Integrating Drivers to mutiple computers

[Henrique-S]

Thank you everybody!

I'm now looking for the drivers to download and organize them so I can test the helpfull tips of John and Fernando. I'm just researching the components of the motherboards, enumerating them all, and visiting the CHIP's manufacturers like Intel, Marvell, Silicon, Nvidia, and Others.

During the visit to Intel's download page I came across with Intel® Matrix Storage Manager and Intel® Matrix Storage Technology by selecting Chipsets. When we select both of them we can get to the download sessions with several files. So, my question is:

K.) Please, have a look at this info above and... What is the diference between Intel® Matrix Storage Manager and Intel® Matrix Storage Technology since its download pages show us diferent files to download? Which one do I need, both?

Fernando, please, have a look at Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility! and look at available drivers. I think that there is a newer version to the files you have at your topic. I'm not sure if the files you have there is the same as this one linked, but if it is there is an updated driver for the v8.9.0.1023 you have at your topic. The newer version is v9.0.0.1008.

Edited July 16, 2009 by Henrique-S

[Fernando 1]

@ Henrique-S:

Since you are a newbee with nLite, I would like to give you some general tips:

1. Before you start with the creation of an nLited XP CD you should check all your 5 computers, if they really will need any textmode driver. As johnhc already has written, Windows XP with integrated SP2 or SP3 doesn't need any special textmode driver, unless the SATA hdd(s) is/are set to AHCI or RAID Mode within the mainboard BIOS.
   If you are unsure about the BIOS settings, open the Device Manager of any running OS and look into the "IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers" and - if present - the "Storage Controllers" sections for a controller with the word "AHCI" or "RAID" in the name. A system, which shows just Controllers named "Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller", doesn't need and probably will not accept any extern textmode driver.
   
2. The most important part of the nLite processing is the integration of the needed textmode driver, because otherwise the XP Setup will not detect the SATA hdd(s), which are set to "AHCI Mode" or "RAID Mode". All other device drivers can be installed without any problem after having completed the XP installation.
   
3. Don't try to do everything at once. It may be a good idea to create an "All-In-One" XP CD/DVD, which is usable for all your computers, but remember: The more you customize your XP CD by using a tool like nLite, the greater is the chance of a failure during the later OS installation and the more difficult is the search for the reason.
   

This is what I suggest for you:

• Start with the creation of an nLited XP CD just for your nForce chipset system.
  
• If you succeed, you may try to create a second XP CD/DVD, which is suitable for your Intel chipset mainboards.
  
• Don't use the "Unattended install" option unless you are sure about the different options.
  

During the visit to Intel's download page I came across with Intel® Matrix Storage Manager and Intel® Matrix Storage Technology by selecting Chipsets. When we select both of them we can get to the download sessions with several files. So, my question is:

H.) Please, have a look at this info above and... What is the diference between Intel® Matrix Storage Manager and Intel® Matrix Storage Technology since its download pages show us diferent files to download? Which one do I need, both?

None of them, because all the files and packages you find there are outdated. The only difference between the "Intel® Matrix Storage Manager" and "Intel® Matrix Storage Technology" pages of the Download Center is the age of the presented drivers and applications. The actual name of the Intel AHCI&RAID package (containing the drivers and the Console application) is "Intel® Matrix Storage Manager", but you will not will find the newest version 8.9.0.1023 here, but only by choosing a hidden way (look here).

Don't waste your time with these things. It doesn't make any sense to integrate the complete package of the "Intel® Matrix Storage Manager". Do what I have written within my Intel textmode driver integration guide and within my first post within this thread.

Fernando, please, have a look at Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility! and look at available drivers. I think that there is a newer version to the files you have at your topic. I'm not sure if the files you have there is the same as this one linked, but if it is there is an updated driver for the v8.9.0.1023 you have at your topic. The newer version is v9.0.0.1008.

No, you are mixing the version of the AHCI/RAID drivers of the Intel Storage Manager (actual: v8.9.0.1023) and the version of the Intel Chipset Device ("INF Utility") drivers (actual: v9.1.1.1014). All the links within my guide are leading to the already prepared and actual driver versions.

Good luck!

Fernando

[Henrique-S]

Thanks to this forum, John and Fernando I've made a few tests with nLite.

