Thanks for the reply.
Concerning method 2. If we have a precompiled folder/driver structure having used method 1, i.e., D\,,,, etc., wouldn't it be easier to modify the DevicePath registry key in \i386\hivesft.inf
[HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion","DevicePath",0x00020002,"%SystemRoot%\inf"]
with the path that was copied to winnt.sif by method 1 before compiling the image? Basically you're doing the job of method 2 and sysprep without having to do a fake install. In other words, the DevicePath is pre-modified, and the driver folders are copied over since they are in \$OEM$\$1 folder. I guess mine would look like:
%SystemRoot%\inf;%SystemDrive%\_setup\Drivers\D\,,,etc.
My last question for this reply is, can I just use the normal C:\ path type or do I need to stick with %SystemDrive%?
One last note: Since I have a devicepath from winnt.sif from method 1, I guess I can extract the drivers from their .7z files, and leave them in their folders uncompressed. While it would take up a lot more space, I bet the install would go faster without the need for uncompressing. I'm burning these builds to DVD's anyways, so space isn't super important.