Hi, I am hoping you can help. I am tryiing to deploy Windows XP to a VMWare Workstation 6.5. I have got the correct Network Drivers, but when deploying these to the VM, it does not seem to make any difference (i.e Drivers do not get commited). The build finishes without errors and network drivers are on the local drive of VM. Any help would be of great use.

Am I the only one confused as to what the problem is? You say the build finishes without error and the network drivers are on the drive... So what exactly is the issue?Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

Sorry, my fault. The drivers are on the local drive and the build finishes seemingly without error, but the nwtork drivers are not actually being applied (i.e Device manager shows drivers not installed)

Ok, are you using the TS to apply the driver packages? What does the TS look like?Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

Hi, Yes, that is correct. The TS is really basic as I am trying to just getting it working at this stage. 1. Restart in Windows PE 2. Partition Disk 0 3. Apply OS - With Sysprep.inf (from Image, captured from non-VM) 4. Apply Widnows Settings 5. Apply Network Settings - Joins our DC 6. Apply VM Drivers (Network Drivers) 7.Setup Windows and ConfigMgr Many thanks again for your help

Ok so I assume the machine doesn't join the domain b/c network drivers are not installed? What about the drivers then? Can you right click on the INF and hit install and that works? Where did you originally get the drivers?Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

Hi Garth, I think you should tell us the exact process of what you do. From your explanation it appears that you are trying to deploy an OS, it gets deployed and you see a network card not installed in device manager. If this is correct then I think we are looking at something else. Please help us understanding your issue.Harpreet Rana

Correct. The machine does not join the domain. It see the network card right upto the point when it start the action "Setup up windows and ConfigMgr". After this has finished (due to being a small task sequence and no further actions) it goes straight to the windows login screen where it prompts for the admin password. If you then install the driver from the same sorce as being deployed via SCCM, it is fine. i.e The exact .inf file being used in the TS installs the driver. Strange though, TS puts driver on local drive i.e C:\Drivers\xxx, as it should, but when you are in device manager and point to the location C:\Drivers\xxx, it reports it is not the correct driver, even though it is exactly the same as the source. If you copy drivers to VM Workstation from SCCM server, it works fine. The driver came from the Intel website - Intel Pro/1000 MT Driver

Correct. The machine does not join the domain. It see the network card right upto the point when it start the action "Setup up windows and ConfigMgr". After this has finished (due to being a small task sequence and no further actions) it goes straight to the windows login screen where it prompts for the admin password. If you then install the driver from the same sorce as being deployed via SCCM, it is fine. i.e The exact .inf file being used in the TS installs the driver. Strange though, TS puts driver on local drive i.e C:\Drivers\xxx, as it should, but when you are in device manager and point to the location C:\Drivers\xxx, it reports it is not the correct driver, even though it is exactly the same as the source. If you copy drivers to VM Workstation from SCCM server, it works fine. The driver came from the Intel website - Intel Pro/1000 MT Driver The device driver is not installed in Device Manager after TS finishes. I have been using SCCM 2007 for a while now, so pride myslef on not being caught out on usual pit falls, however this has got me. One minute driver is there and as soon as "Setup windows and ConfigMgr" action finishes and goes restarts to Windows XP login prompt, we lose the driver.

Ok, so we know the OS is deploying. Its just after windows log on we donot see it device manager. I would go to the setuperr.log and setupapi.log to find why the network driver failed. Because if setup has tried to install then there should be any entry in the setupapi.log or failed entry in setuperr.log.Harpreet Rana

Good I idea, can I confirm if that is on the client on Primary Child Site?

It is on Client where setup runs.Harpreet Rana

OK, excellent. Not in the office until tomorrow moring, but will check and then get back online to you. Thanks so far.

I dont really use VMWare workstation but I have setup OSD on ESX so I assume they work the same. Remember that VMWare allows the virtual NIC to have 2 modes, E1000 and some other one (dont have VC handy to check) Make sure the mode is set correctly.

I don't think that option is there on VMware Workstation, though I do think it defaults to E1000.Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

Hi TechniKala, Checked both logs and setuperr.log has nothing at all in it and setupapi.log says it failed to find any compatible driver. This is strange as this drivers I am adding to SCCM are fine when you point device manager to them if on USB, CD etc. Can you please adivse?, sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Just seems strange that as soon as it enters the "Setup windows and configmgr" action that the IP is lost. I am putting this down to a driver issue. Downloaded the E1000 driver, changed .vmx file to include this and completed many other actions, such as adding SCSI etc drivers. Do I have to configure the VMNet connection. Normally you do not as they are configured when "as is" when installing workstation? Kind Regards

Hi Garth, Now we know that the problem is with Driver. I will not be able to help you from VMWare configuration prespective as I dont know much about it. Sorry about that. Its just we have to add the drivers to the Boot Image. (64 bit version drivers to 64 bit boot image and 32 bit drivers to 32 bit boot image.) Similarly specify the drivers in your task sequence too. Best regards, Harpreet RanaHarpreet Rana

Hi, I have made a Driver Package for VMWare that contains the needed drivers. The drivers are from VMWare Tools. As far as I remember I get the drivers from the directory .\program files\VMware\VMware Tools\Drivers\ on the iso file 'windows.iso' (located in ..\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation). I think I used WinRar for this. In my VMWare Driver Package, I have a WMI query containing: SELECT * FROM Win32_ComputerSystem WHERE Model LIKE "%VMware Virtual Platform%".