First, I took a Windows XP Pro CD and nLited it with small changes just to get proficient with this tool. I didn't aggregated any Service Pack or Hotfixes into it, not even any Drivers. So, to check out if everything was okay with the new XP CD, I downloaded a trial copy of VMware Workstation, installed, learned a bit of it, configured, had the 'Virtual Machine' to boot with the .ISO XP CD that was created with nLite, installed Windows on the 'Virtual Machine', configured my network to get the VMware Virtual Machine to access the internet, Downloaded the latest XP Service Pack, and every little thing went fine untill I tried to install the SP3 into this 'Virtual Machine'... So, here comes a new question:

L.) I've got an error saying that I should have at least SP1 installed to install the XP Service Pack 3. Right... But, should I need to slipstream the Service pack 1 before the Service Pack 3? Does the SP3 contain everything from SP1 and SP2 so we don't need to get them installed before we install or slipstream the SP3?

This article from MS don't tell anything about it.

The Download Page show us that XP Home or Pro / XP SP1 or SP2 are okay to run it.

And MSFN forum contributors explain us this.

Cheers,

Henrique

Edited July 16, 2009 by Henrique-S

[Fernando 1]

@ Henrique-S:

If you read your linked MSFN Forum discussion carefully, you will realize, that it is not possible to install the SP3 pack from within an SP0 (=RTM) version of Windows XP, but that it is no problem to integrate the SP3 pack into an SP0 version of the OS.

By the way: You will not be able to test your drivers by any VMWare installation, because the needed hardware is not present in reality.

[Henrique-S]

If you read your linked MSFN Forum discussion carefully, you will realize, that it is not possible to install the SP3 pack from within an SP0 (=RTM) version of Windows XP, but that it is no problem to integrate the SP3 pack into an SP0 version of the OS.

Sure, I saw that in the topic. What I were wondering is why should I need to install the SP1 before to install the SP3 and why shouldn't I need to do it when slipstreaming the SP3 to create a new CD. I don't know if I could explain, but that's it.

Does something get 'lost' if I don't slipstream the SP1 and then the SP2 and after it, the SP3?

Is the SP1/2 useless in this context?

[Fernando 1]

Sure, I saw that in the topic. What I were wondering is why should I need to install the SP1 before to install the SP3 and why shouldn't I need to do it when slipstreaming the SP3 to create a new CD. I don't know if I could explain, but that's it.

Ask Microsoft for the answer. A direct update from SP0 to the SP3 version is not possible.

Does something get 'lost' if I don't slipstream the SP1 and then the SP2 and after it, the SP3?

Is the SP1/2 useless in this context?

You should only slipstream the SP3. If you try to slipstream the other SP's too, you may run into problems.

[g-force]

I even don`t know exactly, why MS made this restriction to SP3-Install - but is`s like that.

But you made a few steps before with nLite, so now it`s time for the next steps.

1.) Integrate SP3 in your RTM-Source and give it atry in your VM

2.) Integrate Hotfixes or Hotfix-Packs, take look at RyanVM

§.) Integrate Drivers

Edited July 14, 2009 by g-force

[Henrique-S]

Welcome to the topic G-Force!

All right... So I think we can't get an answer about those 'SPx' things. Fernando, by the way, my grandfather and grandmother were born there in Germany and lived there untill their 40's...

Here is an 'Off' and maybe dumb question...

How do I know which Windows XP CD to use since I have 3 CDs here?

How to know which is the OEM and which is the Retail one?

I have the original medias but they are somehow unusable since this is the kind of things that get easily destroyed at my house. So, now and then I make a copy of my medias but I really don't know which one should I use with nLite. And I yet don't know which is the copy of the original medias since I already did copies of the copied medias because as I told, it get destroyed frequently. Did you get it? I don't know which is which!

I have a CD that came in a 'box' and other 2 two that came with the computers. But I actually can count on only 2 medias since it is XP Pro and the other is a Home Edition. I don't understand any of this things but I think I have an OEM and a Retail copy of XP Pro. How do I discover that things I asked before and then, which to use?

Thank's everyone!

EDIT.

Thanks for the contribution of Fernando, G-Force and John I did some research about it and if you would like to know more about Product Identification, please, follow these links:

Link 1 | Link 2 | Link 3 | Link 4

Edited July 15, 2009 by Henrique-S

[johnhc]

Henrique-S, look in the file SETUPP.INI on your various CDs. The Pid will tell you what kind of Windows it is. If the trailing characters are OEM, then it is OEM, otherwise I suggest you Google the Pid and it should tell you for sure. I should point out that an OEM copy of Windows can only be installed on one machine - not just one machine at a time as a Retail copy. So, the OEM CDs need to be installed on the machine they came with or the ones they were originally installed on. The last time I looked, NewEgg.com had OEM copies of XP Home for about USD 90 and XP Pro for about USD 130.

