Selecting the Method for Installing Driver Packages
Basically: Create the package in the same operating system as will be used to execute it later.
You can choose from the following methods:
- Driver Installation Method 1: Selecting installed Plug & Play devices
- Driver Installation Method 2: Using an installation data medium (CD-ROM, diskette, directory)
- Driver Installation Method 3: Recording the installation
Each of the three methods has different requirements, special features and limitations:
| Method | Requirements | Special Features and Limitations |
|---|---|---|
|
Using an installed device |
The device in question has been successfully installed locally and is connected to the computer. |
The language versions supported depend on the device’s installation: see Support for Language-Specific Device Drivers below |
|
Using installation data media (CD-ROM, diskette, directory) |
|
Any special software required by the device cannot be taken into account. Note: The device is not installed locally when packages are created. |
|
Recording the device installation with NetInstall Spy |
The device in question must be connected to the computer during the recording and installed successfully |
Several devices can be recorded “at once”. The language versions supported depend on the device’s installation: see Support for Language-Specific Device Drivers below |
Support for Language-Specific Device Drivers
When a Plug & Play device is installed manually, only the language support for the current system locale is generally installed. Even if the manufacturer provides language-specific drivers, if you use the Using an installed device and Recording the device installation with NetInstall Spy. methods, you will generally end up with a package that only supports one language.
This restriction does not apply with the Using installation data media (CD-ROM, diskette, directory) method. If the manufacturer supplies language-specific drivers, the Driver Package allows you to support all these languages. This means that, depending on the system locale of the target system, the device drivers can be installed in the correct language. For all other system locales, the device driver is installed in the default language. This default language is determined by the device manufacturer.
Not uncommonly, a manufacturer may support device drivers in different languages, but will only ship a few of them on the installation data medium. If you wish to support the device installation on computers whose system locale is one of these languages, you have two choices:
- If you have the correct language-specific driver files (e.g. via an Internet download), you can simply add them to the package.
- If not, you can specify the driver files for another language as substitutes.
Installing Additional Software
During installation of some devices, additional software is installed, e.g. a software for configuring the device that is specific to that device. From creation of the package through to installation of Plug and Play devices, this additional software is not captured. You can record the installation of this additional software with the NetInstall Spy and add the package to the device installation package as a component. (The installation of the Plug and Play device itself cannot be recorded with the NetInstall Spy.)
Executing the project
For execution to take place, the required hardware must be connected to the computer.
The package is executed automatically if…
- the user is logged on and suitable hardware is connected to the computer;
- the user logs on and a new device has been connected beforehand (i.e. when the computer was switched off or before the user logged on).
How the package is executed depends on whether a permission exists for automatic installation