Forcing Drivers in unattended install

[Guest]

Ok, I have XP doing an unattended install using RIS, and everything is
working fine. My question is, how can I force setup to use the drivers I
specify in the OEMPnPDrivers path instead of the ones that come with Windows.
I have a Dell Optiplex 745, and though the drivers that come with windows
works for, example, the sound card, I would rather have it install the
SoundMax drivers I got from Dell instead.

It seems that if Windows has a driver that works, then it doesn't bother
looking in the drivers folders that I specify in the sif file. I would
rather it use the drivers I got from Dell.

I appreciate any ideas! Thanks

 

[Guest]

Any Ideas? Thanks!

 

[Mario Schmidt]

Ok, I have XP doing an unattended install using RIS, and everything is
working fine. My question is, how can I force setup to use the drivers I
specify in the OEMPnPDrivers path instead of the ones that come with Windows.
I have a Dell Optiplex 745, and though the drivers that come with windows
works for, example, the sound card, I would rather have it install the
SoundMax drivers I got from Dell instead.

It seems that if Windows has a driver that works, then it doesn't bother
looking in the drivers folders that I specify in the sif file. I would
rather it use the drivers I got from Dell.

I only had this problem with video drivers. Other drivers work fine,
perhaps you provided the wrong paths to the drivers in
winnt.sif/unattend.txt or you did not correctly extract them etc.

I fixed the problem with video drivers by deleting builtin INF files:

%SystemRoot%\inf\atiixpag.inf
%SystemRoot%\inf\atiixpaa.inf
%SystemRoot%\inf\atirage3.inf
%SystemRoot%\inf\nv*.inf
%SystemRoot%\inf\s3*.inf

Before the hardware detection starts. This covers most video cards with
just a few files.

Your provided drivers have to be NEWER than the builtin drivers to be
used. If you didn't set

DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
NonDriverSigningPolicy=Ignore

your drivers also HAVE to be WHQL certified (which most aren't). Also
take note that the hardware detection only installs using the INF files
of the drivers. So for example your sound drivers: If the INF does not
install the sound mixer, you don't get it this way. Either add it to the
INF (ugly) or install it later after initial setup via scripted hardware
detection (using devcon.exe for example).

 

[Guest]

yeah, I like those ideas. Thanks! I'll give them a try.