Solved Is it a good idea to integrate drivers in windows 7 iso?

[LoverOfLove]

hi,
i'm trying to make windows 7 more like windows 10 in terms of driver support.
i want to include necessary drivers like lan, wlan, usb3.0, card readers mass storage in isntall.wim so when user install my windows 7 iso, user dont face any major problem and can start using internet without any drivers.

i'm planning to download drivers from Latest DriverPacks | DriverPacks.net these contain only .inf files and no .exe

also i'm planning to include mass storage drivers in boot.wim file so user can install win 7 iso with usb 3.0 ports.

i'll use dism recurse cmd to include drivers.

so is this a good idea or i may face various issues and instability problem?
need suggestion.. thank you

 

[chefduane]

If the devices are working properly now, don't try to fix what's not broken. If those devices are not installed now, when they do get installed the appropriate driver will be loaded when the device is installed. Maybe I am missing something but that would be my advice.

 

[SIW2]

so is this a good idea or i may face various issues and instability problem?

I often do that, it is quite simple and I never had any problem with it.

 

[LoverOfLove]

I often do that, it is quite simple and I never had any problem with it.

thanks, but just to clarify i'll be adding tons of drivers from all vendors in iso...so iso can be universally applicable.... i hope its not going to be a problem?

 

[SIW2]

It will make the wim larger, of course. Why would it be a problem?

I usually add all updates ( including the nvme updates ), 3rd party nvme drivers, usb3/3.1 drivers. I only add net drivers to my winpe.

simplix and/or Dism++ are useful.

I updated my install media on 20/11

 

[SIW2]

If you are integrating the nvme updates, you also need to copy the contents of sources folder from boot.wim image 2 into the sources folder of the installation media. That is because the setup files are different after integrating nvme updates.

nvme for x64

http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix487764/7600/free/477475_intl_x64_zip.exe

http://hotfixv4.microsoft.com/Windows%207/Windows%20Server2008%20R2%20SP1/sp2/Fix3366972/7600/free/486575_intl_x64_zip.exe

 

[LoverOfLove]

thank you very much SIW2 for information....

 

[ron7000]

i'm trying to make windows 7 more like windows 10 in terms of driver support.

mark my words in 2,3, or 5 years from now windows 10 will have the same problem,
like what windows 7 is now having with the newest usb3 drivers,
and like what winxp had with pretty much everything from around 2010-2014.
what you are doing "now" i don't foresee as any kind of problem other than possibly a waste of time for example however far in the future you buy a new motherboard and didn't include all those necessary drivers you integrated into your windows 10 iso today.
When I did this sort of thing with winxp, I found the iso i slipstreamed to make a new winxp dvd was only good for about 1 year on average... what kind of mileage you get with a win10 iso from today may or may not be worth it I don't know what you are actually doing.
If you are supporting existing hardware that you want to be able to easily reinstall win10 on then yes,
if you hope that the iso will be good into the {distant} future should you decide to get new hardware then no. If you add a bunch of unneccesary drivers and build a new iso, there is no problem in doing that all i'm saying is don't get your hopes up you are not preventing anything.

 

[Barman58]

Slip streaming drivers into an ISO is a useful option as long as the hardware lasts, once the hardware fails and needs replacing it will be more and more difficult.

The problem is when an OS gets to, (or approaches), End of Life, the hard realities of business come into play, Manufacturer's will stop making hardware and writing drivers for the hardware, (remember Microsoft does not write drivers), as the potential market for the products will be less .

The windows 10 situation as it stands is a different one altogether, as it is the plan is for Windows 10 to run on a Two Year Life cycle for each Six monthly upgrade so the obsolescence factor is more controllable and predictable for both Microsoft and the Hardware

 

[LoverOfLove]

I don't know what you are actually doing.

thanks ron for the reply here.. i'm the windows troubleshooter in my neighborhood and friend circle, so i have to install and distribute os many times. and for windows 7, driver is a problem for a user, so i'm planning to eliminate this problem by including essential drivers.my goal here is that user can access lan wifi usb 3 without having to download any driver.

 

[LoverOfLove]

hi SIW2 i need your suggestion
i'm adding mass storage and chipset in boot.wim
i'm adding chipset,mass storage,lan,wlan, in install.wim
i'm adding mass storage and chipset in winre.wim

(chipset drivers are for usb 3 support)
(i'm not adding nvme drivers and all drivers are downloaded from driverpacks.net)

is this the right combination or i'm doing something wrong.???

 

[Barman58]

One issue I can see is that very few devices are identical enough to use the same drivers, unless everyone you support uses an identical make and model of system, ( and not certain to work even then ), you will need to supply every variation of the drivers for every single sub component available. The complexity and variation of systems capable of running windows is the main reason that modern versions of windows rely of online driver installation in addition to the, (much larger than Windows 7 ), install media driver source.

 

[LoverOfLove]

Barman58 driverpacks site solved the problem of complexity and variation of drivers see here Latest DriverPacks | DriverPacks.net they really did a good job with drivers.

 

[Barman58]

If you feel you can trust a third party then good luck to you - I only ever use drivers from the hardware manufacturers, which is the way I've worked for over 30 Years

 

[chefduane]

If you feel you can trust a third party then good luck to you - I only ever use drivers from the hardware manufacturers, which is the way I've worked for over 30 Years

+1 on that. Plus, when you download 3rd party drivers they will also install a bunch of bloatware and change other settings.

 

[SIW2]

Yes, that should be fine.

I get them from here
Forum - USB 3.0/3.1 Drivers (original and modded)

Driverpacks.net is also well respected

hi SIW2 i need your suggestion
i'm adding mass storage and chipset in boot.wim
i'm adding chipset,mass storage,lan,wlan, in install.wim
i'm adding mass storage and chipset in winre.wim

(chipset drivers are for usb 3 support)
(i'm not adding nvme drivers and all drivers are downloaded from driverpacks.net)

is this the right combination or i'm doing something wrong.???

 

[LoverOfLove]

Yes, that should be fine.

I get them from here
Forum - USB 3.0/3.1 Drivers (original and modded)

Driverpacks.net is also well respected

i guess i wouldnt need to add usb 3 drivers since chipset driver already have usb3 support. let me know if i'm not right, i'm total newbie to these things.

 

[LoverOfLove]

Barman58 chefduane driverpacks team have mostly .inf files extracted from original drivers, and there are no bloatware. and i think you are right that i shouldnt trust too much on 3rd party. but driverpacks.net seems like a trusted site. i will try their drivers and if i ever face any problem, i'll post such problems here to let everyone know.