mraeryceos

Is there a way to extract component cab files into a directory structure (as they would sit in the windows directory, but in a separate folder), that would make it easy to just copy-paste the files of a component into the windows directory? It would make it easy to experiment if Windows needs the registry entries for certain files, or if it will work with the files just placed into system32 and so on. For example, I can get by without installing the component "security base". Without the files manually copied from security base into the windows directory, I can't use regedit to merge a reg file. With the files in place, but not installed, I can. Come to think of it, I don't know if "security base" is a win7 component. I am working with Windows Embedded Standard 7: I just use it at home for my own system. It was my choice to use it as an alternative to 7customizer, rt7lite, etc.

Bump

Ok, you can attach *.zip files, but not *.log files. Makes more sense to attach all the logs anyway. logs.zip

On Windows 7, the flash drive was auto-formatted with FBinst. [/] align [/] copy BPB, fat32. The flash drive worked ok. After using it a few times, I went to add another OS and it gave the MBR error message. Trying to upload the log files: Error You aren't permitted to upload this kind of file I reduced it to 93KB, but still no... .

cd\ cacls "system volume information" /t /g everyone:f rd /s /q "system volume information" I then create dummy file "system volume information" and modify the ACE to be: deny full control to nt service\trustedinstaller deny full control to system I set {computer}\administrator as owner Result: "system volume information" folder gets recreated anyway! (upon restarting the system, for example) How is this possible?

Thanks Tripredacus. The Macbook Pro I have, has a 32 bit EFI, believe it or not. http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/macbook_pro/specs/macbook-pro-core-2-duo-2.33-17-specs.html

Does anyone know where to get an EFI program that will manage the boot-loaders-list in nvram? I have a macbookpro2,1, and I've put a new blank hard drive in it, and I don't have os x. I have XP running. Plop boot manager is the only way to boot USB, but it does not have keyboard drivers, so no luck getting a keyboard for using menus on any boot menu. I am out of optical media for the moment. Parted Magic does not have efibootmgr. Also can't use Shell2, which has another command, because the mac's efi is 32 bit. I have heard of nvrboot.efi, but I haven't found it anywhere (supposedly in XP 64 bit and Server 2003, but I couldn't find the file on either). Any other suggestions?

I now have an entry in the context menu to launch xplorer2, which I configured to only have the file panel (no folder tree, etc). Thanks for the help. I don't think there is an MS fix.

Yes, that is true, but I exported the original code from XP registry, and it works there just fine. I am surprised it works without Expand_SZ (EDIT: I looked at the original registry, and it was Expand_SZ. It appears that the program I am using called Mitec Registry Viewer has a flaw, or rather, only exports REGEDIT4 format. Next time I will mount the hive in Regedit!) From what I read, I concluded they were an annoyance as well. Your custom keys didn't work either. Absolutely nothing happens. I am using Windows Embedded Standard 7, but I think it should be the same as Win7. Below are the default registry settings (no modification), in WES7. Please verify if your mod works in Win7! [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore] "ProgrammaticAccessOnly"="" "LaunchExplorerFlags"=dword:00000018 "MultiSelectModel"="Document" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command] "DelegateExecute"="{11dbb47c-a525-400b-9e80-a54615a090c0}" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open] "MultiSelectModel"="Document" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command] @=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\ 00,5c,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,\ 65,00,00,00 "DelegateExecute"="{11dbb47c-a525-400b-9e80-a54615a090c0}" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\opennewprocess] "LaunchExplorerFlags"=dword:00000003 "MUIVerb"="@shell32.dll,-8518" "ExplorerHost"="{ceff45ee-c862-41de-aee2-a022c81eda92}" "Extended"="" "MultiSelectModel"="Document" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\opennewprocess\command] "DelegateExecute"="{11dbb47c-a525-400b-9e80-a54615a090c0}" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\opennewwindow] "OnlyInBrowserWindow"="" "LaunchExplorerFlags"=dword:00000001 "MUIVerb"="@shell32.dll,-8517" "MultiSelectModel"="Document" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\opennewwindow\command] "DelegateExecute"="{11dbb47c-a525-400b-9e80-a54615a090c0}"

In Windows XP, I have three options within the context menu of a Windows Explorer folder: <b>Open</b>, Open, and Explore. <b>Open</b> opens in the current window Open opens a new window without the navigation pane (aka folder tree) Explore opens a new window with the navigation pane I think it has to do with this: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell] [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore] "BrowserFlags"=dword:00000022 "ExplorerFlags"=dword:00000021 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command] @="%SystemRoot%\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L" [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open] "BrowserFlags"=dword:00000010 "ExplorerFlags"=dword:00000012 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command] @="%SystemRoot%\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L" ---> How do you do this in Windows 7?

