bj-kaiser

you should get Microsofts WAIK, with that you get the documentation for Vista's unattended setup methods and (most important) Windows PE 2.0, and Microsofts diskimager 'imagex'. All you need to setup to boot a WinPE 2.0 image through PXE is a DHCP and TFTP server. For my experiments I use a Debian box as server (dnsmasq for dhcp and hpa's tftpd). To make building a PE image easier, you should have a look at Winbuilder and VistaPE (www.boot-land.net). So, now you got the platform from which you can do your installations. If you want to automate things, you can use Windows scripting (or basically everything that runs on Windows). For my part I decided to mix AutoIt (a freeware scripting tool for windows) with SQLite as database. Downside is, since we are at work still deploying XP with PQ DriveImage, I have not yet had the pressure to finish my ideas. But if there is enough interest, I can probably work out at least the imagex part of my script set. What I can get working in soon time is automated imagex, but software installation after the initial Windows installlation in unattended's style will still take some time to implement (but the idea is there).

My first idea would be trying to re-fit the graphics card. I don't know how, but even in office PCs that are not moved much they can get loose somehow and then they obviously don't work.

I got some trouble with WinPE, build with WinBuilder and VistaPE. I'm trying to use winpeshl.ini to launch Litestep and some other programs (wpeinit for example). This is the winpeshl.ini I want to use, located in \Windows\System32. [LaunchApp] AppPath=%SystemDrive%\Program Files\LiteStep\litestep.exe [LaunchApps] init.exe Any idea what could be wrong? I think I missed some details, so here comes a bit of explanation. Litestep (Shell Replacement) gets started and is running. However, it looks like the LaunchApps section is not honored, independent of which application/s I added there, it just won't start them. EDIT: see last post for the solution.

most of the integrated network cards are pxe compatible. in fact I have yet to stumble upon a integrated ethernet card, that does not allow pxe-boot. In your case network boot is probably disabled in the BIOS setup, most of the time there should be a entry like "LAN Boot ROM [enabled/disabled]" under "integrated peripherals". Sometimes however the implementation is fu...ed up and independent of the boot order specified in the bios, network will be the first all times. And basically PXE is possible with any combination of a DHCP, TFTP-Server and network boot loader (like pxelinux and others).

probably not exactly what you want, but what about www.autoitscript.com www.autohotkey.com i think one could realise what you do with stuffit with one of the above.

Didn't Al Gore create the internets? "The internet is a series of tubes ..." (Senator Ted Stevens) Sorry, could not resist to that pun.

I dont have the time to argue about all that irony, but this one point catched my interest. Wasn't somewhere in the past, that the Windows-IP-Stack originated on BSD? If thats true, we could say, without BSD there would be no Internet on Windows computers (or the internet would run on netbeui). http://www.kuro5hin.org/?op=displaystory;s...6/19/05641/7357 feel free to google for some more hints.

This way of copy-protection is just abuse of the CDDA standard error correction and by pre-adding errors, the disc will probably not be that resistant to scratches anymore. Besides, every CD with any sort of 'copy protection' is no longer compatible with the CDDA standard, so noone should wonder if it doesn't play in a lot of devices. some more or less interesting links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Book_(audio_CD_standard) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copy_Control

looks interesting. Do you know if it has commandline options (for scripting)?

you could even do it shorter. just use WinWaitActive instead of that while-loop. Run,path-to-setup.exe WinWaitActive,Window-Title[,Window-Text] Send {ENTER}

easy: http://wiki.mozilla.org/Installer:Command_Line_Arguments starting the firefox installer with the argument "/S" should do the default install. "/D=<path>" sets the install directory and "/INI=<path>" can invoke a .ini-file with some additional options.

sorry, I think I was thinking to short here. DLLCACHE holds the files to avoid asking for the XP cd right? If that's right, it was a pretty stupid idea of me.

try excluding dllcache. (read the imagex help file on that) you shouldn't need it anyways.

I can only say there is a option in the settings of your Internet connection, where it should say something like 'share this internet connection with ...'. And there should be an article in Windows help, that explains how to setup connection sharing.

you can stick a lan card into your pc and use windows internet connection sharing, but you will obviously have to turn on your pc when you want to use internet on the ps3. personally i would go and replace that usb modem with a dsl-modem/router-combo (if money allows it).

http://uawiki.org/doku.php?id=silent_apps:...itchesdb:tuneup Maybe TuneUp 2007 behaves similar, otherwise get a hold of the MSI file and use something like Wise InstallTailor.

get something that is known to be supported by OpenWrt. Gives you what you want, does need less energy than any XP capable hardware and besides, XP was never meant to do any sort of server/router work. http://wiki.openwrt.org/TableOfHardware Or try it with m0n0wall http://m0n0.ch/wall/

learn some scripting language, like Windows Scripting or AutoIt3 or AutoHotkey (for example). Then you can do everything you want.

since you can start both WinPE 2.0 and almost every linux installer from PXElinux you should use that route. For Windows 2000 you could rely on Imagex and Sysprep or unattended installation. For Fedora, you should get some idea of 'Kickstart' if you haven't already. Kickstart is similar to unattended Windows setup, you provide an answer file, on a http-server for example; and start the installer with a option to invoke that file.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Click'N'Run Linspire's CNR builds on Debian's APT package management. It will just like in every other APT-based distri resolve dependencies by downlowading the missing packages, if I understand it right. Klik on the other hand means, that every app and its dependencies is self-contained in one single file. I think on Macs there is a similar system available.

define a bit more what you want, case tracking and such or remote control or IT resource management.

CD-ROM ISO. If you can only see the ISO file as the cd content, then something has gone wrong.

www.uawiki.org is sometimes very helpful. Try searching the FAQ of the software producer for instructions or if nothing helps, contact their support.

It's a ISO image. Either burn it or don't waste a blank DVD and use something like DaemonTools or another Virtual CD/DVD drive.

that would be RunOnceEx. http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/31/