How to stop XP detecting new hardware?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Denis Kelly
  • Start date Start date
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Denis Kelly

Is there any way (reg setting etc.) to stop XP Pro from
detecting and or reporting new hardware specifically
different hard drive size/model?

This is important in a educational PC "pool" environment
where 20-40 PC's in the same room start out with the exact
same hardware and the systems are imaged at each
boot/logon. Over time when a particular HD size/model
cannot be replaced with the same type and is replaced with
a bigger/faster type, the system is imaged with the
original common image, XP detects/reports new hardware and
wants to reboot. On next boot it's imaged again and ends
up in a loop.

Need some way to tell XP either not to detect and
(hopefully) continue working OR tell it to detect and
configure but not report and request reboot, ie. no
student interaction?

Thanks in advance.
 
I dont think it's XP that
detects hard drives. Its the BIOS
that'll detect it, and show the size and model/brand
of the hard drive, when u boot Windows.

The only way I would say, you could stop
XP from picking up hard drives, is to
disable auto detect of the hard drive in BIOS.

Because the hard drive is physically
part of that system. BUT then, if the
hard drive, is actually part of that system,
it will fail to run / work at all.

It has to be set on auto detect
in BIOS, in order for Windows, to know that
it is in the system for you to use.

So, unless the hard drive you're using is
elsewhere, but in the case, / PC you're
using (ie: A server, or somewhere else)
I wouldnt disable it in BIOS. Or else
you wont have Windows.
 
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