BL!

Wow! I really like and appreciate your thorough step-by-step description! Thanks (A LOT) for your reply! :-)

Hey, forum! I have: Mainboard (legacy BIOS (no UEFI etc.)) Windows Server 2012 R2 (x64) 2 x 500GB disks (Windows server "software" mirror) Dynamic and contains 1 x System reserved partition (NTFS) @ 5GB, 1 x 1GB unallocated partition & 1 x (NTFS (C: and contains boot, page file and crash dump)). Everything works fine and the 2 disks are error free, but I'm running out of disk space so I need to upgrade. I have 2 x 1000GB disks ready to be installed, how do I clone (with CloneZilla, Ghost or similar software) this setup? Do I have to break the mirror first and if so how to do that properly (remove or break)? Any special parameters to use with cloning software? Do I have to connect the new drives to the current setup and boot Windows in order for the new drives to be installed/recognized (before cloning)? TIA!

Ok, I'm back! I've been testing a lot... WinPE pass + valid drivers = bullseye! Gotta leave work now so I'm in a hurry, therefore a short post (but now you know!)!

Martin! I am using the switch to point out the .XML file and I know that my .XML file is working since every other setting in the file is working as it should after Vista is installed. I'm wondering what all the switches are for setup.exe, maybe there is a switch to force something on? Audit mode is only available when using Sysprep, isn't it? We are not using Sysprep at the momemt. Well, I'm beginning to think that this is not possible to solve and if that is the case then I think that MS forgot something on the way. Sure, images are fine and it's fast etc. but then you have to modify the installation source, right? Basically the question is (still), when using setup.exe (and not sysprep) is it possible to point out drivers (on the local harddisk or an UNC path (or similar)) and have them installed automatically during setup (same function as with the old answer files for W2K/XP (DevicePath))?

Martin! That doesn't work either (if I add the Microsoft-Windows-PnpCustomizationsWinPE component to the windowsPE pass) and with the <UseConfigurationSet> tag removed. Are you also using the RC2-5744 release? Do you also execute setup.exe to install Vista? The drivers are for Windows XP but install flawlessly on Vista (and seems to work properly too as far as I can say). Next step would be to try using an driver which comes through Windows Update or something (if Vista needs some kind of ID in the .INF file to be "happy" during this stage).

Hi again, Martin! Before starting setup.exe I simply create a directory in the root of C: called Drivers and copy all my drivers to that directory (that directory and files are still there after a full installation of Vista if I do an install without an the modifications to the unattend.xml file). When I cut and paste from your code (into <settings pass="windowsPE">) installation stops quite soon with a message box saying "Windows Setup could not prepare the specified drivers for installation, to install Windows, make sure that the drivers are valid, and restart the installation". The drivers are valid as far as I know (if I do install them manually Windows "accepts" them without any problem (signed and all)). Any ideas? BTW, my name is also Martin!

Martin! Many thanks for the advice! You do not happen to have an .XML output of that? TIA!

We are using an automated process where we wipe, partition & format the drive. After that we simply start the installation via setup.exe (RC2-5744) and pointing out our unattend.xml file. Installation works perfectly. Now on to my problem; I want to add drivers without having to modify the original files (images) from MS. If that can be achieved by creating some sort of $OEM$ structure, modification of the unattend.xml file (by adding the "PnPCustomizationsWinPE" component or just creating a local directory on the partition prior to setup and adding that path in the unattend.xml file so that Windows Vista uses that path/structure to do it's Plug'N'Play identification/matching. So far I've tried adding an UNC path to the unattend.xml file using the "PnPCustomizationsWinPE" component " to no avail. Any suggestions on how to do this without inserting the files in the images is appreciated! By the way, is there any source on the Internet where the above information is available or is it "too early days"? TIA!