I am using Carbonite as a real-time backup program, and was hoping to keep VSS disabled on WinXP. This is a file patcher for Windows XP SP2 (and likely SP3) and Windows 7 SP1, that will partially disable file locks. Unfortunately, even with the hack to disable file locks, Carbonite was still locking files while I was trying to work with them. If it had worked, I wouldn't have minded the occasional corrupted file in the versioning backup (in the rare case where Carbonite was reading as a file was being written to). filenolock.zip

Nice. Not what I was looking for, but nice.

Since there doesn't appear to be a registry setting, like in Win9x (see http://www.pctools.com/guides/registry/detail/218/), I was hoping for a cracked version of windows files that have the file locking disabled. I believe this would be kernel32.dll, that contains routines FileLock and FileLockEx. If these routines do nothing when called, then there would be no file locking.

My goal is to experiment in corruption. Exactly. I will backup system files, and watch for changes.

I changed the question: added "system-wide"

Is there a way to disable file locking, system-wide, for windows xp or 7? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_locking I am willing to risk the "interceding update problem"

I was comparing the use of Grub compared to the use of Grub4dos. In both methods, you have to back up something before reinstalling windows. If you are using grub, MBR gets wiped out by windows. If you are using grub4dos, given that you will reformat, you need to back up BCD. Oh, that's right, thanks. So why use grub4dos, when you could just use grub, if reliability is not an issue (given that reformatting the windows partition or resizing partitions is not a hazard)?

Or keep bootmgr as default boot loader, but add grub4dos to \boot\bcd. What is the advantage of using grub4dos instead of using grub? I can back up the MBR (for example with MBRWizard), to restore when the MBR gets overwritten by reinstalling Win7. Likewise I can back up BCD before I format the drive to reinstall Win7. Either step involves a backup. Will Win7 boot ok when the pre-reinstall MBR is restored? The reason I ask is that I think the MBR calls for a *raw* location of bootmgr (not one defined by a file system), and after reinstalling win7, bootmgr may be in a different location. If that's the case, I could see why someone went out of their way to create grub4dos. You would think that be made clear: the reason for the existence of grub4dos, when you go to the grub4dos website.edit: I must have gotten incorrect information somewhere. As the Grub Manual 1.99 states: "One of the important features in GRUB is flexibility; GRUB understands filesystems and kernel executable formats, so you can load an arbitrary operating system the way you like, without recording the physical position of your kernel on the disk. Thus you can load the kernel just by specifying its file name and the drive and partition where the kernel resides. "

Changing the BIOS boot order is the simplest solution and probably what I'm going to go with (assuming the BIOS works as advertised). I do still wish I knew why the chain loading doesn't work. Yes, perhaps grub4dos instead of Microsoft's. For the moment, I am just using one machine, a sony vaio laptop vgn-fz140e, but I intend to use the external drive for installing windows on any computer. Many partitions. I am setting up the system to multi-boot. [C: primary for win7] [ extended [D: profiles & data] [swap] [E: linux mint] ] Same foolish advice given before changing the path

And that error exactly is...?Come on, is it really so hard to provide proper details if you are looking for help, so no mind reading is involved? Ok, I'll do it. " Windows failed to start. A recent hardware or software change might be the cause. To fix the problem: ...(foolish advice given)... File: c:\windows\system32\winload.exe Status: 0xc000000e Info: The selected entry could not be loaded because the application is missing or corrupt. "

The USB external hdd is booting, and chainloading the internal hard drive. If I unplug the USB external hdd, the internal hard drive boots fine. If I leave the external USB hdd plugged, it boots, but then gives an error when chain loading the internal hard drive. I would like it to chain load the internal hard drive successfully!