I have stayed out of the SP question, and I do not know what you don't understand, but: On a running system, you must install SP1, then SP2, then SP3. If you are slipstreaming (what nLite does), you install only one SP, usually the latest, SP3, no matter what the CD contains. Enjoy, John.

[g-force]

On a running system, you must install SP1, then SP2, then SP3.

Not exactly. As an Install you need to install SP1, then directly SP3.

There`s no need to install SP2 between. I know it`s corious, but true.

To see if a XPCD is pre-prepared by OEM-Manufacturer you can look for "I386\winnt.sif"-File.

It`s the "Unattended-File" - in a genuine XPCD it isn`t present.

[Henrique-S]

M.) Could you, contributors, give some advices about a "good sequence", about steps to follow in slipstreaming a x86 XP Pro? I mean, is there some things we could follow so we can get a fully working CD?

Please, note it's is something like this what I mean:

• 1. Take a XP CD and make an identical ISO Image from it using UltraISO or other software
  
• 2. Extract the ISO Image contents to a folder
  
• 3. Download the Service Pack 3 (or the latest one) and use nLite to aplly it, creating a new Image
  
• 4. Now extract the new Image contents to another folder
  
• 5. Using nLite, aplly the Drivers and Hotfixes and create a new Image
  
• 6. Step 4 again, and aplly the Add-ons, component changes, tweaks, etc.
  

Could someone give an advice about the steps to follow so we can grant major chances of getting a fully working CD?

This is to help other users to use the Software, for a while I'm doing allright with it, and generally the created CDs are working fine until what I've tested. But, then I update it here with links and other information from contributors.

Thanks

EDIT.

I'm going to update this post soon since I'm doing several tests here.

Edited July 16, 2009 by Henrique-S

[johnhc]

Henrique-S, your steps are way too labor intensive and are far too many. I hope I have advised you before in my standard inculcation - If you have a problem: Please attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini. Make sure to always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders, do all your work in one nLite session and integrate only one SP. Please report when you have a solution, so others can benefit. To start, simply create a new folder, insert your CD and open a Windows Explorer on it, highlight all (Ctrl-a) then copy all the folders/files to your new folder (NOT the root directory). Then run nLite exactly one time creating/writing your ISO in the last step. It is highly recommended that you use a virtual system for testing. VMware Server, VirtualPC and VirtualBox and all free. I use the first one (because I run XP x64) but it is huge compared to the others which are used by most here. Enjoy, John.

[g-force]

To start, simply create a new folder, insert your CD and open a Windows Explorer on it, highlight all (Ctrl-a) then copy all the folders/files to your new folder (NOT the root directory).

John, I don`t agree with this. It is much safer to let nLite do that job.

It`s because of the "Hidden Files" - most people have activated this feature,

so maybe it ends up in missing files.

Edited July 15, 2009 by g-force

[Henrique-S]

1.) Integrate SP3 in your RTM-Source and give it atry in your VM

2.) Integrate Hotfixes or Hotfix-Packs, take look at RyanVM

§.) Integrate Drivers

I've been looking at RyanVM | Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) and I found some similarity between these 'tools' and nLite... What would be better for using so? And... Could you guys name some things we should do that is easier/better with one tooll and the other?

I'm still reading RyanVM | Windows Post-Install Wizard (WPI) and I don't understand it at all, but I'll soon! Maybe both tools have many similarities, but from what I coul see, RyanVM's is a bit more for a 'Script' oriented person. (I don't know if I'm sure about these statements, so I'm sorry if I'm wrong about it!)

The needed things for me should be:

· Service Pack Integration

· Hotfixes Integration

· Driver Integration (if still possible to Intel's and Nvidia's motherboards within ONE CD)

· Component Removal

· Tweaks, mainly at the 'services' (Run > services.msc)

· Things like .Net / DX / VB run-time / Ie 8 (if possible)

· Bootable ISO creation

Edited July 15, 2009 by Henrique-S

[g-force]

The needed things for me should be:

· Service Pack Integration

· Hotfixes Integration

· Driver Integration (if still possible to Intel's and Nvidia)

· Component Removal

· Tweaks

· Things like .Net / DX / VB run-time / Ie 8 (if possible)

· Bootable ISO creation

The answer to all is - nLite.