DriverPacks.net

Getting started

Now, get back to the folder you extracted the program into, and in there double-click the DPs_BASE.exe program file (with the blue icon, not the 7-zip icon) and get ready for some magic!

On the screenshot below, you can select your language, load any previously-saved settings (.ini) file, go straight to slipstream (if your settings are already set), make a donation (don't be a cheapskate! A lot of work went into this utility), or progress to the next settings step (right arrow). For now, press the right arrow button twice.

Now from the below screen you can select the Windows source directory we created earlier in step 1 (the directory that contains the I386 folder, NOT your C:\Windows\ directory) by pressing the "Browse" button. Select what type of Windows source you are using (typically select "disc" option unless you are using an advanced multiboot Win2k, WinXP, Win2k3 source or a BartPE environment). Then click the right arrow button again. Selecting DriverPacksNext, in the screenshot below, you can select which DriverPacks you want to integrate. If you don't have a DriverPack available, that option will be greyed out.Which DriverPacks are the most important to you?That depends on your Windows CD usage. If you plan on making a "universal" install CD for different platforms, just select all the DriverPacks; you never know what hardware you're going to come across!On the other hand, if you know specifically what hardware you will install Windows on, make sure to read the descriptions for each DriverPack and only select the ones applicable to your hardware (to save space on the CD).Let's begin with DriverPack Mass Storage. If you previously had to use the F6/floppy method to get access to your hard disk during Windows setup, make sure you select the Mass Storage DriverPack as well as check the "DriverPack MassStorage text mode" option. Text mode integration will ensure that your RAID, IDE or SATA controller is correctly identified and supported by the Windows installer prior to installation. In other words, text mode is required if the Windows installer CD does not recognize your destination hard drive.(If you're wondering where this weird sounding term — "text mode" — comes from, well, we didn't invent it. Microsoft refers to this portion of setup as the "text mode" part of set up, because there is no modern WIMP UI available, only a text-based UI. But that's enough history for now.)Select "DriverPack Mass Storage text mode" and you are saying "Bye Bye, Floppy".The Chipset is a critically important part of your computer. In a non-integrated Windows installation, the chipset driver is normally installed before you install any other drivers.Graphics is used to ensure correct resolutions are displayed. LAN is used for network connectivity, and who wants to be without Sound? Wireless LAN was also selected. When we chose our DriverPacks for this tutorial, we did not need a 3rd Party DriverPack (Modem came to mind …). If you put any downloaded 3rd Party DriverPack, or DriverPacks you built yourself, in the 3rd party DriverPacks folder and selected to load them, you would not see individual 3rd Party DriverPacks listed here. It's all or nothing, so be careful what you place in the 3rd party DriverPacks folder.The BASE versioning system will detect and use the latest version if you have more than one copy of a DriverPack in the folders.Have you made your selection? Press the right arrow button to continue.Choosing a slipstream methodIn the below screen you can select between Method 1 and Method 2. Read the descriptions in the window.Method 2 is selected by default and for a reason.When you want to integrate a lot of drivers, method 1 will most likely exceed a limitation present in Windows (a limitation on the number of paths that can be listed), and those drivers that get referenced after this limit is reached, will not be found by Windows.("Slipstreaming" is Microsoft lingo for "integrating".)Choosing a method to start the DriverPacks FinisherNot all drivers are made equal! Some drivers require some special attention, to get installed at all, or because they come with a control panel that requires a separate setup that must be executed (for example the control panels of ATI and nVidia GPUs). That's where the DriverPacks Finisher comes in. It's a small, yet extremely flexible application that should run after Windows has finished installing. It will then finish off the installation (hence its name) by installing control panels and handling edge cases for you — completely automated.In the below screen you can select when you want the DriverPacks Finisher to run. Read the description for each option. GUIRunOnce is selected by default. If you don't want to set any optional settings, just press the Slipstream! button, otherwise press the right arrow button twice to go to the optional settings.