Using DISM Tool to Install Boot-Critical Drivers

If you migrate Windows installations between storage adapters, you can fail with STOP 0x7B INACCESSIBLE_BOOT_DEVICE error. This happens because Windows does not yet have the required drivers installed, and/or set as boot-critical.

The dism.exe tool allows us to install (boot-critical) drivers into an offline Windows “image”. Note that an offline Windows “image” is nothing special - a regular Windows install is a valid Windows “image”.

After a STOP 0x7B, Windows Boot Manager usually sets up fallback boot into WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment). WinRE has a copy of the DISM tool, so you are good to go. (You can cancel the Startup Recovery assistant if necessary.)

Example DISM commands to use from the WinRE (or WinPE) Command Prompt:

Install Microsoft/Generic Storage Drivers

This includes MSAHCI, IntelIDE, AMDIDE, ATAPI, PCIIDE and so on:

dism /image:d:\ /add-driver /driver:d:\windows\inf\mshdc.inf /forceunsigned

(D: is assumed to be the Windows SystemDrive partition.)

Install LSI MegaRAID / SAS/SATA Drivers

dism /image:d:\ /add-driver /driver:d:\windows\inf\megaraid.inf /forceunsigned

(D: is assumed to be the Windows SystemDrive partition.)

Install VirtIO Storage Drivers

If you have the VirtIO drivers ISO mounted, and added the drivers in the Recovery GUI, dism can add them to the offline Windows as well:

dism /image:c:\ /add-driver /driver:d:\win7\amd64\viostor.inf

(C: is assumed to be the Windows SystemDrive partition, and D: is the virtio ISO/CD.)