[Rui Pereira]

Hello all, my first time in this forum.

Right now, and since I have several mass storage drivers to include, I would like to know if it's possible to create a structure like this:

$OEM
...|-$1
...|-$$
...|-TEXTMODE
.........|-Driver1
...............|-<files>
.........|-Driver2
...............|-<files>
.........|-Drivern
...............|-<files>

If not, do I have to create a custom txtsetup.oem to include references to all drivers?

I did search a lot and, even though this forum seems to be the best one on this subject, I haven't found any discussion about this exact problem.

Thanks in advance.

[trainee]

Hi Rui Pereira, and welcome to MSFN!

This is a great question, and no I don't believe it has ever been asked before. First to answer your question: I believe that you can only have ONE (1) TXTSETUP.OEM file. I have never actually had to slipstream multiple drivers for the same computer so I don't know if this is set in stone, but all of the research I have done indicates that you will have to manually *marry* the different TXTSETUP.OEM files together. As long as the other filenames don't conflict you should be able to dump all of them into the same TEXTMODE folder without individual subdirectories. And you *should* just be able to pick 1 of the [defualt] SCSI entries, and dump the rest.

Now I have a few questions for you (watch out they becoming increasingly complex!):
1.) Are you doing a CD or Network based install?
2.) Have you tested any of your mass storage drivers slipstreamed by themselves (to verify that they work individually)?
3.) If YES to #2 and CD to #1: did you use a method VERY similar to the one posted here?
4.) If YES to #2, NO to #3 and CD to #1: please detail the differences
5.) What are ALL of the mass storage drivers you are trying to slipstream (just so we know)? hmmmmm...this one is not more complex than quesiton #4 *yet* so...what is the meaning of life?

I may get more out of this thread than you but I hope I helped a little bit.

[Rui Pereira]

Hi newbie, thanks for answering!

Here's my input to your questions

1.) Are you doing a CD or Network based install?
This is a network install.

2.) Have you tested any of your mass storage drivers slipstreamed by themselves (to verify that they work individually)?
Yes, I did. And they work just fine. They are mass stoorage driver for HP, IBM and Dell

3.) If YES to #2 and CD to #1: did you use a method VERY similar to the one posted here?
n/a

4.) If YES to #2, NO to #3 and CD to #1: please detail the differences
n/a

5.) What are ALL of the mass storage drivers you are trying to slipstream (just so we know)? hmmmmm...this one is not more complex than quesiton #4 *yet* so...what is the meaning of life?
HP, IBM and Dell mass storage. This is a project where I have to include support for any of these servers during unattend installation on any branch office (this is a bank).

The reason for my question is so that the customer, in case of driver additons, they wouldn't have any problem since this structure is very modular. So you know, I have folders for sources, profiles (unnatend files) and OEMs ($OEM$). If I can make my $OEM$ modular enough to simplify additions, then success is guaranteed upon simplicity on their operations.

Really, thanks a lot for your help. I wonder wy I did get only 1 reply. Do you think the post title looks like numb enough to be passed out???

[Rui Pereira]

Sorry, I thought your nickname was newbie and not trainee. I'm really really sorry.

[trainee]

Hey don't worry about it Really what's the difference between a newbie and a trainee anyway? Thanks for the information, there are fundamental differences in the way TEXTMODE works for a network install and a CD based install. You should actually have a lot fewer problems doing this with a network install and you *may* not need to combine your TXTSETUP.OEM files.

Quote

I wonder wy I did get only 1 reply. Do you think the post title looks like numb enough to be passed out???

Your question is a more difficult one and is a little outside the mainstream. I belive that most people here are doing CD based installs AND are looking to slipstream drivers for their onboard IDE-RAID/SATA controllers. So there are fewer people who will have the experience to answer your questions. As I mentioned above using the TEXTMODE method from a CD is a lot trickier than over network and I have personal interest in that topic so I was able to respond.

Unfortunetly that is where my experience runs out and I have never tried to do a network based install. Usually creating a new thread becuase you don't think people are reading your old one does not go over well with the admins so I would give this one a chance. I think your best bet is to combine the TXTSETUP.OEM files into one and just try the sucker out. Best of luck.

[Rui Pereira]

Thanks a bunch!

[DisabledTrucker]

I too have been researching this topic as well, though I am uncertain of the possiblity as M$'s website and ref.chm is of little use in this matter.

But from what I can determine, it should be possible to do a txtsetup the way you mentioned, though you may have to make a custom txtsetup.inf file to point to the different directories and set it up in the OemPnPDrivers section to point to the individual folders as well. You should be able to just put the Txtsetup reference in the OemPnPDrivers section of the Unattended.txt file and let Windows sort it out. It shouldn't be necessary to put a txtsetup.inf to point to them in the TxtSetup folder. Putting each individual driver into the different subfolders, Windows Should be able to determine which specific driver it needs and install that one by itself.

