Windows 7 Deployment drivers/apps

How do you plan to deploy your images?  If you will be using Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager, I have a video and whitepaper on driver management strategy for that deployment tool along with other resources like Driver CABs on the Client Deployment page below.

en.community.dell.com/.../client-deployment.aspx

Warren, thank you for reply.

We recently go Numara AMP which requires the OSD manager to be installed on a machine.  I was hoping that we use SCCM but was out voted.  I will take a look at your resources and apply then for my use.

Eventually we will deploy images from the Numara AMP server.  Being new to deployments/imaging my research has brought up questions such as

1). Windows 7 has most drivers, would I install (method not important for this question) all drivers or only the drivers that are missing?  Dell has now updated the info in the URL I provided hence my question.

Well I guess I first should look at your material as it may answer my other questions.

The assumption that Windows 7 will have most drivers is not correct.  Any system built after Windows 7 was released typically requires newer drivers.  Some are not critical at image time, but if the NIC or Mass Storage driver is required, then that needs to be included in your imaging process or you may not be able to build a functional system.

Look over the resources that we have here at TechCenter and reply with any questions.

Hi LunchBox,

firstly welcome to the world of OS imaging :)

There are a few ways to deploy an OS image and to create an universal image for all Dell Latitude and Precision models.

There are a few good articles on the Microsoft Technet site. I specialize more on offline deployments, but the same process could be used in any deployment tool.

What I am about to list below is very high level...

Do all this on lab equipment....

Install WAIK on your Win7 devices and create a WinPE image that you and put on USB key.

Download the latest Laptop and desktop combo cab files from techcentre. Extract the cab file in a folder on the USB key. Something like \drivers\laptop and \drivers\desktop

Then create and unattend.xml file with WAIK ( there are lots of examples on the web). The unattend.xml will automate the "questions" asked when to install Win7 from DVD

Then install Windows 7 a desktop or laptop. Copy the unattend.xml into the SYSPREP folder and run sysprep

Reboot the machines and make sure that there are no "questions" are ask during the boot-up process. If you have any prompt (country code, enter your name) then you need to relook at the unattend.xml file.

Once the machine boots up with no prompts, you will sysprep again.

Use the WinPE USB key (you created) and boot the machine in WinPE mode (this is mainly command line from here onwards)

You'll then need to run the imagex command to capture a WIM file of the Win7 image you previously created with sysprep from the C drive  

Copy the WIM to the USB key.

Use diskpart to clean (crash) all the partitions on the drive. Then use diskpart to create partitions and format the partitions on the HDD.

Use imagex to apply the WIM file back to the C: drive

Copy the \drivers\ folder from the USB key to C: drive.

Use the DISM command to tell windows where to find all the device drivers.

Once DISM completes, you can reboot the machine.

You will see you Win7 installs itself and install all the required Dell device drivers.

This is how you create a universal image.

Just a few considerations...

The above process will only install devices drivers listed in that CAB file. If you get any new models from Dell you will have to download the latest CAB files and extract, copy and DISM...

The above process does not install Dell Device applications, like Dell Broadband manger, Control Point and so on. The Those applications you will need to deploy after the OS image process.

There are also other ways to stream line the process to include the device drivers.....

If you only have 2 models like 790 and E6520, you can then only download their cab files.

You can use a script to detect between laptop or desktop (or model) and then only copy those files onto the C: drive.

I have no experience with Numara AMP, but if it works similar to SCCM, you would upload the Win7 from DVD, update the questions panel that creates the unattend.xml automatically and then upload the model cab files for device drivers.

Like I said, this is very high level and basic.

Wynand

Warren, thanks again.  I been looking over your resources you provided.

Here is part of  my question that I can't find an answer to.  Okay yes I did not mean that Windows 7 has the drivers for all but for so far what we used it has most.  I know that once we start to receive newer system it will have less and less drivers included.  

Anyways, in my example let say I pre-stage the video drivers.  I noticed that couple of different ways to pre-stage or deploy the drivers.  In which ever method (sysprep, SCCM, storing on the image etc).  The video driver has the driver and nvidia application.   What is the best method to install those drivers.  Which drivers do you use from the regular dell support site or from this site which is a big package that contains all drivers?

Deciding whether to include applications for hardware (like the Nvidia appliciation) is something that you have to decide for your environment (many customers use only the drivers).  many drivers now will install associated applications (I like to call them "middleware") as a part of the driver installation.  But some do not and require a separate install.  Depending on how you are deploying your image will determine how you include the middleware.  for ConfigMgr (SCCM) you simple add a task sequence item to run the middleware installer.  If you are using a single image, you would install the middleware before capturing the image.  

I would recommend using the driver cabs available here for prestaging.  If you have lots of Dell models that you need to support, then look at the Combo Cabs to simplify the process for you.

Thanks,

Warren

Sorry for the absense (been sick).

I found the page for the drivers.  There are 2 sets, the combo and system.  I know that the combo has multiple devices.  Which is prevered to use?  We are an all Dell shop.

You will need to make a choice that works for you.  the Combo cabs are supported by the community (no formal Dell support) but lots of folks use them because they simplify driver management.  The system cabs will work great too (and are supported by Dell) but they require more management and disk space if you have lots of Dell models.

Okay I've made the choice and I think I will tray the system drivers (just in case).

As Wynand suggested I can inject the drivers using the DISM tool.  Would this also work?

1) Install the OS, when I get to the create User name and give PC name press Shift+Control+F3 to get into the admin mode.

2) Configure

*3) Copy drivers to C:\windows\Inf\790-64Bit - C:\windows\Inf\780-64Bit - C:\windows\Inf\760-64Bit

4) Use ImageX to make image

The reason for this is that I need to stop using Ghost.  The system we are goind to use will replace Ghost and I'm still configuring it.

For step 3 I know that windows will scan all subfolders.  So would windows know to use the correct driver example picking up the 760 for the 760 instead of the desktop being a 760 but picking up the 790?  Same scenario but with laptop would it pick up the correct ones also?

Lots of people who use SCCM or other tools to deploy their OS's, choose ot use Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) to create the initial image...and it's free.  MDT automates the build process for you so that future modifications to your image are easier to incorporate.

Can we extract the .cab files in a UNC folder and add the UNC path in WAIK-System Image Manager -- Microsoft-Windows-PnpCustomizationsNonWinPE --DriverPaths.

Will the drivers install automatically during the sysprep process using unattend.xml file?