How to Install an OEM Network Adapter Card in WinNT 4.0 Setup

ID: Q156823


The information in this article applies to:


SYMPTOMS

Third-party OEM network adapter cards that are not detected during the setup of Windows NT cannot be made detectable. However, you can automate the process by telling Windows NT setup to install this particular card during an unattended setup.


RESOLUTION

To perform this operation, use the following steps:

  1. Go to your third-party drivers and look for a file called Oemsetup.inf. Using any text editor, open this file and search for the [options] section. In this section, you should find the name of your card. It should look similar to the following:
    
    [PlatformsSupported]
    ISA
    EISA
    PCI
    [Options]
    AMDPCI
    [FileConstants]
    GenericInfVersion  = " v3.11" 

    Make a note of the [Options] name because it will be used in a later step.


  2. While still in the Oemsetup.inf file, look for the [OptionsTextEng] section. Search for this value and make a note of it, because it will also be used in a later step. This entry will look similar to the following:
    
    [OptionsTextEng]
    AMDPCI     = "AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter" 


  3. On the I386, share make a directory under the Drvlib.nic subdirectory with the name of your card (for example, AMDCARD). You can call this subdirectory any name you want, as long as it is unique. Place all the driver files needed for the network adapter card installation in this directory. The files usually consist of an .inf file, a .sys file, and a .hlp file. Token ring cards may have one or two additional files.


  4. Expand the Oemnadzz.in_ file in your I386 share to Oemnadzz.inf


  5. Open the file with any text editor and add your card into this file. The file contains four sections: PCI, MCA, EISA and ISA. Depending on your network adapter card type, do the following:


    1. Using a PCI example, add the name of your network adapter card (found in step 1 above).
      
      [PCIOptions]
      AMDPCI   <--- newly added line
      ALANE0
      LEC
      J2585A
      J2585B
      J2973A
      J2970A 


    2. In the next section, which should be [PCIFilename], add the appropriate path to your .inf file and drivers you created in step 3 above.
      
      [PCIFilename]
      drvlib.nic\AMDCARD\Oemsetup.inf  <----- newly added line here
      drvlib.nic\ALANENT\oemsetup.inf
      drvlib.nic\MDGLEC\oemsetup.inf
      drvlib.nic\HPVGP\oemsetup.inf
      drvlib.nic\HPVGP\oemsetup.inf
      drvlib.nic\HPVGP\oemsetup.inf 


    3. In the last and final section (which should be [PCIOptionsTextEng]), add the appropriate text string preceded by the [options] name. This is the value you searched for in Step 2 above.
      
      [PCIOptionsTextENG]
      AMDPCI     = "AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter"  <-- Newly added
      ALANE0      = "Adaptec ATM LAN Emulation Adapter"
      LEC         = "Madge ATM LAN Emulation Client"
      J2585A      = "HP DeskDirect (J2585A) 10/100 PCI LAN Adapter"
      J2585B      = "HP DeskDirect (J2585B) 10/100 PCI LAN Adapter"
      J2973A      = "HP DeskDirect (J2973A) 10BaseT PCI LAN Adapter"
      J2970A      = "HP DeskDirect (J2970A) 10BaseT/2 PCI LAN Adapter" 


    4. In your Unattend.txt file, make sure the following lines appear:
      
      [NetWork]
      JoinDomain = Mydomain
      CreatComputerAccount = user_name, password
      InstallAdapters = InstallAMDNetcard
      InstallProtocols = ProtocolsList
      InstallServices = SelectedServicesList
      
      [InstallAMDNetcard]
      AMDPCI = AMDPCIParams
      
      [AMDPCIParams]
      !AutoNetInterfaceType = "1"
      !AutoNetBusNumber = "0"
      IOBaseAddress = "768"
      DMAChannel = "3"
      InterruptNumber = "5" 

      NOTE: You can find these parameters one of two places: in the Oemsetup.inf file, or in the registry of a computer that already has the card installed. The location in registry is:
      HKEY_local_machine\system\currentcontrolset\services\<%oemnetcardkeyname%>X\parameters


  6. Run the unattended setup.


Using this procedure does not make the card detectable by any means. The Drvlib.nic directory and all its subdirectories are copied to the local hard disk, which allows these files to be accessible during GUI mode setup. You may need to make some modifications to the Oemsetup.inf file for the OEM network adapter card so that it does not prompt you for any user input. For some suggestions on this process, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q155099
TITLE : Creating Network Component .inf File for Unattended Setup
For installation of the AMD PCNET adapter, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q138630
TITLE : AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter Cannot Be Installed Unattended

Additional query words: 4.00


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

Last Reviewed: June 30, 1999