Sysprep not adding drivers when WDS is used

[eean]

Windows XP, Server 2008 WDS.
I have:
1. Setup my base image (it's 100% clean, no drivers, no software)
2. sysprep -mini -reseal -reboot
3. Captured image and added drivers to $OEM$ folders and setup Sysprep.inf correctly on the server.
4. Deplyed image (on same computer). Image deploys fine, it copies the Drivers folder from the server onto the local hard drive and sysprep.inf changes the admin password etc... but the driver install fails (no error message, they just don't install).

Sysprep is not updating HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\DevicePath with the paths OemPnpDriversPath.

I've tried MS Workround.

The wierd bit:
If I manually add the drivers folder and sysprep.inf then run sysprep -mini -reseal -reboot then just restart the computer (i.e. don't capture and deploy) drivers install OK.


So it must be something that WDS Server is/isn't doing?

Thanks!

[smithk2306]

I've been searching the Internet for the last week and this is the first post i have seen anywhere that EXACTLY describes my problem. If I ignore the Add Drivers wizard and manually add the paths in the OEMPnPDriversPath into the HKLM registry key then reboot the PC they all set up perfectly. The sysprep and driver folders are being copied, the sysprep.inf must be being processed as everything else is being done, including copying and running a different .vbs script file just for the sake of testing it, just the OEMDriversPath is NOT being added to the reg key as it should be.
Did you find a resolution to this?

Kevin

[eean]

I'm glad I'm not the only one with this problem - perhaps we should set up a special bi-monthly support group, perhaps meeting in a church hall, to help technicians who previously had an automated Windows XP build on Server 2000 and 2003 but since 'upgrading' to 2008 have found that they have to spend hours searching the internet to find work around and obscure Microsoft patches.

Anyway, I didn't find a resolution but I do have a work around. It's a bit messy but it does the trick.

1. Create your blank image (minus drivers and sysprep.inf), delete any unknown devices in device manager, all as you normally would.
2. Create the DevicePath key with c:\Drivers\00;c:\Drivers\01;c:\Drivers\02;c:\Drive rs\03 up to c:\Drivers\99
3. Capture your image as normal.
4. On the server create your $OEM$ folders as normal. Create the sysprep.inf minus the OEMDrivers bit (which gets ignored anyway).
5. In $OEM$\$1\Drivers put each driver in a different subfolder called 00 or 01, 02 etc.. I organise mine so chipset drivers are all 00,01,02. Network card drivers 10,11. VGA: 20, 21 etc... Then have an index text file so I know what driver is in what folder.

Make sure your DevicePath is REG_EXPAND_SZ not REG_SZ otherwise some drivers don't work!