Reinstalling Windows operating system is always a tedious job. You
need to install Windows first, download and install drivers from
hardware manufacture’s website, and then install your favorite programs
one-by-one. Users who often reinstall Windows might want to integrate
hardware drivers into the installation DVD or ISO to avoid manually
installing all drivers post Windows installation.
If you’re a Windows 8 user and looking for a way to
integrate drivers in the installation DVD or ISO, you can follow this
guide to easily integrate drivers into the ISO. While
it’s possible to integrate drivers without using third-party tools, the
procedure requires opening the Command Prompt and executing a few
commands. As not all Windows users are comfortable using the Command
Prompt, we’re going to use an easy-to-use software named WinReducer8 to
integrate drivers into the Windows 8 ISO.
WinReducer8
is a free tool designed to customize Windows 8 installation by
integrating drivers, tweaking the the setup, and removing unwanted
features to create a lighter version of the OS.
Prerequisites:
- Windows 8 media
- WinReducer8
Procedure:
Visit your hardware manufacture’s website and download all drivers that
you wish to integrate in the installation DVD or ISO file.
Next step is to extract your Windows 8 ISO file to a new folder using 7-Zip, Winrar or any other file archiving software. And if you have a Windows 8 DVD, simply copy all files from the DVD to a new folder.
Download the latest version of WinReducer8 zip file,
extract the file onto your desktop to get WinReducer8 folder, open up
the folder, and then double-click on the executable to fire up the
program.
Once WinReducer8 has been launched, click Open button to browse to the new folder containing extracted or copied files of Windows 8 setup.
By default, WinReducer8 creates a new folder under WinReducer8 folder
containing the executable to mount the WIM. If you want to change the
mount folder (if you don’t have at least 4GB of free space), click
Change Mount Folder button to select a folder in safer location with at
least 4GB of free disk space. You can delete this folder once you are
done with the job.
Select your Windows 8 edition and then click Mount button to begin mounting required files.
WinReducer8 might take a few minutes to complete this job. So be patient until you see the following screen.
Next, switch to the Customization tab and then click System tab (see the picture) to choose your driver’s folder. Check the Drivers box to browse to the folder containing hardware drivers.
Finally, switch to Apply tab and click Launch
button and then click Yes for the confirmation prompt to start
integrating selected drivers in the setup. Once WinReducer8 finishes its
job, you will see the following screen.
Select Save in WIM file and create a new ISO option, choose a folder to save the ISO file, enter a name for your ISO file and finally click Save button. WinReducer8 might take a few minutes to complete this job. You can then burn the ISO to a DVD or create a bootable USB using the ISO file to install Windows 8 from USB flash drive.
No comments: