Endpoint Services, MECM, Requesting and applying drivers

Overview

How do I get drivers for my MECM endpoints?

Systems

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM)

Intended Audience

University of Illinois IT Pros leveraging MECM, hosted by Technology Services' Endpoint Services team

General Information

Please submit driver requests at https://go.illinois.edu/epshelp.

Please keep the following guidelines in mind regarding drivers:

  • Enterprise PCs have a Windows sticker on the tower – this means the Windows OS is certified to have built-in drivers for that model
    • Drivers from the vendor (Dell, HP, Lenovo) provide additional functionality but are not always necessary

  • Each Windows 11 feature update (e.g. 22H2) includes drivers for the enterprise hardware up until its release
    • For example, the 22H2 feature update will include drivers for Dell enterprise PCs that were released on November 2022 and earlier
    • New enterprise PC models released after the feature update may require a driver package

  • For boot images, each MECM Current Branch release (e.g. 2303) includes drivers for enterprise hardware up until its release
    • New enterprise PC models released after the Current Branch release may require additional drivers in the boot image
    • Network and storage controller drivers are generally cumulative and support previous generations of hardware

  • Know when to use the 'Apply Driver Package' vs 'Auto Apply Drivers' steps in your task sequence
    • If you are targeting a single PC model, the 'Apply Driver Package' step works well
    • If you are targeting several PC models, customize the 'Auto Apply Drivers' step to scope the driver search to the models in your environment
      • Select driver categories to limit the scope of drivers for MECM to search and quickly install drivers
        • MECM Auto Apply Drivers Categories
      • Under the Options tab, add a WMI query to have MECM only run the step for the relevant PC model
        • WMI query for scoping PC model
      • Do not select the default 'Consider drivers from all categories' option as MECM will time out while searching thousands of drivers