| The Perfect Vista Laptop… and | | | | connector, a FireWire jack, or the like? |
| Simplifying Device Installation | | | | Well, simplified, there's a bit of hardware |
| | | | in the system that asks the new hardware, |
| This month, I can thankfully report that my | | | | "What's your Plug and Play ID (PnPID)?" |
| search for a great, 64-bit Windows Vista | | | | PnPIDs look like long text strings, such as |
| laptop is over; that apparently the entire | | | | "USBSTOR\DiskUDMA-CF_ExpressCard_Rdr.2.23," |
| world found it at the same time that I did; | | | | which is the PnPID for the doodad that sucks |
| and that it's possible to configure such a | | | | pictures off my Compact Flash (CF) cards into |
| system. The system is the Lenovo T61P. I gave | | | | my computer at amazing speeds. (It's a CF |
| it a try after hearing good things about it | | | | reader that's an ExpressCard/54 reader, which |
| from several clients. What clinched it was a | | | | is amazingly fast. There are several on the |
| bit of advice from a member of Microsoft's | | | | market and, if you're a photographer who uses |
| Hyper-V team that, if I intended to do | | | | CF cards and who has a system with an |
| Hyper-V, then the Lenovo was the way to go. | | | | ExpressCard slot, just buy one - trust me.) |
| (Readers and members of my online forum have | | | | Once my CF card reader has responded |
| also told me that Dell and HP's 64-bit | | | | "USBSTOR\DiskUDMA-CF_ExpressCard_Rdr.2.23" to |
| "mobile workstation" systems - XPS for Dell, | | | | my laptop, the laptop then looks at all of |
| the 8000 series for HP - work well with | | | | the drivers that it knows about to see |
| 64-bit Vista and can accommodate 4GBs of RAM. | | | | whether any of those drivers know how to |
| Plus, Vista can use all of that 4GBs, and I | | | | handle a |
| mean actually use it, rather than simply | | | | "USBSTOR\DiskUDMA-CF_ExpressCard_Rdr.2.23" |
| reporting 4GBs and using fewer (as I reported | | | | device and, assuming that it has such a |
| last month that Vista currently does under | | | | driver, it then uses that driver to |
| SP1). In short: The T61P runs Hyper-V like a | | | | communicate with the CF reader. What I've |
| charm, gives me access to all of the 8GBs of | | | | just described has been true since Windows |
| RAM that I've installed in it, and runs | | | | 95. What's different about Vista and Server |
| quickly enough that it'd be hard to complain | | | | 2008 is that you can tell a system, "You've |
| that "Vista is too slow." When I purchased | | | | never heard about such-and-such PnPID and its |
| the T61P, I wiped its disk clean and | | | | corresponding device, but let me give you a |
| installed the retail version of Vista | | | | driver now and on the off-chance that you |
| Ultimate 64, which got me thinking about how | | | | ever run into this PnPID, here's a driver." |
| to install Vista so that it could support the | | | | The geeky phrase in Vista/Server 2008-ese for |
| T61P's specific hardware without bringing | | | | this is called pre-populating the Driver |
| along all of the largely superfluous | | | | Store. So here's the neat part: Vista/Server |
| applications that come with hardware. For | | | | 2008 has a new program called Pnputil that |
| example, I have a Dell 1320 color laser | | | | lets you create a downright population |
| printer that is fast, reliable, and | | | | explosion in your Driver Store. In brief, |
| reasonably priced… but I hate | | | | here's how it works. First, collect the |
| installing drivers for it. Pop the driver | | | | drivers that you'll need for some device. |
| CD-ROM that comes with it into your computer, | | | | Drivers (when not accompanied by friendly but |
| and you don't just get a driver. Oh no - you | | | | unnecessary add-on applications) consist of |
| get a utility that simplifies buying supplies | | | | just two files: an INF file, which is a text |
| for the printer, other utilities to show you | | | | file that says, "When you see such-and-such |
| toner levels, and so forth. I mean, it's a | | | | PnPID, go over here and run this program |
| good printer, but heck, I'm not looking for a | | | | called something.sys," and the something.sys, |
| relationship, just a driver. Furthermore, I | | | | which is the actual device driver. So I took |
| knew I'd be configuring a few other T61Ps - | | | | a guinea pig system and installed all of the |
| some friends were looking for The Perfect | | | | vendor clutter - drivers, applications, and |
| Laptop, and I agreed to help put their | | | | all. Then I removed any folders that didn't |
| systems together - so I thought I'd use this | | | | have INFs and SYS files in it. With that |
| opportunity to try out Vista and Server | | | | done, I collected all of the INF/SYS pairs |
| 2008's notion of a "driver store." Device | | | | and put them on a storage device. (They don't |
| Installation Made Simple Now, if you're not | | | | take up much space without the other stuff.). |
| an IT pro, then just stop reading -- this | | | | Next, all I've got to do is pop the CD/DVD |
| will bore you to death. But for those of us | | | | USB stick into my vanilla-built-Ultimate |
| who make computers work, this is really neat. | | | | system, and figure out which drive that |
| What happens when you pop some new hardware | | | | represents. (Let's call it F: for this |
| into a PCI slot (Express or otherwise), a USB | | | | example. |