Installing 3rd-Party Video Drivers with Txtsetup.oem Unattended

 Last reviewed: March 19, 1998
Article ID: Q166028
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0

SUMMARY

By default, Windows NT 4.0 unattended setup uses a detection method to determine the correct video driver to use. If no video driver can be initialized, the default VGA driver will be used.

The following types of video adapters are known not to be automatically detected in Windows NT 4.0:

  • 8514a
  • Trident
  • VGA

Some third-party video drivers are located in the Drvlib\Video directory. If your video adapter is not on the Windows NT compact disc, check with the manufacturer for support for Windows NT 4.0.

With unattended setup, the installation of OEM video drivers is accomplished using the [DisplayDrivers], [Display], and [OEMBootFiles] sections of the unattended answer file.

The configuration of OEM video drivers is an advanced function of Windows NT unattended configuration. The information regarding the Txtsetup.oem that is discussed in this article can be found in the Windows NT 4.0 Device Driver Kit (DDK) in Chapter 2, Section 2.1. The syntax and format of the Txtsetup.oem file is also available in the Windows NT 4.0 Deployment Guide in Chapter 2, in the section "TXTSETUP.OEM and [OEMBootFiles]."

MORE INFORMATION

To prepare for the installation of an OEM video driver, perform the following steps:

  1. Copy the I386 directory from the Windows NT 4.0 compact disc to a server, and then share the directory.

  2. In the I386 directory, create an $OEM$ directory.

  3. In the $OEM$ directory, create a Textmode directory.

  4. Copy the OEM video drivers to the Textmode directory created in Step 3(XXXXXXXX.dll, XXXXXXXX.sys).

  5. Create a Txtsetup.oem file and place it in the Textmode directory. This file tells Windows NT Setup how to install the DLL and SYS drivers, and how to configure the registry.

    To simplify the creation of the Txtsetup.oem file, copy the example provided and save it as Txtsetup.oem.

    The following is the format for Txtsetup.oem. In most cases, this file will require very little modification. 

          [Disks]
      d1 = "OEM Video Disk",\OEMVideo.tag,\


          [Defaults]
      DISPLAY = S3Virge


          [DISPLAY]
      S3Virge = "S3 Virge - OEM"


          [Files.display.S3Virge]
      driver = d1,s3virge.sys,s3virge
      dll = d1,s3virge.dll


          [Config.s3virge]
      value=device0,InstalledDisplayDrivers,REG_MULTI_SZ,S3ViRGE
      value=device0,VgaCompatible,REG_DWORD,0

    This is a standard Txtsetup.oem file that will install the S3 Virge video driver that is supplied in the Drvlib directory on the Windows NT 4.0 compact disc.

  6. Add OEMPreInstall = YES to the [Unattended] section of the answer file.

    This is used to tell Setup that the $OEM$ directory is going to be used during setup. For example: 

          [Unattended]
      OemPreInstall = Yes

  7. Ensure that the NtUpgrade value in the Unattend section of Unattend.txt is not set to Yes. 

         [Unattended]
     NtUpgrade = yes

    If NtUpgrade is set to Yes, the installation will appear to run normally but the OEM drivers do not install. If you need NtUpgrade set to Yes, you can perform the following steps to automate the procedure.

    A. Use the RunOnce key as described in the following Microsoft Knowledge 

          Base article:


             ARTICLE-ID: Q167012
         TITLE     : Setting Control Panel Tools to Start After Unattended
                     Setup

    B. Place the command "Rundll32 Shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL Desk.cpl
      @0,3" (case sensitive) in the Run-once key to bring up the desktop
      tool and have it open to the Settings tab.

   C. You can then create a script that installs the OEM drivers.

  8. Add the [DisplayDrivers] section to the answer file. 

          [DisplayDrivers]
      "S3 Virge - OEM" = "OEM"


          [Display]
      BitsPerPel = 16
      XResolution = 800
      YResolution = 600
      VRefresh = 60
      AutoConfirm = 1

  9. Add the [OEMBootFIles] section to the answer file. 

          [OEMBootfiles]
      S3VIRGE.SYS
      S3VIRGE.DLL
      TXTSETUP.OEM

    The example provided is only part of the answer file needed for a complete Windows NT 4.0 unattended installation.

The following is an example for the Matrox Millennium drivers supplied by Matrox from its download service. Steps 1-8 above are the same, with the difference being the name of the driver files, option name, and the registry options. 

   [Disks]
   d1 = "OEM Video Disk",\oemvideo.tag,\

   [Defaults]
   DISPLAY = MGA64

   [DISPLAY]
   MGA64 = "my mga64 driver - oem"

   [Files.display.mga64]
   driver = d1,mga64.sys,mga64
   dll = d1,mga64.dll

   [Config.mga64]
   value=device0,InstalledDisplayDrivers,REG_MULTI_SZ,mga64
   value=device0,VgaCompatible,REG_DWORD,0
The following is an example of the required information needed in the unattend answer file: 

   [Unattended]
   OemPreInstall = Yes

   [DisplayDrivers]
   "my mga64 driver - oem" = OEM"

   [Display]
   BitsPerPel = 16
   XResolution = 800
   YResolution = 600
   VRefresh = 60
   AutoConfirm = 1

   [OEMBootfiles]
   MGA64.SYS
   MGA64.DLL
   TXTSETUP.OEM
NOTE: This method of installing video drivers will only install the video driver itself. Additional utilities or applications provided by the manufacturer will have to be installed through other methods. Contact the video driver vendor for information on automation options for their products.

The products listed here are manufactured by vendors independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding these products' performance or reliability.

For the latest information on Windows NT deployment, download the Windows NT 4.0 Deployment Guide from the following location: 

   http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 

   ARTICLE-ID: Q155197
   TITLE     : Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File

Keywords          : ntdriver ntreskit ntsetup NTSrvWkst kbsetup
Version           : WinNT:4.0
Platform          : winnt
Issue type        : kbhowto

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Last reviewed: March 19, 1998
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