Hardware Driver Packs and HSA Packs
Self-extracting driver bundles for OS deployment, plus HSA packs for Store-restricted builds.
Inventory
- Driver Packs
- Every driver for one model and one Windows version, in one self-extracting file.
- HSA Packs
- Sideloading files for Hardware Support Apps, for builds that cannot reach the Microsoft Store.
- Works with
- Configuration Manager and MDT task sequences, and WinPE. No extra tools are needed to extract them.
- Get them
- The Drivers & Software page for each model on Lenovo Support, under the Enterprise Management category.
- From a script
Find-LnvDriverPack -MachineType 21DD -Latest Find-LnvHSAPack -MachineType 21DD -Latest
Hardware Driver Packs
Most OS deployment processes target model-specific drivers. Driver Packs consolidate everything for one model into a single self-extracting file for the specific Windows build you need.
- One file per model. All drivers for one model and one Windows version, bundled.
- Self-extracting. No extra tools required. Works inside WinPE and OSD task sequences.
- Where to find them. The Drivers & Software page on Lenovo Support, under the Enterprise Management category for each model.
Find-LnvDriverPack in Lenovo.Client.Scripting lists the packs for a machine type with the OS, build version, checksums, release date and download URL, so you can automate pack downloads.
Hardware Support App Packs
Hardware Support Apps (HSAs) arrived with the modern driver architecture in Windows 10 1809. They are UWP or MSIX apps from Lenovo or a component vendor that provide the software layer certain drivers need, such as a graphics or audio control panel. Normally they install automatically from the Microsoft Store once the matching base driver is present.
HSA Packs bundle the sideloading files for environments where the Store is not reachable. They use the same simple self-extracting format as Driver Packs.
Best Practice
Do not try to install HSAs during imaging if possible. Apply the base drivers, then let Windows and the Microsoft Store install the matching apps. Sideload HSAs only when devices must be deployed in a completely air-gapped environment; that is the scenario HSA Packs exist for. The Microsoft Store can be blocked for end-users while still allowing the OS to install and maintain HSAs.
Restrict the Store, not its services
The most common failure in enterprise HSA deployments is a Store policy that disables more than it needs to. HSAs install and update per device through the Store's background services. To hide the consumer Store from users and still get HSAs:
- Set Turn off the Store application to Enabled. This blocks the Store UI only.
- Set Turn off Automatic Download and Install of updates to Disabled, so HSAs keep updating.
- Keep the Microsoft Store Install Service, Windows Update, BITS and Delivery Optimization services enabled. HSAs will not install if InstallService is disabled.
- Apply policies to the computer, not the user, and do not remove the Microsoft.WindowsStore, Microsoft.StorePurchaseApp or Microsoft.DesktopAppInstaller system apps.
Sideloading in a task sequence
For air-gapped builds, the CDRT team publishes Install-HSA.ps1, which reads the JSON manifests inside an HSA Pack and installs the apps offline. In Configuration Manager, add a Run PowerShell Script step after Apply Operating System and before Setup Windows and ConfigMgr, pointing at a package that contains the extracted pack and the script:
Install-HSA.ps1 -Offline -All -DebugInformationThe boot image needs the WinPE-NetFx, WinPE-PowerShell and WinPE-DismCmdlets optional components. The full MDT and Configuration Manager walkthroughs are on the blog.