Hi y'all!

What I'm about to explain is how you can add SATA/RAID drivers by editing only one file - TXTSETUP.SIF - which is placed in the I386 folder (C:\XPCD\i386\TXTSETUP.SIF). I've tested this method and it's bulletproof (atleast so far )...

First of all I want to thank the guy that posted THIS several years back (and it was for Windows 2000 back then), without that posting I would still be pounding my head against a brick-wall.

This post should cover whatever SATA controller out there - just test for yourself. The guy in the original posting mentioned above, is talking about an IBM ServerRaid driver/controller. The SATA driver I want to install is for the Intel® 82801GBM SATA AHCI Controller (Mobile ICH7M/DH).

Follow this guide step by step:

1. Comment out or remove anything under MassStorageDriver and OEMBootfiles you might have in WINNT.SIF.

2. Download the latest drivers (I'm using the current v6.x driver from Intel) and extract them.

3. Copy only the .SYS file (iastor.sys) to the C:\XPCD\I386 folder. Keep the other files - you'll need some information from them a little later. Note that it's important that the .SYS file is uncompressed.

4. In the C:\XPCD\I386 folder you must now open the file TXTSETUP.SIF in your favorite text-editor and do the following:

4.1 Under the section [SourceDisksFiles] add:

Remember to change the name of the sys file to the one you use! I put this on line 1653.

4.2 Under the section [HardwareIdsDatabase] add:

You will find the information for your specific controller in the file TXTSETUP.OEM that you extracted with the driver. I put this on line 18800.

4.3 Under the section [SCSI.Load] add:

Change the names iastor and iastor.sys to your file's name. I put this on line 19244.

4.4 Under the section [SCSI] add:

Change the name iastor to your file's name. I think the name in "" can be whatever you like, but I used the same name used in TXTSETUP.OEM just in case. I put this on line 21586.

5. Save the file and exit. Burn the image and boot using the CD... Voila!

--------
Notes:
- No need to use the TEXTMODE folder. Just delete.
- No "The file txtsetup.oem caused an unexpected error (18)...blahblah" error message during installation. This is the real reason I'm now using this method.
- No need for ekstra files in the image - but you still need drivers defined in OemPnPDriversPath in WINNT.SIF. This explanation is only for the textmode and protected mode of the Windows XP Pro installation!
- No need for any entries in WINNT.SIF (except the one above).
- The only downside is that you actually have to edit the TXTSETUP.SIF file.

Tell me what you think - does it work for you as well?

@Philster: I think you can add all the different SATA drivers you want to, but I've only tested the one I documented here. Sharing is the thing!

@mjschug: You did what I said in number 3? I haven't tested this over a network installation, however, I will test this on RIS in a week or so (I hope). I will keep you updated on this.

@azaze1: Fixed! Thanks!

@LispWarez: Hmmm .. didn't see it!

This post has been edited by Anderz: Aug 17 2006, 01:47 AM

Will this method allow me to add SATA drivers for a number of PCs / laptops as i want an image i can use with a few devices?

WOAH, dude. This is sweet. I will try it out...

Just found this. I will try it and give feedback.

I recently started picking apart our Dell XP install images. They are a pretty standard unattended, but it has support for several RAID/SATA controllers built-in. I used WinMerge to find the differences, and the most changes where in the TXTSETUP.OEM file you are talking about. There are also some random entries in the various hive.inf's, but as you have found out most of it can be done in that one file! It's pretty swank, I didn't slim it down as you have, but I did use their files as a base to integrate the Intel SATA drivers onto a vanilla OEM WinXP, as well as a Server2K3 unattended.

One thing to comment on, in the Dell image there is no need for any OEMFiles part, as all the files are integrated into the source. I believe that's where the extra edits in the hive.inf's come in, helps complete the circle I guess. Instead of just the *.SYS file, the Dell image has all the support files for the drivers...inf's, cat's, dll's, etc. So in the end it's more work but cleaner in that you can (possibly) skip the OEMFiles.

Doesn't NLite do this?

wow this has been covered in the past. i have been using this method for the last year or so. maybe the thread i got it from got lost in the history of these forums.

I'm not posting this to point fingers in a negative way, but you started by saying this is going to be done by editing txtsetup.oem. It is even referenced twice, but then you specify editing the built in txtsetup.sif. In which case this method is covered already in the Drivers forum. It would be nice to just drop your drivers and 1 new text file into the I386 dir.... but that can't be done as initially suggested at the beginning of this post. Oh well.

I followed your instructions to the T and did not work. Iam getting the following error during textmode setup.
"the file fasttx2k.sys could not be found. Press any key to continue"

I am using a combination of Linux Boot CD and a Unattended installation over a network.

Thanks

-$chug

Hi there, can anyone answer this question?

Thanks


Phil.

It should, yes.

Yes. NLite did exactly this with the SATA driver for HP laptop, except the iastor.sys is compressed as iastor.sy_.

The _x here...



... means the file is UNcompressed!

This post has been edited by Anderz: Aug 10 2006, 06:29 AM

so what would we put if we wished to compress them?

3_ I think it was, but I use the files uncompressed so I haven't tested it.

Use MakeCab and ModifyPE to compress the file and correct the Checksums