All I can say is try it out that way and if you have a success or failure please report back so others will know as well.

[trainee]

Yeah I think we have really entered the 'speculation zone' at this point...

Quote

you may have to make a custom txtsetup.inf file to point to the different directories

I believe that DisabledTrucker is right, and you will have to modify the directory structures of the combined TXTSETUP.OEM file and the seperate .inf's if you use subdirectories for each driver. Subdirectories would be the nicer/cleaner/more appropriate way to do this. However you may have fewer problems if you just try dumping all the files (hopefully there won't be any naming conflicts) into the same TEXTMODE directory (without specific subdirectories) just to get it working.

@DisabledTrucker: hey do you use the TEXTMODE method from CD or network?

The TEXTMODE people really need to get a thread to share information, becuase there aren't very many of us.

[Rui Pereira]

Thank you all!

Since I'm on time pressure, I won't be able to test it now. It's a shame because the customer will have to edit the txtsetup.oem marrying all the drivers together in it. But as soon I'll get the chance be sure I'll reply to this so you guys know.

Thanks again.

[Bilou_Gateux]

Windows 2000 Unattended install of mass storage drivers for HP/Compaq ProLiant Servers
As posted here, i think it's not possible to use subdir for each MassStorage Driver

Quote

If not, do I have to create a custom txtsetup.oem to include references to all drivers?

answer is probably YES

That the method used by HP/Compaq with their SmartStart installation tool.

[Rui Pereira]

Hey all,

I've been trying to do it by using subfolders but ... sorry. We really ahave to marry all of them in txtsetup.oem. But waht a hell, hard to build but it works.

Thank you all.

[DisabledTrucker]

I do txtmode from cd, using the structure:

i386\$OEM$\txtmode

My problem has been lately that my entries in WinNT.sif aren't working correctly. This is what I have in there:

[MassStorageDrivers];219
        "WinXP   Promise FastTrak 376/378 (tm) Controller","fasttx2k"="OEM"
        "WinXP   Promise SATA378 (tm) Controller","UlSata"="OEM"
        "NVIDIA RAID CLASS DRIVER","nvraid"="OEM"
        "NVIDIA NForce Storage Controller","nvatabus"="OEM"
        "IDE CD-ROM (ATAPI 1.2)/PCI IDE Controller"="OEM"

The ";219" is the line number, I keep getting an error which says there is an error in WinNT.sif on line 220, but this is what I was told would work, so far I haven't had any luck with this.

What I have tried so far:

With and with out ", fasttx2k",
with and without the enclosed quotes,
with and without "="OEM"",
with and without the enclosed quotes,
nothing seems to be working correctly.
I can't find my original WinNT.sif where it worked under SP-1, but this isn't working in SP-2 at all. I should also mention that I have never had a problem before using this method of installing from txtmode until now, as I mentioned I have used this method in the past. I do know that this:
"WinXP Promise FastTrak 376/378 ™ Controller" has to be like this but the rest I am still unsure of.

[trainee]

@DisabledTrucker: Have you tried the winnt.sif lines without the abbreviations. So instead of

"WinXP   Promise FastTrak 376/378 (tm) Controller","fasttx2k"="OEM"

You would have

"WinXP   Promise FastTrak 376/378 (tm) Controller" = "OEM"

I have never seen them listed as 'name','short-name' = "OEM" before. I only use 'name' = "OEM". I would try that and see what happens. And make sure those names correspond to the *current* drivers you have. I had an error come up once becuase 3ware changed the name of their driver with the latest driver release. I simply put the new files on the CD thinking that the name would be the same and I recieved a textmode error. So if you have upgraded any of the drivers recently you may want to make sure your winnt.sif entried match the names given in the txtsetup.oem files. Hope this helps.

[DisabledTrucker]

Thanks, but I tried that just before you mentioned it and now I get another error about txtmode.oem in some obscure line which doesn't exist, 1747 or something to that effect. That error will pop up about 5-6 times before it goes away, (by hitting my "any" key,) and then when I get to the point that Windows XP is supposed to find my drives, it wont find them. I do have two different txtsetup.oem's but they are in two different folders one for the Nvidia raid controller and one for the Promise 376 driver, neither are working correctly.

I should mention too, that I'm installing from i386\$OEM$\txtmode which is supposed to be where xp automatically looks for the drivers.

[trainee]

Quote

I should mention too, that I'm installing from i386\$OEM$\txtmode which is supposed to be where xp automatically looks for the drivers.

I've never used that directory, and I believe this is the first time I've seen it referenced. AFAIK nobody has gotten method 2 (M2) style installs to work from CD without using these 2 directories:

$OEM$\TEXTMODE
I386\$OEM$\

I don't know about the promise controller, but rcordorica was able to get nvRaid to work. The guide isn't updated properly yet, but you can see what he did by reading through this thread: link. Hope this helps.