I changed the path as shown below to include "c:", but still same problem. This is an external usb hdd. It can install Windows ok, but on first reboot I have an error unless I unplug the drive for a few seconds, so that this boot loader is bypassed. All this mess because I don't have the "press any key to boot from cd" message I would have booting from optical media. Windows Boot Manager -------------------- identifier {bootmgr} description Windows Boot Manager locale en-US inherit {globalsettings} default {default} displayorder {default} {7619dcc9-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f} toolsdisplayorder {memdiag} timeout 5 displaybootmenu Yes Windows Boot Loader ------------------- identifier {default} device partition=C: path c:\windows\system32\winload.exe description Windows 7 locale en-US osdevice partition=C: systemroot \Windows Windows Boot Loader ------------------- identifier {7619dcc9-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f} device ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f} path \windows\system32\boot\winload.exe description Windows Setup locale en-US inherit {bootloadersettings} osdevice ramdisk=[boot]\sources\boot.wim,{7619dcc8-fafe-11d9-b411-000476eba25f} systemroot \windows detecthal Yes winpe Yes ems Yes

So you don't have to rebuild autounattend.xml every time***, it's better if you just use a wrapper command, that you copy to windows or system32 (I did it using oem folders in ImgMgr): <path>mycommand.cmd</path>. This is mycommand.cmd, that so far seems to work: FOR %%i IN (C D E F G H I J K L N M O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) DO IF EXIST %%i:\$oem$\UnattendedOOBE.xml SET DVDRoot=%%i REGEDIT /s %DVDRoot%:\$oem$\regtweaks.reg REGEDIT /s %DVDRoot%:\$oem$\services.reg xcopy %DVDRoot%:\$oem$\software\*.* d:\software\ /c /e /q /h /r /y /d xcopy %DVDRoot%:\$oem$\users\default\*.* %userprofile% /c /e /q /h /r /y C:\Windows\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /oobe /generalize /reboot /quiet /unattend:%DVDRoot%:\$oem$\UnattendedOOBE.xml Now I can alter the cmd file only, without having to rebuild my image. Note that I use two %%, not one, for the variable. I don't know what benefit SETX could have... maybe it makes a permanent addition to SET variables, but, I think I'm only going to use the variable during the audit user path, AFAIK. Also, SETX only works for *future* command prompts, not the current one. This response is especially dedicated to all you people that figured it out, and didn't post anything, well, except maybe a comment like: "hey dude, I got it to work using this other command I once used, ha ha, and, like, I'm not going to tell you dude, ha ha." ps. Be careful putting a folder in the windows image, as the builder will ask you if you want to keep it, then you say yes, and it will delete it without going to the recycle bin (as in, F%$K you very much, you're welcome). *** Oops, I guess you could just edit Autounattend.xml directly... nonetheless, I think it's like trying to use cmdlines.txt in WinXP: you don't have the full abilities of a proper cmd window.

Zilexa, did you ever solve this? I am having the same issues. Neither the sysprep reboot, nor the search for the dvd, work for me. The command to find DVDRoot works, but only if I invoke (it does not work from the xml file) marcusj0015, we want all this to happen automatically (aka unattended)

Quote from this post: "I've extracted a Windows hotfix (doesn't matter which one). The extraction contains a .cat file. I'm trying to recreate the .cat file they made to see if it can be reproduced. Thus I rename the original to something else. I also got the "makecat" and "signtool" from win2k3_r2_SDK software. (I had to install about 1 gig of software just to get these two files that are around 50k combined and then delete the SDK). Here are the steps that I did. 1). created my own ".cdf" file which includes the files I think they included. In my case two, the ".inf" and ".ver" filenames that got extracted with the relative dir path as ".\". I didn't specify any of the optional things in the ".cdf". 2). Although I used my own tag names, it looks like the long hexidecimal number in the orginal .cat file after opening it, may be the md5 number of the file entered as the tag name in the ".cdf". 3). So far each tag/file seems to get a thumbprint and thumbprint algorithm that matches the original. 4). Next to sign it, I go to the "general" tab for the security catalog that I opened and select view signature. I then select under this "general" tab "view certifcate" which displays the "Windows Component publisher" certificate. And on this screen, I select "install certificate" which runs a wizard and I let it select the certificate store to use. I then go to the internet browser options selection, content tab and search around the various certificate stores for the one that matches mine and the expire date code. I then export it to a ".cer" file using either x.509 or the "DER"(?) one and name the file ".cer". I then run the "signtool signwizard /v" option and open the ".cer" file that contains the certificate I recently created. However, it then wants a "private key" which I don't have. Is there anyway around this so that I can sign the ".cat" file I'm using with the certificate MSoft used to create theirs? If I should get this working. I will open the ".cat" file and compare all the data to the original one to know if I reproduced theirs. So in the end, the digital signatures/keys should be an exact match to the original. Upon doing all this, I can modify the inf files and and repeat the process to create a .cat file to create my own customized MSoft certified hotfix. " -- So, I would like the same thing. To make a microsoft signed "component"