

This allows me to keep the driver package as small as possible by using the Microsoft drivers that are included with Windows 7 when possible. One of the first things I do when working on the drivers for a new hardware model is apply the base Windows 7 image without any extra drivers. I usually try to keep driver packages to a minimum since I typically work with customers that have locations spread all over the place, connected by very slow links and no local distribution points (think Nomad). First, let me take a step back and explain the approach I use when it comes to managing device drivers.

On a recent Windows 7 deployment project, I was working on integrating the device drivers for a Dell Latitude E6400 laptop and came across the dreaded ‘unknown device’.
