative? ^_^  Frankly the newer systems we use here won't work with the older chipset that's being loaded and I've cooked up a VBScript to install the correct Chipset drivers at bootup - but I'd like some concrete evidence (say, from M$) that this is the way we should go.

Any help is appreciated!

-Mike



rbennett806 -> RE: To script or just install the drivers... (6/23/2008 1:05:59 PM)

What are you using to deploy this image? SMS? SCCM? BDD? MDT? Ghost? etc..??? Some of the newer deployment technologies do a better job of only using the needed drivers and not pulling down every single driver file.

My two cents is to probably continue what you're doing with XP (look to the future where you'll probably be phasing out XP and phasing in Vista - so don't waste too much time and energy on XP) and then, if you're worried about bloating, have a script delete the unwanted files and clean up any related DevicePath registry key settings.

Of course, if you're just putting the .INFs and the needed files in the folder then you shouldn't see a lot of space being consumed. So bloating shouldn't be a major issue if the correct source files are being used...



mrucker64 -> RE: To script or just install the drivers... (6/23/2008 1:23:01 PM)

At this point, we're simply using Sysprep and imaging with ImageX.exe running inside of Windows PE (Vista version).  So to reiterate - we're simply blowing up the image, installing drivers for a new system, and then resealing it.  And of course, the image from before is running chipset drivers.. for an older system.  However the chipset drivers for the "new" system are being loaded just before resealing.  It just occurs to me we're going to wind up with a ton of INFs and other driver related files in the client.  The change occured when the employee who made the original image left. 



rbennett806 -> RE: To script or just install the drivers... (6/24/2008 8:18:57 PM)

Well my suggestion would be (if possible) to look at leaving the existing stuff as it sits and to start exploring MDT 2008 (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=3BD8561F-77AC-4400-A0C1-FE871C461A89&displaylang=en). This deployment technology allows you to set up a resource root full of driver files and then the imaging process only pulls down the drivers you need for the machine currently being imaged. And since it's all outside of your .WIM image file you can easily add drivers on the fly without having to crack open the .WIM file...



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