i had previously been using the TXTSETUP.SIF method of integrating the NVRAID drivers. this would work fine in the TEXTMODE portion of setup, but once the GUIMODE setup had completed, i would get bluescreens/reboots trying to load windows for the first time. the problem was a result of the NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller not being installed during GUIMODE. since driver is not WHQL certified, setup prioritized the installation of its own Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller.

after a lot of playing around, i have managed to successfully integrate the NVRAID drivers onto an x64 unattended cd. i used the 7.12 PATARAID IDE drivers from the MSI website.

please refer to GreenMachine's Space for instructions on how to make the appropriate changes for the TEXTMODE portion of setup.
these were the additions i made to TXTSETUP.SIF:


to successfully install the NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller in GUIMODE:
place the following files in X:\$OEM$\$$\OEMDIR

add the following lines to WINNT.SIF:


please let me know if you are successfully able to use this method.

It worked, good job
Edit: I'm using a K8NE-DLX Nforce3 MB

This post has been edited by jbm: Jun 26 2005, 04:55 PM

good to hear!

more detailed information about this method can be found HERE.

i would appreciate it if someone could try this method with drivers for devices other than mass storage devices.

Why would you need to? The only reason for implementing drivers in this fashion is to access drives on controllers that Windows doesn't have native support for without using a floppy. Any other devices can be loaded in other ways during setup, or even after setup.

in order to have the latest drivers installed for your devices, even if they are not WHQL.

sure you could install the devices after setup, but i'd prefer during setup. after all, i integrate drivers so that i have an unattended/slipstreamed installation.

what other way was there of installing a device during setup, other than using the OemPnPDriversPath entry in WINNT.SIF?

I have a SATA RAID0 array on my nforce3, and I can get everything installed, but then get blue screens when I actually try to boot the new windows installation. Do you have any advice on drivers I might try with this method. I tried it with the nforce4 pata drivers you have linked here just for the hell of it, but that didn't work.

@obeseotron:
try the official 6.66 release on the nvidia site. the SATA raid drivers are now WHQL. you should be able to integrate them without the [OemInfFiles] method.

Can you explain how to integrate the 6.66 drivers?

I've been searching around and I can't find anyway to integrate the 6.66 drivers for either x86 or x64. I want to know how to do it for both though, since I use x86 and x64 XP.

@dale5605:
[OemInfFiles] should work with any version of the nforce drivers. i'm currently using it with 7.13.

the first post describes how to get the drivers integrated with x64. the link to GreenMachine's Space is especially useful. what do you need explained exactly?

Well you mentioned something about how they are now WHQL and you don't need this method for the 6.66? I was wondering what is the other method?

@dale5605:
be sure to check the link to GreenMachine's Space in my first post, if anything is unclear. just minor folder changes are needed for x64 (AMD64 instead of i386). let X:\ be the path to your setup files. i'll follow the step numbers on his site:

1) append TXTSETUP.SIF with what i posted earlier.
2) copy the SATARAID folder to X:\$OEM$\$1\DRIVERS
3) append WINNT.SIF with

4) run the following in a command prompt


that should do it. i haven't tried the WHQL SATARAID drivers personally. i have a PATARAID that i play with, so i use the corresponding drivers.

let me know if it works.

The additions to TXTSETUP that you put in your first post will work for SATARAID as well? Or is that for PATARAID? Thanks

@dale5605:
it should be good for both.

I tried it on 32bit xp and it didn't work. Haven't tried it on 64bit yet.

@dale5605:
what symptoms are you experiencing that leads you to believe it didn't work?

you can always use the OemInfFiles entries. i know those work with 7.13.

Right at the beginning, when windows is copying files it says "can't locate nvatabus" or something like that and it fails to install.

I don't get it, this just doesn't work. I tried it again on x64 and followed the directions in your first post EXACTLY. Then when windows is first starting up (press F6 to install RAID drivers, etc.) that part of the install, it says "cannot find nvatax64.sys, press any key to restart your computer"