Deploying Additional Mass Storage Drivers for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003

When an operating system is released, a large percentage of the existing hardware does not require additional mass storage drivers. However, after release, any new hardware released might require new drivers. Because Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 were released some time ago, you must consider the need for additional mass storage drivers.

To accommodate the installation or deployment of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 on a wider variety of hardware platforms, MDT supports unattended installation of mass storage devices. In the past, you had to perform additional manual steps during this process. This manual process was time-consuming and prone to error.

Note Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and later operating systems do not require any special processing for mass storage drivers, because the drivers can be easily injected. For these operating systems, this process is accomplished using MDT at the time the image is deployed.

To provide customers with the ability to increase the lifespan for both Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the following deployment scenarios are provided.