Slow Imaging Speeds with Intel I219-V Drivers in Windows PE Version 20.0.2.22

We're experiencing a significant drop in imaging speeds when using newer Intel I219-V drivers with our Windows 11 PE environment. We use a PXE boot to launch a WinPE 24H2 build (10.1.26100.2454) to run Ghost64.exe for imaging.

The Problem

Our imaging speeds have been cut in half with the A07 Dell driver pack, which includes the Intel driver version 20.0.2.22. In contrast, the older A03 pack with driver version 20.0.1.46 performs as expected. We've also tested newer drivers from Dell's website directly with the same slow results. This is for the E1dn driver which is particalr to the models we use.

Technical Analysis

Based on our research, the newer 20.0.2.x Intel drivers introduced changes for Windows 11 24H2 and its DCH (Declarative, Componentized, Hardware Supported) driver requirements. It appears these drivers default to "safe" settings in WinPE, which can significantly reduce network throughput. Specifically, they may disable or restrict key performance features like:

• Large Send Offload (LSO): Offloads the task of segmenting large data packets to the network adapter, reducing CPU overhead.

• Receive Side Scaling (RSS): Distributes network processing across multiple CPU cores.

• Interrupt Moderation: Reduces the number of interrupts sent to the CPU, which can improve throughput at the cost of latency.

• Energy Efficient Ethernet (EEE) and Power Management: These settings can cause the adapter to enter a low-power state, which severely limits network performance.

These "safe" defaults are likely what's causing the performance degradation during our imaging process.

Affected Models

This issue impacts the following Dell laptop and desktop models:

• Latitude 5440, 5450

• Dell Pro 14 Laptops PB14250

• Optiplex Pro Micro 2025

• OptiPlex 7020 (2024 model)
  
  

Potential Solutions

Since downgrading drivers isn't a long-term solution for new hardware, we're looking for a way to modify the newer drivers' behavior within the WinPE environment.

Has anyone found a method to configure or override the default driver settings in a WinPE boot image? We're hoping to find a way to re-enable performance-critical settings like Large Send Offload, Receive Side Scaling, and disable Energy Efficient Ethernet to restore our normal imaging speeds.

Any guidance on how to manipulate these driver settings in a WinPE boot.wim file would be greatly appreciated!