WinPE Drivers
WinPE drivers are a distinct category from Windows drivers. They are embedded directly into the boot image at build time and loaded via drvload.exe when the machine PXE boots or boots from USB. Their purpose is to provide network and storage access within the WinPE environment so the FluxDeploy agent can communicate with the server and access local disks.
WinPE vs Windows Drivers
| Aspect | WinPE Drivers | Windows Drivers |
|---|---|---|
| Injection Mode | WinPeLive | Offline |
| When Loaded | Boot time (Phase 1) | After imaging (Phase 11) |
| Where Stored | Embedded in boot image (X:\WinPEDrivers\) |
Downloaded from server during deployment |
| Typical Categories | Network, Storage | All categories |
| Managed On | Drivers page, WinPE (boot media) pill | Drivers page, Windows pill |
What You Need
At minimum, your boot image needs:
- Network drivers - So the agent can reach the FluxDeploy server over the network
- Storage drivers - So WinPE can see the target machine's local disks (NVMe, RAID controllers)
Without these, the agent cannot complete pre-flight checks (NIC detection, disk discovery).
Uploading WinPE Drivers
The WinPE (boot media) pill on the Drivers page works identically to the Windows one but filters to InjectionMode = WinPeLive. You can:
- Upload a ZIP/CAB archive manually
- Download from OEM catalogs (HP, Dell, Lenovo in the Catalog tab's vendor select)
When downloading from OEM catalogs on the WinPE page, the system automatically filters to WinPE-relevant driver classes by parsing INF [Version] sections. Only drivers with class GUIDs matching Net, SCSIAdapter, HDC, USB, and System are retained.
Each row shows what the package holds (12 drivers - 40 files - 3.1 MB). A package with no .inf file puts nothing into the boot image and is shown in red; a catalog one has a Re-download button, one you uploaded must be deleted and uploaded again. See Driver Management for the details.
Embedding in Boot Images
Every active WinPE driver package is embedded in every boot image build (see Boot Images) - there is nothing to select. Drivers are copied into the WIM under X:\WinPEDrivers\ and loaded at boot via drvload.exe in startnet.cmd.
Driver Coverage
The Boot Images page shows the WinPE driver count and the PXE-active image on one line above the list, linking back here. A boot image built before you added a driver pack does not contain it - rebuild the image to include it.
Relay Sync
WinPE drivers are not synced to relay sites. They are embedded in the boot image at build time. When Core builds a relay-specific boot image, it includes the same WinPE drivers that were selected for the source build.