Hello,

first I know that this question has probably been answered somewhere here, but I can't find where...

I work on windows PE since 2 months now, and some things are becoming hard to understand for me. I need to do lots of things with PE, and now, I'm confused about a simple thing...

How to add drivers to PE? I mean, not network or mass storage driver, but things like printer drivers and other hardware...is there any "formal" (I don't know if it's the good english word) method to implement drivers to PE? For example I need to test a printer, and to do that I need to have the driver...

I'm sorry, but I'm very confused...I don't even now if this topic should have been put in de "driver forum"...I read a lot of docs about "unattended installation" (that's not what I need, i just need the drivers under PE) and now, I'm lost :/

More precisely, I have to replace the DOS with PE for the computers deployment...

Thanks a lot!

Hum, well, no one seems to know this sort of thing

All what I found is how to install drivers in unattended install of XP...but for PE itself, is there a way???

Thanks in advance.

If you're just looking to get files to a printer without any formatting, you could try the old COPY /B method. I did this to print a plain text file:

NET USE \\laptop\IPC$ /u:username password

just to establish an authenticated InterProcess Communication link from PE to my laptop. Then I typed

COPY /B filename \\laptop\prtshare

which copied the file in binary mode (no formatting) to the printer share.

This would probably work for a parallel-attached printer (just use LPT1: as the destination instead of the UNC). Can't help you for a USB-attached printer.

-syrynxx

To add additional network drivers to a PE disc, you'll need to copy the driver files into the correct directories.

CAT files are not needed. You can delete them.

INF files go into the %WINDIR%\inf directory.

SYS files go into the %WINDIR%\system32\drivers directory.

All other files go into the %WINDIR%\system32 directory.

Thanks a lot for your answer, but there's still one problem : the printers we use are connected with USB...

Nevertheless, this method should work : I'll try to send directly the data to the printer without using à driver.

For the network drivers, I already did it, and I had no problem. But for devices that (which? i don't know ) are not network cards or comething related with mass storage...

Really, doesn't anyone have any idea how to add for example display drivers to WinPE / BartPE?

BR,

-JP

It seems you simply can't do something like this...I tried lots of things, I read lots of docs, but I found nobody who worked on this, no docs (except for network/mass storage drivers), no help. It never worked.

edit : I'm working on the official PE, I don't know BartPE. The only "light Windows" that can do this seems to be Windows Embedded...

You can´t add anything else to PE than NIC and mass/storage drivers with the current versions of PE.

With the PE based on XP SP2 (soon te be released) it will be possible to add more drivers, like sound and graphiccard drivers.

Thanks for your answer, I'm now sure that I didn't miss anything.

Just a question : where do you find the changes for the next release of PE? I can't find it on the Microsoft website.

It was in one of the webcasts, if I remember correctly.

Thanks for your answer, I'm now sure that I didn't miss anything.

Just a question : where do you find the changes for the next release of PE? I can't find it on the Microsoft website.

I have a XP SP2 RC1 including the OPK CD to test, and I got a lot of info along with it.

From the manual on the SP2 OPK CD:

Adding Plug and Play Device Driver Support to Windows PE

You must first add Plug and Play device driver support to your Windows PE image before you can add drivers to that image. If you add only network adapter drivers, you do not need to enable Plug and Play device driver support in Windows PE.

When you enable Plug and Play device driver support in Windows PE, you can directly access any Plug and Play device through the corresponding Windows device driver from within Windows PE. For example, if you copy the associated .inf and driver files for the computer's video card, the video performance of Windows PE is much faster because Windows PE uses the actual Windows video driver instead of the standard VGA driver that Windows PE usually loads.

Thanks for great info!

=)

Think I'll wait for WinPE w/ SP2 or better yet BartPE w/ SP2.

BR,

JP

Thanks for your answer, I'm now sure that I didn't miss anything.

Just a question : where do you find the changes for the next release of PE? I can't find it on the Microsoft website.

I have a XP SP2 RC1 including the OPK CD to test, and I got a lot of info along with it.

From the manual on the SP2 OPK CD:

Adding Plug and Play Device Driver Support to Windows PE

You must first add Plug and Play device driver support to your Windows PE image before you can add drivers to that image. If you add only network adapter drivers, you do not need to enable Plug and Play device driver support in Windows PE.

When you enable Plug and Play device driver support in Windows PE, you can directly access any Plug and Play device through the corresponding Windows device driver from within Windows PE. For example, if you copy the associated .inf and driver files for the computer's video card, the video performance of Windows PE is much faster because Windows PE uses the actual Windows video driver instead of the standard VGA driver that Windows PE usually loads.

Thanks a lot for your answer, it's just what I wanted to hear

Hum, last question : I have problems with 32 bits programs that don't work under PE for unknow reasons...is there anything new in the next version that says "all the 32 bits progs will work"?

Nope.

There will always be programs that won't work I'm afraid.

Example: I have not seen any indication that it is possible to include Direct-X into WinPE.