I've been thinking what would be a good way to build driver hierarcy in OSD, which would be easy to update later, and it won't become mesy. Most of all we use HP laptops with Windows XP, but soon there will be Windows 7 installations as well, and I have a few issues which bugs me. Also I don't want to build new image for every model - I want to install computers dynamically - bare image, different drivers and applications installed during TS. 1. Some drivers are compatible with all OS, some aren't. 2. Some drivers cannot be imported to Driver database twice. 3. HP driver site is not indexed, meaning that older laptop and newer laptop having the same device, offers different driver version in model based driver site. Today my hierarcy looks like this: - Driver catalog is build with folders, devided by types: chipset, video, audio, network, storage etc. - Categories are not used - Driver packages are created by models. Few questions: - Will Windows XP install drivers by applying them automatically during TS (if so, I might not use driver packages anymore). - Is it true, that if I use driver package, copying all drivers to source, and not import them to driver catalog, driver package will still work?

I have only used the MDT task sequences in SCCM, so my answers are based on the MDT options and tasks. XP can and will install drivers automatically by using the Auto Apply drivers task (if you add the drivers to the driver catalog and distribute the drivers in a package to the DP). XP will not automatically use a Mass storage driver like vista/win7 (assuming it is not included in your image). Yes, if you create a driver package and distribute to the DP being used during the OSD, you can specify that driver package to install using the Apply Drivers Package task. Just pick the driver package you want to use (no need to add them to the driver catalog). It will force install all the drivers included in the package. If you do not have the drivers in the driver catalog, you cannot specify a mass storage driver. If you need to specify a mass storage driver, you can create a driver package containing a mass storage driver that is included in the driver catalog, and force it to use it in a seperate Apply Drivers Package task.

Thank you for answer. Yes, I've now started to use auto apply driver task for XP, and it is much easier way to update the whole system. Now I have only one TS, which runs through all drivers I update every time I'm importing new model in my enviroment. I also use Sata Native mode for laptops. See my TS for Windows XP: https://s-hphotos-snc6.fbcdn.net/181581_492551800403_145461595403_6494510_4152264_n.jpg

Fighting with different models gave me better experience. I finally realized to use Auto Apply Drivers always when it possible, because I really saw that it works well with XP. Because it is a lab, I have so much different models (ASUS, MSI mainboards etc.) and I want all drivers to be installed dynamically, using bare image. Keeping up same hierarcy structure became too difficult, because I have 2 type of drivers: 1. Model related driver which comes with some vendor´s driver package and is suitable only to one model 2. Common driver which can be used to many computers. For example, Realtek High Defintion Audio or chipset driver from newest Intel Chipset Package. Sometimes, HP laptops are really pain in the ass - there is 5 different versions of the same broadcom extreme gigabit network card and 5 different HP models, and every model requires their own version of driver. Newest version of this driver and one step older model = NO GO So, I came up with the idea, that in the Task Sequence, I have only Auto Apply Drivers step, and I have driver package for models and driver package for driver familes if you know what I mean. It really doesn´t matter, as far as they are detected during installation :)