Lost PnP after re-image...

[Guest]

I need help.

I just purchased 30 Dell PC's, re-imaged them with Ghost (utilizing sysprep)
with our company image, and shipped them off to remote sites. Now all 30
PC's do not have PnP. How do I get PnP working on those machines?

Thanks for any help,

Greg

 

[Adam Leinss]

I need help.

I just purchased 30 Dell PC's, re-imaged them with Ghost
(utilizing sysprep) with our company image, and shipped them off
to remote sites. Now all 30 PC's do not have PnP. How do I get
PnP working on those machines?

That's quite a statement. What make you think PnP isn't working? In
any case, PnP is usually controlled by the BIOS, so I would start
there.

Adam

 

[Guest]

PnP = plug an external device into the case and the OS sees the device and
auto-loads the drivers needed.

"Now all 30 PC's do not have PnP" = I plug an external device into the case
and the OS sees the device but does not load the drivers. I have to manually
load them in device manager.

This is not a BIOS issue. This is a SYSPREP issue. Do you know and have
answers relating to SYSPREP and my issue?

 

[Adam Leinss]

PnP = plug an external device into the case and the OS sees the
device and auto-loads the drivers needed.

"Now all 30 PC's do not have PnP" = I plug an external device into
the case and the OS sees the device but does not load the drivers.
I have to manually load them in device manager.

This is not a BIOS issue. This is a SYSPREP issue. Do you know
and have answers relating to SYSPREP and my issue?

Hi Greg.

First, you are misinterpreting the term "Plug and Play". "Plug and
Play" simply means that Windows will configure the proper IRQ, DMA
and I/O settings for a device. See
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/P/plug_and_play.html for confirmation
of this.

In terms of SYSPREP and drivers, take a look here:

http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html

What it boils down to is you define OEMPnPDriversPath in sysprep.inf
and this in turn modifies the DevicePath entry in the registry to
include paths to your drivers. As outlined in the above page, you
have to have all your drivers extracted out, in one directory and
have the complete path to each driver defined by OEMPnPDriversPath.

I suspect you are loading the drivers into the base image via a
regular setup routine. When you run sysprep, it re-enumerates the
devices during the mini-setup, scrambles the PnP data and treats your
external device as a new device. It then goes hunting for the
drivers and then bombs out because they aren't defined by DevicePath.

So, find your drivers for the external device, simplify them and
define them, SYSPREP your image and then try it on a test box.

Adam

 

[Guest]

Adam,

Thanks for the extra detail...I appreciate it. I believe this is getting
closer to the solution.

Here's what is baffeling me. I created the perfect install for a Dell
Precision M70 and a Dell Precision 670. I found a newer version of sysprep
and tried to create an .inf that would work. I ran a Sysprep (Mini-Setup --
Factory), then Ghosted the image.

For the two PC's I created a Ghost image from, I'd reboot, deleted the
sysprep directory, joint it to the domain. The drivers were still there and,
for any new device I plug into it, the OS sees the device and tries to
install a driver (normally quite successful).

For each new PC that I place the Ghost image onto, I'd reboot, delete the
sysprep directory, rename then join it to the domain. The drivers that were
installed from the original system are still there, but if I plug in any
other new device, device manager sees it but does not successfully load a
driver...ever...on any new device...no mater how trivial (i.e. a USB thumb
drive or a different USB mouse or the M70 docking station...etc.).

Is there a sysprep solution to future images...yes. I believe your post
touches on that.

Is there a fix (regedit?) to the 30 systems I just sent out? <--- this is
what I really need to know.

Thanks again for spending time with me on this.

-Greg

 

[Adam Leinss]

Is there a fix (regedit?) to the 30 systems I just sent out? <---
this is what I really need to know.

Sure...check your DevicePath statement. The first part should read C:
\windows\inf and then the rest the path to your drivers.

Adam

 

[Guest]

No resolve... DevicePath is there and looks the same as other systems that
are working correct.

Also, everything under
"My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\*"
looks correct.

Any other ideas before I contact Microsoft?

-Greg

 

[Adam Leinss]

No resolve... DevicePath is there and looks the same as other
systems that are working correct.

Also, everything under
"My Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\*"
looks correct.

Any other ideas before I contact Microsoft?

You said you have to keep loading the drivers manually. Does it give
you a location as to where it is looking for them? If you are feeding
the PC the drivers, where are you loading them from and is that path
defined early in your DevicePath statement (early as in leftmost)?

Adam

 

[Guest]

I haven't seen a path. When installing a device on one of these machines, I
go to Device Manager, R-click on the new device (with question-mark) and
update the driver. I allow windows the ability to connect to windows
update, then direct it to install the update automatically. It almost always
finds a driver on its own.

I'm assuming it's looking and finding them here:
C:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386\driver.cab
or here:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers

both of which seem normally populated.


Thanks again for your help...

-Greg

 

[Adam Leinss]

I haven't seen a path. When installing a device on one of these
machines, I go to Device Manager, R-click on the new device (with
question-mark) and update the driver. I allow windows the
ability to connect to windows update, then direct it to install
the update automatically. It almost always finds a driver on its
own.

If it finds the driver on Windows Update, that means it cannot find it
in the image. I would make a driver directory as outlined in the
sysprep document in the URL I gave you and supply all drivers, then
modify your DevicePath statement so a path is mapped to each directory.

In terms of pushing this out to 30 workstations: it can be done if you
have File and Print sharing turned on and the Windows Firewall turned
off.

Copy all the drivers to \\computername\c$, where computername is the
name of each computer.

You can export out the DevicePath entry as a reg file from the working
PC, then telnet to each workstation doing "telnet computer" and then do
a "net use * \\computer\share", where computer is the PC sharing out
your REG file. If it maps a Z: drive, switch to Z: in the telnet
session and then issue "regedit /s z:\device.reg" or whatever you
called your file.

You should detach Z: when done and turn off the telnet service (it is a
security risk).

Adam