Article By:  Miguel

Article Date:  07/30/07

  Windows Vista brings one very welcomed change in the install process of this highly troublesome OS.  With Vista, you have the option of pre-loading third-party drivers from a removable storage device such as a CD or even your trusty flash drive.  Yes, this is a somewhat decent attempt at finally making the floppy drive a thing of the past.  However, this feature is not without its share of flaws.  After quite a number of Vista installs, some of which involved loading more than one RAID driver, I have come across a number of very annoying issues that most would want to be aware of.  In this latest EMHz Tech Tip, we briefly cover some of the issues many may face when they finally give in and attempt to switch from Windows XP.

Whether or not it is needed to actually install the OS itself, it is always best to load all your third-party controller drivers during the install process.  This will eliminate a number of issues you may encounter when attempting to load them after the installation is complete.  With Vista, this is highly recommended right now as I have encountered quite a number of RAID driver issues when attempting to install a device after the Operating System is already running.

 

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When prompted, you want to choose the Custom Install option in order to gain access to additional menus that will allow you to load third-party drivers that are not supported (out of the box).  Once you choose this option, you'll get a window showing any available drives to install Vista on.  In this example, I will be demonstrating a rather unique setup that involves loading two completely different RAID drivers...one for the drives that will contain the OS itself, and one for an external RAID solution used in my current HTPC setup.

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Once you click on "Load Driver" and then on "Browse", you will get an explorer-like window allowing you to actually browse for drivers on any external device that is currently installed and working.  In this particular case, I will be attempting to load two individual controller drivers located in the root of the USB flash drive as shown in the screenshot above.

Now this is where it gets tricky!

 

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The first RAID driver I loaded was for the pre-configured dual Samsung 320GB drives that will contain the OS itself.  Once you select the proper driver, you'll want to hit the "Next" button first.  Why?  Well, I've found that Vista reacts quite differently depending on both the hardware installed, as well as the flash drive being used to load the drivers.  Once you click on "Next", you'll eventually see the available physical disc to install Vista.  It is only when you're in this screen that you will hit the "Load Driver" option again.  If not, Vista will only replace the existing options with the last one you chose.  Yes, this is annoying.

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After you have properly loaded your RAID controller drivers and have formatted your array for use, you can then click on the "Load Driver" option again to load additional third-party drivers.  Again, you will be prompted for a location and can browse through any external storage device such as the same USB drive used.

Now, this is where the second issue comes in...

After numerous Vista installs, I've found that the flash drive being used plays a role in going through all these steps without a hitch.  For example, with some flash drives, I had to remove and re-connect the drive in order Vista to read it again.  This was an issue with a couple of drives from Sandisk, but those Voyager drives from Corsair (both original and GT) did work flawlessly every time. 

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Unlike the first set of SATA RAID 1 drivers loaded for the OS itself, the second set were for a RAID 5 configuration that would be used to power the excellent DS351 from Silverstone.  After you load the additional drivers, you can continue on with the OS install as usual.

As stated in this latest Tech Tip, it is important to load each third-party driver individually during setup.  In addition, it is important to note the issues mentioned here regarding the use of flash drives for such an install.  Some drives used simply did not function well at all and caused a number of issues in an attempt to get Vista to recognize the drive again after loading the first driver.  Keep in mind that you may need to unplug the flash drive and re-connect it a few times before the Vista install can read it again. 

Yes, the use of a flash drive to load controller drivers is highly convenient.  However, the bottom line is that it may not necessarily work as it should and you may need to resort to either another flash drive or another alternative altogether.  Unfortunately, that includes the trusty old Floppy Drive which seems like it will never finally die! 

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