DriverForge v5.0! - An Automatic Driver Installer

[kickarse]

Kickarse or anybody?

Sorry i've been out of touch with the internet.

I'll get to this tomorrow. I'm off to sleep.

[kickarse]

v 4.1.2 (more of an interim to more gui changes) out!

[Sull]

This looks very neat, this should work perfect for a project of mine.

Question = when the ini file is filled out properly for unattended, just running DriverForge.v.4.1.2.exe will automatically install the drivers, no switches are needed ?

Thanks I will test soon.

EDIT:

can I use this

DriverExtract=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\

instead of this

DriverExtract=C:\

Edited April 5, 2008 by Sull

[kickarse]

This looks very neat, this should work perfect for a project of mine.

Question = when the ini file is filled out properly for unattended, just running DriverForge.v.4.1.2.exe will automatically install the drivers, no switches are needed ?

Thanks I will test soon.

EDIT:

can I use this

DriverExtract=%SYSTEMDRIVE%\

instead of this

DriverExtract=C:\

That should work. Or you could try @systemdrive . And yes to your first question.

[iTwins]

Great idea and a great tool!! Kudos. Kickarse!

One problem though:

I noticed that if I extracted USB drivers into C:\DRIVERS for example, detected and installed all drivers, and finally deleted C:\DRIVERS permanently. The next time I insert a USB thumbdrive/hdd, the system will not be able to find the drivers it needs, not even USB drivers that originally came with XP. I believe the tool may have changed the search path and points to C:\DRIVERS instead. Because of this, I normally extract the drivers deep inside "%SystemDirectory%\Driverforge" and let them be just in case...

I tested not from the latest version but several revisions back, so I am not sure if this has since been fixed already or not.

Cheers,

[Sull]

kickarse,

Or you could try @systemdrive

Your saying with @, I am not sure if it was doing anything with %SYSTEMDRIVE%\ I was just testing in VMWARE so I cant really say much until I try actually install on my MicroPC.. I just want to limit the amount of times I have to test it.

[kickarse]

Great idea and a great tool!! Kudos. Kickarse!

One problem though:

I noticed that if I extracted USB drivers into C:\DRIVERS for example, detected and installed all drivers, and finally deleted C:\DRIVERS permanently. The next time I insert a USB thumbdrive/hdd, the system will not be able to find the drivers it needs, not even USB drivers that originally came with XP. I believe the tool may have changed the search path and points to C:\DRIVERS instead. Because of this, I normally extract the drivers deep inside "%SystemDirectory%\Driverforge" and let them be just in case...

I tested not from the latest version but several revisions back, so I am not sure if this has since been fixed already or not.

Cheers,

Yeah I fixed that issue. If you select to delete drivers then it'll revert it back to whatever was there before.

[Sull]

I do have another question.

Can this be ran from RunOnceEx without problems ?

[kickarse]

I do have another question.

Can this be ran from RunOnceEx without problems ?

I don't see why not, it should work fine.

Edited April 8, 2008 by kickarse

[Kelsenellenelvian]

KK I'm going to play the dumbarse noob now.

I want to use this as a all-in-one CD not from usb.

#1 The drivers are staying compressed on the CD.

#2 I want them extracted to %SYSTEMROOT%\Drivers

#3 They can be deleted aftaerwards.

#4 I wold like to see the hardware manager during the proccess.

As far as I have read a variable will work fine for the extraction but how do I denote a %cdrom% variable?

Or just me being lazy can someone post me an ini file?

[kickarse]

KK I'm going to play the dumbarse noob now.

I want to use this as a all-in-one CD not from usb.

#1 The drivers are staying compressed on the CD.

#2 I want them extracted to %SYSTEMROOT%\Drivers

#3 They can be deleted aftaerwards.

#4 I wold like to see the hardware manager during the proccess.

As far as I have read a variable will work fine for the extraction but how do I denote a %cdrom% variable?

Or just me being lazy can someone post me an ini file?

Just use the options

[AutoInstall]
ShowDevMgr=Y

[Driver]
7zRoot=Y
7zRootLoc=Path\To\Driver\Folder
...
DriverExtract=%systemroot%\Drivers
7zLoc=

I would suggest that if you're going to delete the drivers that you put them in a folder other than %systemroot%\INF . Because it'll delete the folder %systemroot%\inf . The program would be on the CD-Rom and the folder for the compressed drivers would be in a the same folder as the program.

So %cdrom%\DriverForge\DriverForge.v4.1.2.exe

and %cdrom%\DriverForge\CompressedDriversFolder

I have to redo the drivers location approach. It's a bit convoluted and confusing. Soon it'll be just 7zRoot and 7zLoc, and DriverRoot and DriverExtract, nixing 7zRootloc and DriverRootLoc.

[slipk487]

its easy. this is what you have to do.

it doesnt matter were u have your files on a cd but the easyest way is to have your drivers in a subfolder in the directory were u have DriverForge.exe

lets say this is your setup

X:\DriverForge\DriverForge.exe

X:\DriverForge\Drivers\(anything in here or subfolders deeper)

you directory would just be \Drivers

Question of my Own.

Does this work on windows 2000 because when i try in run it on Windows 2000 i get some kind of error after i hit start.

Edited April 16, 2008 by slipk487

[kickarse]

its easy. this is what you have to do.

it doesnt matter were u have your files on a cd but the easyest way is to have your drivers in a subfolder in the directory were u have DriverForge.exe

lets say this is your setup

X:\DriverForge\DriverForge.exe

X:\DriverForge\Drivers\(anything in here or subfolders deeper)

you directory would just be \Drivers

Question of my Own.

Does this work on windows 2000 because when i try in run it on Windows 2000 i get some kind of error after i hit start.

I've only tested in XP. I don't know if it'll work on 2000. Can you print screen the error??

[slipk487]

ill post it tomorrow when im back at work

edit.

didnt work today so ill post the error on monday

Edited April 18, 2008 by slipk487

[slipk487]

sorry it took so long to get to. I've been busy at work and haven't had a change before to test the error again but i have the error now. it happens during the installing drivers portion.

Edited May 14, 2008 by slipk487