Where specifically did you get them from? From what I see, the only extracted drivers on that ISO is the SCSI drivers. The network and other drivers are in CAB files, and they're not named correctly. I'd install the drivers on a VM and then grab the installed versions off the VM to make it easy (once they're renamed correctly).Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

You are absolutely right.... The .iso only contains the the SCSI drivers. I now remember actually extracted the VMWare Tools.msi from windows.ico and then extract the .msi. But installing VMWare Tools on a VM and get the drivers from there would do the same. Obviously a long time since I did this... :-)

Did you check the option "Do unattended installation of unsigned drivers..."?Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

Hi Sveske, My VmWare Tools folder contains the driver cab folder only. The does not seem to be any .iso or anything else. When you extract the .cab file, this just has the VGA and SCSI drivers. I did a search on the workstation after installing VMWare tools in the VM machine and still found nothing. Is the .iso from a special download VM tools?

Got the Pro 10/100 drivers from Intel site. As recommended. VM Tools unfortunaley has nothing to do with the network drivers. If you install VM Tools through the TS, you still have no luck

Hi Sveske, Did you mean windows.iso and is this a special .iso? i.e Is this not the standard Microsoft Windows XP 32 bit .iso?

Hi Scott, Yes, that is correct, I have tried this as well. If someone can point me to the correct driver download.....I know it is a Intel Pro 10/100 or 1000 MT desktop driver, but when deployed via SCCM...nothing happens, when you use the drivers externally of SCCM, it works perfect.

Got the Pro 10/100 drivers from Intel site. As recommended. VM Tools unfortunaley has nothing to do with the network drivers. If you install VM Tools through the TS, you still have no luck VM Tools are the drivers. If you install them manually all of the drivers will be placed properly under program files\vmware tools\drivers (or something similar). It won't work during the TS b/c you don't yet have working network drivers. But you can grab the folder structure once they are installed manually and use that to import drivers to SCCM. This is the way I've always done it and I've never had an issue.Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

Hi Scott, Thanks for your reply, Looked on a built VM client with VM Tools installed. The only things on there are: Mouse, SCSI, Video, vmxnet, menctl, hgfs folder. None of these seem to be the correct driver. I tested this by adding the drive through device manager. Cheers,

Hi Scott, Thanks for your reply, Looked on a built VM client with VM Tools installed. The only things on there are: Mouse, SCSI, Video, vmxnet, menctl, hgfs folder. None of these seem to be the correct driver. I tested this by adding the drive through device manager. Cheers, vmxnet is the network driver for VMware.Scott Gill SCCM Consultant

I have searched the local machine after installing a basic windows XP OS and installing VM Tools, but it does not find any suitable driver. I thought that may have been the vmxnet driver, so directed device manager to that folder, but no luck. Can you install the drivers at the "Netowkr settings" action or after OS has been deployed? If so, do yo have the switches to install VM Tools and URL where I can download them? Should I install them before OS or after?

I was about to type out a long winded response on how I did it, but while looking up the name of the file that needs changing in VMWare (ends in .vmx) to make it use the E1000 driver I found this blog post that is far better typed than I ever could, with screen shots too!! http://scug.be/blogs/sccm/archive/2009/04/20/sccm2007-osd-customising-your-task-sequence-for-building-a-client-os-on-your-vmware-workstation-6-0-or-later.aspx Now this is assuming you're using VMWare Workstation 6. If you're not, let me know and I'll take a look at my v7 install and see what's different. But I know this works as I've done it many times on VMWare Workstation. It's also a similar, but not quite the same, thing for using ESX. As in you use a driver package built from the VM Tools driver folder but they've made the Windows 7 template in Virtual Center use an E1000 card as default so I use that (or the Vista template) for building XP VM's. Cheers, SBhttp://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS08-067.mspx If you don't ever patch anything, for god sake make sure this patch is on.......

Did you get this working Garth?My System Center Blog

HI Steve, Still no luck...and sorry for the delayed repsone!! I just can not get the VMWare workstation to verify the network driver added. I add the network driver VMTools etc. Are you able to send me a capture of a working VMware Workstation takseqeunce?

I'm afraid I can't at the moment as I've changed companies and haven't got VMWare Workstation access to build a TS. Next time I'm doing a deployment for a customer and they have VM Workstation I'll make a note to build, test, document and blog it for you. Cheers, SBMy System Center Blog

What network device you are using in virtual machine (VMware options). E1000 is same as Intel Pro 1000 and it is the best one, don´t use VMware own virtual network device. I haven´t run OSD on Workstation's virtual machine, but with ESXi, I always execute VMware tools. Perhaps you should do that, and add join domain step after the installation. Remember to set computer to reboot after tools are applied.

this vmware article explains a few things: http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1001805 is your WinPE and WinXP guest both x86?Don

Import all driver in WinPE and apply the also with a driver package. Know that the latest ESX (probably not in Workstation) comes with VMXNET3 NIC's which are much better. There are 2 drivers, VMXNET3ndis5.inf and VMXNET3ndis6.inf. I spend hours with these drivers, one of them won't import in SCCM. Best method to find out drivers you need is to enable commandline support, place all drivers on an USB stick and load them one by one using drvload.exe. Use ipconfig and notepad/cmd to check if NIC and HD are enabled and ready for use.