bj-kaiser

do you even get to the install cds "boot:" prompt?

do what? install the bootloader or starting the installation system? Installing the GRUB bootloader should be easy with the WINGRUB interface. How you start the installation after that, depends on the distribution.

If you manage to install a alternative bootloder, you could load the installation kernel and ramdisk from hd. BTW: which distribution? edit: this should make it easier, http://grub4dos.sourceforge.net/

InnoSetup should also have the options "/saveinf=FILE" and "/loadinf=FILE" IIRC. The first one records the user-provided answers of a Installation to a .inf-file and the second one is obviously used to load the formerly recorded answers.

Could you say the name of the software product you have there? The question is, is it a packed MSI or only the usual setup.exe stuff. If it's the second, you probably only have the options to repack or use a script to replace the files after the installation.

http://wixedit.sourceforge.net/ It can "decompile" MSIs, not just create them. However, personally I think modifying MSIs is not that easy.

i can just say, use something like FreeNAS or look for a appliance (although the reports I have seen say you don't want them in your living room, etc.). A Windows Client OS is not really meant to be a server, and a Windows 2003 Server would be a bit overdone. One downside about FreeNAS, that I have seen is that there is nothing mentioned about a binary package. The docs look like all about compiling it from source. what about Open-E? Will cost some money, but looks like plug'n'pray .. . err, I meant play. BTW, here is a way to test-drive FreeNAS http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/168 oh and don't want to be beancounting, but FreeNAS is not based on a Linux OS, it's based on FreeBSD.

I'm actually trying to get something like that together. Powered by AutoIt3 and SQLite for the configuration storage. (Hey, for me this is a improvement to having a Image for every machine type) So far, it can query the MAC-adress/es from ipconfig and do a search with that in the database to get a script for diskpart. (That's what is there so far). What I'm planning is support for sysprep.inf/unattend.txt and imagex, also I'm about to integrate some sort of VNC to automatically connect to a viewer named in the database. So far I only do this in my spare time (as there seems to be no interest by my employer). If there is a need for a free (as in free beer ;-)) alternative to RIS and I don't feel like it's a to big blame to me if others see my code, I may publish it one day. (When I got at least the basic features implemented)

i was thinking of providing a MST-file with whatever project you are talking about. Add a option to your project, to download the installer package from the original source and after downloading install it, with the settings provide in the answer file/MST.

what about using a .MST file to supply the answers? It should still possible to find a free version of Wise InstallTailor toon the web, which can produce a .MST in a click-through session. As the .MST will only be a record of provided answers, this should be legal to redistribute.

Mozilla Firefox stores most if not all of it's settings in it's profile directory. (%appdata%\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\RANDOMVALUE\prefs.js) Example Entry:user_pref("browser.startup.homepage", "about:blank"); However, I think Mozilla recommends using the CCK (Client Customization Kit) for deploying firefox with individual settings. links: [url="http://wiki.mozilla.org/Deployment%3a%44eploying_Firefox"]http://wiki.mozilla.org/Deployment:Deploying_Firefox[/url] [url="http://www.mozilla.org/projects/cck/firefox/"]http://www.mozilla.org/projects/cck/firefox/[/url]

hint: GUIRunOnce look that up in Microsofts documentation for the setup answer file (unattend.txt). Or use cmdlines.txt.

You don't have to install something. All you need is the AutoIt3.exe (and used includes, if there are any).

If you used the PXE HowTo from Microsoft's documentation, you will need the following setup: [tftproot] bootmgr.exe pxeboot.0 [tftproot/boot] BCD boot.sdi winpe.wim [tftproot/boot/fonts] wgl4_boot.ttf Thats all needed to boot to Windows PE. (I had set this up today on Windows, just to remember you that the filename case is probably not right)

if I didn't get it wrong, the Textmode is where setup is asking for partiton setup etc. GUImode is the part where it asks for PC-Name, Serial, etc. So for me this behavior perfectly makes sense.

http://wiki.mozilla.org/Installer:Command_Line_Arguments

search MSFN for booting Windows PE 2.0 over PXE. Build a WinPE image, set up TFTPd and create a share with the XP I386 files. After that boot WinPE over PXE, hope that your NIC driver is already included, map the share (net use ...) and run Windows Setup. So far the theory.

