ConfigMgr 2007: NIC devices that require a special driver for WinPE may cause a ConfigMgr Task Sequence to fail if a Vista or newer OS is being deployed via an Operating System Install Package

There are several solutions to the problem:

1. Upgrade to SP2 of Configuration Manager 2007, and then choose the option to download and run the Task Sequence locally ("Download content locally when needed by running task sequence") in the properties of the Advertisement of the Task Sequence.
   
   
2. Capture a reference image of the Windows OS on another model PC that does not utilize the affected NIC, and then deploy Windows OS via a Task Sequence that deploys from an Operating System Image instead of an Operating System Install Package. The way drivers are injected and installed in an Operating System Image is different than an Operating System Install Package (drivers are injected directly into the Operating System Image's Driver Store) so the process completes successfully.
   
   
3. Install an additional NIC card that does not require separate drivers for WinPE vs. the full Windows OS into the PC . Disconnect the NIC that requires separate drivers for WinPE vs. the full Windows OS, and then use the newly installed NIC exclusively during the Task Sequence.
   
   
4. The affected NIC drivers need to be somehow installed during the offlineServicing pass instead of the windowsPE pass. However there is no way to change the default behavior of the Configuration Manager 2007 OSD Task Sequence tasks "Apply Driver Package" and "Auto Apply Drivers" to install drivers during a pass other than the windowsPE pass.Although by default the pass used by and automatically generated by an Configuration Manager 2007 OSD Task Sequence in the unattend.xml file cannot be changed, some additional tasks can be added to the Task Sequence that manipulates both the unattend.xml file and where the drivers are installed from. This process is described below:
   
   
1. Open Notepad
   
   
2. Below, choose the appropriate architecture of the Windows OS being deployed, copy the lines below the architecture, and paste them into the Notepad:
   
   x86
   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
       <settings pass="offlineServicing">
           <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpCustomizationsNonWinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
               <DriverPaths>
                   <PathAndCredentials wcm:action="add" wcm:keyValue="1">
                       <Path>C:\_SMSTaskSequence\Drivers2</Path>
                   </PathAndCredentials>
               </DriverPaths>
           </component>
       </settings>
   </unattend>
   
   x64
   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
   <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
       <settings pass="offlineServicing">
           <component name="Microsoft-Windows-PnpCustomizationsNonWinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
               <DriverPaths>
                   <PathAndCredentials wcm:action="add" wcm:keyValue="1">
                       <Path>C:\_SMSTaskSequence\Drivers2</Path>
                   </PathAndCredentials>
               </DriverPaths>
           </component>
       </settings>
   </unattend>
   
   
3. Save the Notepad file with the name
   
   unattend.xml
   
   When saving the file, make sure that "All Files (*.*)" is selected next to "Save as type:" so that it does not append the .txt extension to the file.
   
   
4. In the Configuration Manager 2007 Admin console, under the "Computer Management" --> "Software Distribution" --> "Packages" node, create a new package that contains the unattend.xml file created in Steps 2 and 3 A Program does not need to be created for the Package. After creating the Package, make sure to copy the Package to the Distribution Points.
   
   
5. In the Configuration Manager 2007 Admin Console, under the "Computer Management" --> "Operating System Deployment" --> "Task Sequences" node, right click on the affected Task Sequence and choose "Properties".
   
   
6. In the "Apply Operating System" task, check the option "Use an unattended or sysprep answer file for a custom installation". Next to the "Package:" field, click on the "Browse..." button and select the package created in Step 4. Next to the field "Filename:", enter in
   
   unattend.xml
   
   
7. Create a Driver Package that ONLY contains the drivers of the affected NIC device. Make sure to add the Driver Package to the Distribution Points after creating it.
   
   
8. If applicable, create a second Driver Package that contains all of the other drivers that need to be installed on the PC during the Task Sequence. Do NOT include the affected NIC drivers in this second Driver Package. Make sure to add the Driver Package to Distribution Points after creating it.
   
   
9. Remove any "Auto Apply Driver" tasks from the Task Sequence.
   
   
10. Immediately after the "Apply Network Settings" task, add an "Apply Driver Package" task and point it to the Driver Package created in Step 7 that only contains the affected NIC driver.
    
    
11. Immediately after the "Apply Driver Package" task created in Step 10, add a "Run Command Line" task. In the newly created "Run Command Line" task:
    
    
• Next to the "Name: " text box, enter in:
  
  Rename Drivers Directory
  
  
• Under the "Command Line:" text box, enter in:
  
  cmd /c move "%_SMSTSMDataPath%\Drivers" "%_SMSTSMDataPath%\Drivers2"
  
  
12. Immediately after the "Run Command Line" task created in Step 11, add another "Run Command Line" task. In the newly created "Run Command Line" task:
    
    
• In the "Name:" box, type in:
  
  Recreate Drivers Directory
  
  
• In the "Command line:" box, enter in
  
  cmd /c md "%_SMSTSMDataPath%\Drivers"
  
  
13. If applicable, immediately after the "Run Command Line" task added in Step 12, add an "Apply Driver Package" and point to the Driver Package created in Step 8 that contains all of the rest of the drivers for the PC.
    

It is possible to use solution #4 and the above steps using the "Auto Apply Drivers" task instead. Instead of creating two separate Driver Packages and two separate "Apply Driver Package" tasks, two "Auto Apply Drivers" tasks that utilize driver categories can be used instead. A special driver category would need to be created for the affected NIC driver, and a separate category would need to be created for all other drivers. For the first"Auto Apply Drivers" task , choose the option "Limit driver matching to only consider drivers in selected categories", and then select the special category created for the affected NIC driver. In the second "Auto Apply Drivers" task, also select the option "Limit driver matching to only consider drivers in selected categories", but this time select the category created for all other drivers. Make sure that the affected NIC driver is NOT included in the "all other drivers" category.

NOTE:
As a possible resolution, attempting to not install any driver for the NIC while in WinPE via the "Apply Driver Package" task and/or the "Auto Apply Drivers" task and instead trying to install the NIC driver later in the Task Sequence during the full Windows OS portion (after the "Setup windows and ConfigMgr" task), via an "Install Software" task, does not resolve the problem. Once the Task Sequence detects that it does not have network connectivity in the full Windows OS (due to the NIC driver not being installed), the Task Sequence will fail. It will never get to the "Install Software" task that installs the NIC driver. Additionally, even if the Task Sequence did get to the "Install Software" task that installs the NIC driver, there would be no way of reaching the DP and downloading the software package containing the NIC driver since there is no network connectivity.