November 22nd, 2011 · random

Imaging the HP ProBook 6560b

After much (MUCH) head->desk while trying to make Symantec Ghost Solution Suite's WinPE boot disc pick up a network connection on the new HP ProBook 6560b, I've sorted the issue! Thanks, in no small part, to this thread: http://communities.intel.com/thread/21719

If you already have a GSS WinPE boot CD you can simply boot into it, and follow these instructions:

  1. Download the latest Intel PRO1000 drivers here (The PROWin32.exe is the one you are looking for. Yes, it says Server 2003, but that's OK)
  2. Using 7-Zip (or similar program) decompress the EXE to a folder on your hard drive
  3. Copy the extracted folder to a USB drive
  4. Plug the USB drive into the laptop which you've booted into WinPE
  5. From the command prompt, navigate to the folder: E:\PROWin32\PRO1000\Win32\NDIS61 (your USB drive may have a different letter)
  6. Run this command: drvload e1c6032.inf

Voila, you should now have wired network access!

Of course, you could also create a new WinPE image when using the Symantec Ghost Boot Wizard and include that NDIS61 folder directly in WinPE. That would eliminate the need to use drvload after booting into WinPE.