Windows XP detects device, but doesn't install drivers

**Cobra X** · June 17th, 2008, 01:21 PM

This is a weird one that's got me scratching my head. Hopefully a fresh perspective will help.

I got a Dell Optiplex 755 that I'm using to build an image for Dell ImageDirect (which is a very nasty way of doing things, but our IT director loves the idea of Dell installing our image at their factory, so it got dropped in my lap). Anyway, I ran Dell's IB Prep tool, which basically goes through and knocks out all non-oem drivers and shutdowns. It more or less is like a Dell customized version of sysprep. So once I do that, I boot off another device, get a ghost image of it and get ready to upload.

But then I boot back into Windows after ghosting, and notice I have no keyboard/mouse support (both are USB). Which prevents me from logging into Windows. Not good. I reboot. I verify I've got keyboard support at the BIOS level. Once at the Windows logon screen though, nada. Let it sit there all day, it never detects the keyboard. Very strange. Sooooo I restore from an image I had made before running the IB Prep tool and everything looks fine. Out of morbid curiousity, I go to device manager and delete the keyboard, then scan for hardware. It detects the keyboard as an unknown USB device, and makes no attempt to install or find drivers at all. Soooo I double click on it, and scan for drivers. It finds them, and everything works again.

As an experiment, I deleted the video & sound card entries. Scanned and got the same thing. They're found as unknown devices, but Windows never even asks for drivers. Double click them and hit update driver, and they both find the previously installed drivers and everything's kosher.

Now, the problem is, everything has got to be PERFECT on this image before I can upload it to Dell. I have no idea what's happening here... plug and play service is enabled, all other necessary services are running as far as I can see, and I can't think of what else I'm missing. This is pretty much a straight up Windows install without any heavy customization - I've got the 4.91 sp 4 version of the Novell client running, but it's never caused a problem with anything before.

Any ideas?

**NooNoo** · June 17th, 2008, 01:27 PM

WoW! Long time!! How's you? I will read your post in a sec, just wanted to be first to say Hi!

**NooNoo** · June 17th, 2008, 01:30 PM

OK so this IB prep disables the new hardware found wizard?... must be a reg key it turns off somewhere... will have a look. Is there a policy against usb drives/keys/pens?

**NooNoo** · June 17th, 2008, 01:39 PM

Shell Hardware Detection service running?

What is the value of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Factory

**Cobra X** · June 17th, 2008, 01:40 PM

I dunno, I really don't think it's IB Prep itself that's the problem... it does it on my image from before I actually ran it. Unless it's just installing the tool itself that does it...

Anyway, I took an even earlier image and restored that to another 755. It detects everything just fine, but it's a couple days old and doesn't have all my "finishing touches" on it. So I'm gonna kinda retrace my steps and see if I can duplicate and figure out exactly where it went corrupt. If it doesn't, I dunno, I guess I'll just upload it to Dell. I'd still like to figure out how to fix the original thought, it's driving me nuts just on principle.

Anyway, I'm good Bev. Got promoted to network specialist at the school system earlier this year, and have been busy as hell lately. Closing on a new house soon (hopefully). Other than that, just business as usual. How bout you?

**NooNoo** · June 17th, 2008, 01:46 PM

Tomorrow I get to find out if my research proposal is good enough for a PhD... then it will be Dr Bev! Very busy because of all the prep work, this is the first day off I have had in weeks and it's my son's 10th Birthday!

Have you checked those reg keys?

**Cobra X** · June 17th, 2008, 01:47 PM

Originally Posted by NooNoo

Shell Hardware Detection service running?

What is the value of
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Factory

Ahhh, Bev, I love you. It was HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Factory that was my hangup. It was listed as being in factory pre-install mode. Apparently the image I restored wasn't as early as I thought, and I had already started the IB Prep process, but didn't finish it because I spotted something I wanted to change. Buuuuut it still got far enough into the check process to set those registry keys.

Thanks again!