Windows in any Version doesn't care for possibly installed non-MS systems, it simply overwrites the MBR. You will have to re-install GRUB. There should be something on the web that describes how to restore GRUB.

"pxeboot.n12" is the loader without the F12 request.

This is the (shortened) log of my tftpd, while I boot to PE 2.0. As you can see from the NAKs there are some files I don't have in the tftp share, but that doesn't hold the boot of Windows PE in any way (at least it doesn't look like that for me). The interesting information for you are the RRQs with the filenames that are read from the client. You don't need to care about the filenames that follow after the "remapped", that's only because I prefer to have my own directory structure in the tftp share. 07:06:34 in.tftpd[14917]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename pxelinux.0 07:06:34 in.tftpd[14918]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename pxelinux.0 07:06:34 in.tftpd[14928]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename pxelinux.cfg/default 07:06:34 in.tftpd[14929]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename menu.c32 07:06:34 in.tftpd[14930]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename pxelinux.cfg/default 07:06:38 in.tftpd[14931]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename /boot/pe20/pxeboot.0 07:06:38 in.tftpd[14932]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename bootmgr.exe remapped to /boot/pe20/bootmgr.exe 07:06:39 in.tftpd[14933]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf remapped to /boot/pe20/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf 07:06:39 in.tftpd[14934]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf remapped to /boot/pe20/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf 07:06:39 in.tftpd[14935]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \boot.ini remapped to /boot/pe20/boot.ini 07:06:39 in.tftpd[14935]: sending NAK (1, File not found) to 192.168.X.X 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14936]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\BCD remapped to /boot/pe20/BCD 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14937]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\BCD remapped to /boot/pe20/BCD 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14938]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf remapped to /boot/pe20/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14939]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf remapped to /boot/pe20/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14940]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \hiberfil.sys remapped to /hiberfil.sys 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14940]: sending NAK (1, File not found) to 192.168.X.X 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14941]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\WinPE.wim remapped to /boot/pe20/WinPE.wim 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14942]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \boot\boot.sdi remapped to /boot/pe20/boot.sdi 07:06:54 in.tftpd[14943]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \boot\boot.sdi remapped to /boot/pe20/boot.sdi 07:06:55 in.tftpd[14944]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\WinPE.wim remapped to /boot/pe20/WinPE.wim 07:07:28 in.tftpd[14948]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf remapped to /boot/pe20/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf 07:07:28 in.tftpd[14949]: RRQ from 192.168.X.X filename \Boot\Fonts\wgl4_boot.ttf remapped to /boot/pe20/Fonts/wgl4_boot.ttf

nLite removes the files for specific components from the installation source. If you want to keep them on the CD but don't have them installed, you have to look into the answerfile settings. http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServe...3.mspx?mfr=true

We use FreePDF XP at work. So far I have not seen any problems. But as most other free methods to generate PDFs, it will require Ghostscript to be installed. English translation is included. http://www.shbox.de/fpx732.htm

Booting PE 2.0 from a third-party server over PXE is possible. I use PXElinux as network boot loader, to load some utility disks and PE 2.0. So far I have only experimented with it, no real usage. If I understand it right, imagex saves only the file structure, not the partition setup. But you can use a DISKPART script before applying the image, so you can do everything with a batch or another script. So far my theory.

I use PXElinux to boot PE 2.0 from a OpenSuSE box. So far, the only problems I had were related to missing files. I would recommend you get a copy of WireShark if you don't already have it and watch the boot process (since the MS TFTP server lacks a decent logging, as far as I have seen and heard). If you think it could help you, I can post the log of my TFTPd, but since I am back to work on monday, it will take some time.

try using pxeboot.n12 as kernel in the PXElinux config.