41 replies to this topic

[RicaNeaga]

I'm talking about the new online drivers installer found in 1.4.0, with the features described by ricktendo here.


Why would anyone need it? What are the advantages over integrating the drivers with DISM?

1. This would make an AIO driver + windows 7 ISO truly possible, making the probability of conflicts even lower (the example of the AMD PCIE filter chipset driver installing on Intel-based systems comes to mind);

2. On the system only the needed drivers are installed and copied to drive C:, so a balast content with other drivers will be avoided;

3. Useful for a novice user, that doesn't have to hand-pick the needed drivers, but can ''integrate'' hundreds of them without any other worry.


After months of work (not continuous work, of course), I'm finalizing a pack of ONLY-windows-7 drivers, based on the driverpacks - heavily updated and more organised. And with such a powerful tool, the usefulness of such a pack will be even greater - people will not have to hand-pick their drivers and just integrate all the folder. Such a behaviour is unfortunately also common now with W7T users for integrating the current driverpacks, and this is not a very good idea.


So I don't know if this is doable, and to be more precise if this utility can be run before the second phase of windows installation starts. It has to because that's when the windows installation process starts to look for the (microsoft integrated) drivers needed. And this is just exaclty what the great driverpacks integrating tool can do ONLY for windows xp.


I also hope ricktendo and Kelsenellenelvian will comment on this one.

[ricktendo]

You can also use it to remove outdated drivers to regain HDD/SSD space

[Legolash2o]

Why would anyone need it? What are the advantages over integrating the drivers with DISM?

Simply answer really, someone requested it so i added it. As rick said it lets you remove outdated drivers also.


Problem is i don't know the difference between Windows 7 and Windows Vista drivers, surely there's something different in the inf file?

Edited by Legolash2o, 26 March 2012 - 08:42 AM.

[RicaNeaga]

Legolash, I don't understand what you're saying. I'm not requesting what ricktendo already has requested, I'm requesting that somehow through W7T, the Online driver installer to be integrated into an offline image (alongside maybe a user-generated driver pack / folder), and run before the second phase of windows installation starts.


About the second question, it depends - sometimes there is a mention in the .inf (like a NTamd64 6.1 for windows x64 drivers, or a NTx86 6.1 for 7 x86, or even a clear mention in the beginning - windows 7 driver), sometimes it isn't and you have to manually download the individual drivers from the producer's support site (like I already did for many).

But this isn't the issue since I'll make public this pack very soon (I'm now trying to set up a ftp-like solution, and if I can't, I'm going for the usual mediafire option). The problem is how this tool can be run before the second phase of windows installation starts. And this is where I hope ricktendo / Kelsenellenelvian will help a little. Or maybe even someone from driverpacks, since a similar solution is implemented in their driver installer tool for windows xp (DriverPacks BASE).

[ricktendo]

I think what he wants is something like I requested for your tool to support cmd line so he can use it post install to install a batch of drivers

I think Microsoft-Windows-PnpCustomizationsNonWinPE used with DriverPaths would work the same or better

[RicaNeaga]

That's what I was talking about... ways to make this happen Thank you ricktendo for the solution!

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Logistically it is near impossible.

The machine would have to be able to connect to the net.

Win7 wouldn't allow this untill the net group is setup. (Home\public)

Hell net drivers for MOST devices wouldn't be setup.

[RicaNeaga]

I won't interfere anymore with this discussion, since I don't know how to implement my request, but once again I remind you that there is a similar working solution for XP only, that does exactly this (the app runs before the second phase of windows xp install process) - Driverpacks BASE.

Edited by RicaNeaga, 26 March 2012 - 05:42 PM.

[Kelsenellenelvian]

LOL I read it COMPLETLY WRONG....

Lack of sleep.

I read the dp's would be downloaded during setup and used...

[ricktendo]

"Online" only means that its applied to the OS you are currently in, it comes from the dism command /online vs /image:<path_to_mount>

[bphlpt]

One way to handle this would be to only integrate the most urgent drivers then use mr_smartepants' SAD2 script - http://forum.driverp...pic.php?id=5336 to install the rest of the required drivers. This minimizes the time to integrate the drivers but allows the flexibility of the driverpacks.

Cheers and Regards

[Legolash2o]

Ricktendo was correct, the Online Driver installer is for the currently installed Windows and doesn't work with images at all.

[RicaNeaga]

If the only solution is to run it at first logon, with the other switchless installers, then it's ok. I would have preffered it to give that drivers to the windows installation process during the second phase, but better this then nothing.

[Legolash2o]

Again, Online Drivers does not work with wim images, it works on the currently installed OS, there isn't a second phase if Windows is already installed. It will probably not benefit the installation at all apart from slow it down.

Online Driver Installer does not even use dism, it uses pnptuil

Edited by Legolash2o, 27 March 2012 - 09:39 PM.

[RicaNeaga]

I understand that. I was asking you to make (smth like) a silent installer, that runs this online drivers app automatically (for ex.) at first logon (as the rest of the silent installers, like ricktendo's .net4), and installs only the needed drivers from a batch folder of hundreds of drivers.

I already mentioned the advantages in the first post, as an alternative to the DISM way of installing drivers.

Please don't be mad because I insist on this feature - I really consider it CLEARLY SUPERIOR to DISM integrating of drivers especially for novice users. Hope you'll consider solving my request at some time in the future

[Legolash2o]

It's a big task so it will definitely have to wait.

P.S. I aint mad

[RicaNeaga]

lol don't get mad. and thanks! I ain't in a hurry.

[Legolash2o]

What i can do is, if W7TRunOnce detects a "Drivers" folder on any partition/dvd/usb root it will use pnputil to install all the inf files?

[RicaNeaga]

Great! I have four suggestions:

1. The name of that folder maybe shouldn't be so common - a Drivers folder is also in windows directory; a ''W7TDrivers'' folder name (that a user can copy to the usb root, or make another ISO and include it) I think will be more appropriate;

2. An option in the ISO Maker that isn't checked by default, to also add/copy the ''W7TDrivers'' folder to the root of the iso;

3. Make the the implicit and only option that pnptuil only installs the needed (found on the system) drivers; if advanced users, that aren't interested in saving HDD/SSD space and for other reasones, want to have an AIO disk, with all the drivers on the planet integrated, then DISM can already do that for them.

4. An option to also delete all the not-present-on-the-machine / not-needed-drivers Microsoft drivers (if it is doable), to further save HDD/SSD space; but I don't know if this will have the potential for potential failures (bluescreens etc) afterwards... in case other hardware is added to the system. For non-important drivers (chipset, mass storage, usb), such a risk I think will be very close to 0.

LE: and a fifth suggestion - please recheck Mr. ricktendo's post from this thread.... maybe will help

Edited by RicaNeaga, 28 March 2012 - 06:52 AM.

[bphlpt]

@RicaNeaga, have you had a chance to check out the SAD2 script I mentioned earlier?

One way to handle this would be to only integrate the most urgent drivers then use mr_smartepants' SAD2 script - http://forum.driverp...pic.php?id=5336 to install the rest of the required drivers.

Since you're now talking about adding the drivers at first logon, I was wondering how you thought the script's actions compared with what you were wanting to accomplish?

Cheers and Regards