DriverPacks questions

[phaolo]

Can you help me?

Questions:

1-what is the best integration method?

2-and the exact difference? The info is not very clear for me

3-what does the custom finisher method allow? Does it let me manually add the driver setup in runonceex?

4-is it possible to avoid folder creation like D on main drive and others inside I386?

[RHAF]

I believe that in official site is

www.driverpacks.net

Edited January 23, 2009 by RHAF

[phaolo]

Eh I know, but I posted here as there is few info on that site.

And in the forum stickies some Wiki links are broken: see yourself http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic.php?id=364

Edited January 23, 2009 by phaolo

[RHAF]

but test you.... it's really easy, the configuration no have proble, really! , also that not damage the file of S.O

[phaolo]

I've tested "method 2"-"Guirunonce" but I ended unsatisfied and now I need to redo ISO from start. (I use nlite + manual runonce for now)

I'm asking here because I want to avoid restarting a second time.

Someone help please!

Edited January 23, 2009 by phaolo

[deadbug]

I'm asking here because I want to avoid restarting a second time.

Someone help please!

If you use VirtualBox or VMWare player and test your ISO in that, you'll find it much quicker (and cheaper) than burning to CD/DVD each time.

You'll probably be able to answer your own questions more quickly too!

-- deadbug

[phaolo]

I'm using a virtual machine! But the process of creating the image is long in terms of time and steps to do.

Sigh.. so noone really knows something about the methods

Edited January 27, 2009 by phaolo

[JasonKiller]

I'm using method 2, it's faster then method 1, and AFAIK it's used more often.

If you start Finisher form RunOnceEx you can use Custom start ID to set your own ID (other that default 937),

and combine it with your other entries in RunOnceEx, if you have any.

Folder D is created on %systemdrive% and it is where DriverPacks get unpacked during the setup.

It must be created, but it is also deleted by Finisher at the end of the setup, if everything went OK.

[deadbug]

I'm using a virtual machine! But the process of creating the image is long in terms of time and steps to do.

Sigh.. so noone really knows something about the methods

I have a multiboot AIO-DVD (various forms of XP & W2K on there plus other stuff). Part of that DVD contains a fresh copy of SP3 (in a directory called SP3). I manually apply RyanVM's latest pack to create a new directory (SPR) and then slipstream some more bits into that. Then I copy that to SPD and apply driver packs to that. I also have aruby script that then goes and makes the (possibly) appropriate changes to the corresponding TXT-SETUP directory.

So my SP3 directory was created once and will no longer need to be touched. My SPR will have to be manually updated every now and then. My SPD directory had to be recreated and have driverpacks applied while I was debugging the whole thing, but - once the driverpack ini files were created - this could all be done by a crude .BAT script. It costs a bit of space but it mean that as I was experimenting I could just run a batch script and come back an hour later and test in a VM. (Obviously I was doing all this experimenting as a background task ...).

To speed up the testing I also moved everything that wasn't strictly necessary out of the DVD tree (so that CDIMAGE would produce a test ISO more quickly).

I expect that you'll eventually get answers to some of your questions, but you may find it quicker to write a few scripts and do some testing while getting on with something else at the same time!

-- deadbug

[phaolo]

-jasonkiller

Thanks, I needed info like that. I'll use method 2 then.

Starting the Finisher from RunOnceEx is a good option, but I'd like to manually add it in my custom procedures.. I already feel it won't be possible

Also, I wonder why D folder wasn't removed.

-deadbug

Well, unfortunately I'm using a mix of nlite\manual options\driverpacks, so I can't leave the integration just at the beginning.

Also my scripting skills are pretty limited to create something reliable for that.

Sigh, too bad driverpacks cannot be easily slipstreamed manually or via nlite

Edited January 28, 2009 by phaolo

[deadbug]

Well, unfortunately I'm using a mix of nlite\manual options\driverpacks, so I can't leave the integration just at the beginning.

Also my scripting skills are pretty limited to create something reliable for that.

Sigh, too bad driverpacks cannot be easily slipstreamed manually or via nlite

The first thing to note is that DriverPacks must be the last thing you do - after nLite and all your manual hackery.

So you can do everything else once and keep a copy of that safe, then run DriverPacks, build your ISO and test. If that didn't work, throw it away, restore your safe copy, and try again.

Secondly, DriverPacks can (I think ...) be run manually using the settings from last time.

If you are doing any manipulation with nLite or addon packs after you've applied DriverPacks then that could be your problem.

So if you are building a single-OS CD your sequence should be something like:

- prepare your directory with latest service pack (and txtsetup.sif and winnt.sif etc. for loading of apps and so on)

- slipstream addons (like RyanVM, WMP, IE7)

- apply finishing touches with nLite (if needed)

- apply Driverpacks.

If you are building a multiboot CD or DVD (e.g WinXP Pro & Home or Win XP and Win 2K etc.) then the basic sequence is similar except you invoke Driverpacks in a different way. Then, if you've followed flyakite's tutorial, you need to update the drivers in your \XXXX boot directory for each OS to which you've applied DriverPacks.

Finally, if your D folder wasn't removed then either you've not run the Finisher (which is my current problem) or you've set some option in DriverPacks that asks it to leave drivers on the installed HDD (but I forgot what that option is - I don't think it's a default though).

[phaolo]

Yep, these are the seps I have to follow:

1-start with fresh copy

2-slipstream SP3 with nlite

3-add a custom manual entry in txtsetup.sif (now it's just a copy-paste file)

4-integrate KB patches with nlite

5-do rest of nlite operations

6-integrate Driverpacks with Base program

7-create final ISO

Would be a good thing if DriverPacks could be re-run at the end without breaking something. Only.. I have to decide a method and stick with that

Luckly for now I'm not doing a multiboot dvd but a simple WinXp + programs.

Thanks deadbug

p.s: a thing that I don't like about method 2 is that I have to create $1 folder and put that weird D structure inside. A cab or a folder called "driverpacks" would be way better (I'm just installing the 5mb mass storage for sata drivers)

[JasonKiller]

p.s: a thing that I don't like about method 2 is that I have to create $1 folder and put that weird D structure inside. A cab or a folder called "driverpacks" would be way better (I'm just installing the 5mb mass storage for sata drivers)

If you only want to include MassStorage drivers for non supported mass storage controllers, you should use

DriverPack MassStorage Text Mode. That slipstream drivers in your Windows installation, so your SATA HDD may be "seen" by Windows Setup.

To start Finisher in your custom procedure use Custom method, and reference to DPsFnshr.exe in your .BAT or .CMD

script, (like start %SystemDrive%\DPsFnshr.exe), but I didn't tested this method myself.

[phaolo]

Ahh other good info. Then I'll use method 2 - custom

But is DPsFnshr.exe a default name\path?

If all works good, I'll finally be able to finish my dvd (and immediately start a new one with a WPI XD)

Edited January 29, 2009 by phaolo

[deadbug]

But is DPsFnshr.exe a default name\path?

When I used DriverPacks, after the install DPsFnshr.exe was on C:\, which is what "%SystemDrive%\DPsFnshr.exe" would be.

If I'd done it properly, then that finisher would have run (perhaps in GuiRunOnce) and then it would have cleaned up after itself.

If all works good, I'll finally be able to finish my dvd (and immediately start a new one with a WPI XD)

Now the testing involved in getting any reasonable number of Apps to install silently and correctly will dwarf what you've done so far. I generally find that by the time I've finished, filehippo.com's update checker has found a few Apps that have released new versions. It never ends :-)