Hardware independant imaging

**cluberti** · 29 Dec 2010

I would recommend looking into MDT 2010 from Microsoft (it is free, is good at doing this sort of thing, and does most of what sccm does - not all, but most). You can do all sorts of hardware detection in MDT and keep a database of driver info (SQL or MSDE). It also can handle a mix of .inf and .exe drivers due to the task sequence design of running the install.

logicearth · 30 Dec 2010

SIW2 said:

I am not entirely sure that is going to help.

Dism /image:C:\test\offline /Add-Driver /driver:C:\test\drivers\mydriver.INF

The driver servicing commands can be used on an offline image to add and remove drivers based on the INF file, and on a running operating system (online) to enumerate drivers. Microsoft® Windows® Installer or other driver package types (such as .exe files) are not supported.

For those other drivers not in inf form, can use a online installation and then capture.

SIW2 · 30 Dec 2010

Yes, that is blindingly obvious.

If you are willing/able to install the drivers on the o/s first - then make an image - any image-Acronis/Paragon/Macrium/Wim , etc , those drivers will be included.

I understood the OP wasn't willing/able to do that - therefore was looking for a way to get the .exe drivers into the image only ( i.e not into the original o/s ), but so they were available on the new machine.

I don't know a way of injecting drivers in .exe form into an image.

What I'm trying to figure it out is making a windows 7 image... then could add all drivers needed for a specific computer

...the driver is an exe file that cannot be uncompressed/unpacked

**cluberti** · 31 Dec 2010

...and this is what tools like MDT and SCCM are designed to assist with

.

SIW2 · 31 Dec 2010

Yes, They may be.

I was responding the previous poster.

**cluberti** · 31 Dec 2010

:) understood.

idoru · 05 Jan 2011

cluberti said:

I would recommend looking into MDT 2010 from Microsoft (it is free, is good at doing this sort of thing, and does most of what sccm does - not all, but most). You can do all sorts of hardware detection in MDT and keep a database of driver info (SQL or MSDE). It also can handle a mix of .inf and .exe drivers due to the task sequence design of running the install.

While I'm currently giving MDT2010 (that I didn't know) a try ,I'm not sure it would allow for adding non .inf drivers or at least I've not find out yet how...

xarden · 05 Jan 2011

All you really need is network drivers, so you should be putting that in the image itself.
After deploying the image to the target machine, you can then assign a task for SCCM to install all the other necessary drivers depending on which hardware is being used.

Kari · 05 Jan 2011

I've done it as described here (method two). After the image is done, then boot PC again from HD and Windows re-install drivers to existing setup. Fast and easy.

Kari

idoru · 05 Jan 2011

xarden said:

All you really need is network drivers, so you should be putting that in the image itself.
After deploying the image to the target machine, you can then assign a task for SCCM to install all the other necessary drivers depending on which hardware is being used.

Maybe my fisrt post wasn't obvious (and certainly missed some points)...

I do, for friends and occasional clients, windows installations and what I do NOT want to re iterate is :
- install windows
- install drivers
- install some common applications
- eventually configure some things
including the multiple reboots of a non dynamic system like BeOs was or at some point is Linux.

So what I do want is a generic image with an updatable drivers database and an updatable applications database.

Unless I didn't get it, SSCm needs a serveur, a sql database, things that I won't be able to carry when going to a friend's or client's without an enterprise infrastructure in some beefy laptop (I choose to buy a 18"4 one to watch movies in bed, not to carry 4.6kgs every time I have an installation request).

I didn't know all the solutions you guys gave me and I'm looking forward some right now (adding that even if i'm not a noob, I certainly am not an MCSE)... So, please, don't forget that if some of my answers don't show total accuracy !