UIU Blog

As with any new iteration of the newest Microsoft operating system, OS image deployment in Windows 8 now provides some level of driver management, as do many existing retail imaging solutions. But the challenge with using the Windows 8 or imaging solution add-ons alone for driver management is threefold:

• The administrator must take the time to locate the necessary drivers for all existing and future hardware. This process is extremely arduous and ongoing.

• A mass driver repository presents additional problems because of the reality of multiple drivers of varying quality standards can be recognized by the same hardware.

• Updating and maintaining the ever-growing driver database is extremely time-consuming.

Some drivers are designed to match a variety of hardware. These drivers are problematic if included in a universal driver repository, as Windows 8 cannot differentiate between the hardware the driver is designated for and other hardware for which the driver might be a match.

It is also possible that laptop drivers may be installed on desktops and vice versa. All indications will be that the driver successfully installed. However, the successful installation of the driver does not mean it will work with the hardware or provide full functionality.

This problem becomes even more significant when including a large driver database with a variety of hardware manufacturers that construct drivers with different standards. Audio drivers in particular are a significant challenge from this perspective (think the notorious clash between Broadcom NICs and NVIDIA Graphics cards). 

While Windows 8 and some OS image deployment applications have made limited progress in driver management, a bootable machine is not a fully functional machine. Other solutions still require significant time, effort, and skill on the part of the IT staff between locating the correct drivers for large and diverse hardware environments and avoiding the problems associated with a mass driver store.

In addition, while new hardware might come pre-packed with Windows 8, configuring a usable OS image for an entire environment is another story altogether. As hardware changes, the need for the drivers necessary for each unique platform increases.

Unfortunately, these types of issues continue to prevail regardless of OS iteration.

Do you have any methods during OS image deployment to ensure the most appropriate driver is installed on the correct hardware without having to spend hours managing drivers?