The best details about us (I thought) were on pages 10 and 11
http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer- … 65?page=10
I added the tag...
no you can not tell for sure if the drivers are working from a VM. A VM has no actual hardware
You will have to test it on your target machine to be absolutely certain...
there is a 99.9 percent chance it is covered. You could post the HWID for your video card, and we can see if the HWID is included. This would still not be as accurate of a test, as a real live test install on your target machine. Most of us keep an old HDD handy (or install to a secondary drive or partition IE D: ) to 'live' test install.
The VM will tell you if you have set all other aspects of your installation disc (except your drivers) correctly.
the article missed one big program to help you... WPI
Windows Post Installer installs your applications after the windows setup...
IE Office, Java, Flash, adobe reader or whatever apps you normally install.
WPI makes your install disc a complete solution for disaster!
hint: if you are trying to fit these on CD put WPI on it's own CD(s)
I did not see where he actually says this but he hit bulls-eye.
It is better to spend a few hours to setup an unattended install once,
than to spend a few hours every time you need to reinstall.
most unattended installs take 10~20 min to the first login.
Plus the time for the app. installs from WPI.
My UXP Disk is on DVD and runs about 40 minutes.
But when it is done so is my reinstall. My antivirus and my business software is there, my email client is preconfigured, multiple browsers, my DVD players and Codecs ect..., my cell phone drivers & sync software, printer drivers and software, my word processing applications. and any updates they need run after their installs are done too. Registry entries are added for further customizations of user settings. Again it is easier to do this all only once "Set it and Forget it"... to coin a phrase.
if you can reinstall in 30 minutes it is hardly worth fighting with a particularly nasty or involved issue.
( I am not even going to mention Backups. Oops. Because I am positive that everyone, always, backs up thier important files... )
Put in your Disc pick a location to install and go watch TV for a half an hour. Why would you do anything else?
It does take the better part of a day to do (if it is your first time) but every time after that it will take no time at all and you won't even have to watch it install ever again once you're done Many of us who do this professionaly will update our discs roughly monthly. Updates take minutes after you've 'got it'. This is to our advantage because we may have to roll out 50 machines and we don't want all 50 machines to download (and install) the same update 50 times. (Yes we could use an imaging software, but not my point.)
jeff