[How change workgroup membership unattended]

Hi:

How do I programmatically join a different workgroup than the default workgroup WORKGROUP? That is, replicate the GUI actions of System Properties | Computer Name | Workgroup Change (to rename this computer or join a domain) | Member of Workgroup | WORKGROUP --> <my workgroupname>. Winnt.sif handles this properly provided that there are no NIC problems, but seems to choke at joining the specified workgroup for NIC devices that are being added in the install process.

Failing a way to fix this properly with winnt.sif (it may be due to NIC driver problems), I want to patch it up at the end of the unattended install.

Thanks in advance for your help.

-- Roy Zider

[What is /w switch in 'cmd /w' for DosBox]

I don't know what my "way of thinking" has anything to do with this. It's just the way it is, and there are other implementations that seem to do it better. I this particular case, with this particular registry key, the /k switch is either ignored or is irrelevant.

-- Roy Zider

[What is /w switch in 'cmd /w' for DosBox]

Sorry but the /k switch is needed.

Yes, contrary to popular belief, the window will stay open; but the command will fail.

What you'll actually get is the parent of the directory you right-clicked on not the directory itself!

Interesting, but it turns out you are sort of half-right. Selecting a specific folder on the right pane, you get the parent as you note. But selecting the parent folder on the directory/folder tree on the left pane you get the correct folder view. Adding the /k switch doesn't change this behavior, on my system.

There are several implentations of command prompt here floating around. This one seems to be a little less useful than the others, because of this anomalous behavior.

-- Roy Zider

[Symantec Norton Ghost 8.0 2003 Corporate install]

Here are the switches for automatic installation of Symantec Ghost 8.0 Corporate version. (aka Norton Ghost 2003 and Symantec Norton Ghost 2003). This is the corporate version, which does not require a CD key.

-- Roy Zider

Used for install:

setup /v"/qb /l* logfile.txt"

Used for uninstall:

setup /x /v/qb

See also :

Switches for Microsoft Installer

http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/sunse...lg=en&ct=us

Note that the documentation is for versions earlier than 8.0, and has some minor errors. In addition, the /v switch allows no spaces before the command line string which must follow immediately (e.g., /v /qb not allowed).

[What is /w switch in 'cmd /w' for DosBox]

Did not know if it was an error or not. But afaik, it needs no switch at all to operate, at least on XP SP2 systems I'm running.

[What is /w switch in 'cmd /w' for DosBox]

Hi:

Anybody know what the purpose or effect of the '/w' switch is in [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\DOSBox\command]

@="CMD /w cd \"%1\""

It's not listed as a command-line switch for the Windows XP version of cmd.exe, and I can't see any difference in behavior from simply omitting it.

Thanks.

N.B. The DoxBox registry tweak is presented in "DOSBox in drive and directory context menu" at http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/v...cfd85aec3658b9/

[How automate network printer logon?]

I'll assume the print server \\MPX is in a workgroup and that the printer is shared from there since it seems to be causing all this trouble. You need to connect/authenticate to \\MPX with an account on \\MPX not an account on one of your local systems.

Correct. I've used net use \\mpx\hplaserj /user:administrator <password> and it logs onto the resource OK (I assume -- it doesn't object).

So if you had an account, say MPX\2Print (it doesn't have to be an adminstrator account), then just add an entry to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run with your net use command to \\MPX\ipc$, or just the printer \\MPX\HPLaserJ (e.g. net use \\MPX\ipc$ /user:MPX\2Print <password>). That should run at every boot and establish a connection to the print server.

The problem here for me arises in the context of an unattended install. I've just gotten the NIC drives installed, but the winnt.sif isn't executing the networking directives. So I wanted to force group membership change from WORKGROUP to FUBARINSFO (the local workgroup) The details of all this unattended install are too complicated for this post. I just wanted to know the net use/view commands to log onto the local workgroup and onto the server. If you have a resource that I could review that would be helpful. I don't want to drag you through all the details of tutoring me on this subject.

Even after this when I try 'net view' I get a 'system error 6118' 'The list of servers for this workgroup is not currently available'. This is a pretty expected result, I would think -- it's just that at this stage I don't know how to go about fixing it.

If MPX is actually a server I'd recommend setting up a domain, tasks like this are so much easier with a common group of accounts and if you're tackling unattended installs it's not that far of a stretch and would make some of those tasks easier also.

Yes, that I will do eventually. I'm migrating over to a full server, but want to understand the workgroup lowlevel interactions first - which I'm obviously having trouble doing.

Thank you for your time.

[How use devcon.exe to install driver with detachedprogram?]

Hi:

I'm working on a boot from floppy with normal Windows XP CD (not custom CD) unattended install. I'm trying to install motherboard NIC drivers as early as possible in the uninstall sequence -- at [GUIUnattended] using detachedprogram. But it appears that while setup picks up the .cmd file, it doesn't appear to execute the commands within it: specifically the devcon.exe installation of the drivers, and the echo to diskette that I'm using to confirm entry and exit from the .cmd file. I don't get any detached.log file at all, whereas I am able to get .log files at later stages of the setup.

The general problem is installing NIC drivers for which Windows XP has no default. The file contents are shown below. Thank you for your help.

-- Roy Zider

winnt.sif:

----------

[GuiUnattended]

detachedprogram = "%systemroot%\system32\cmd.exe"

arguments = "/c a:\detached.cmd"

detached.cmd:

-----------------

echo entering %0 >a:\detached.log

start /wait A:\devcon1 update A:\DRIVERS\NIC\nvenetxp.inf "PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0066"

start /wait net use \\MPX\HPLaserJ /user:Administrator <password>

net view >>a:\detached.log

net view \\mpx >>a:\detached.log

echo exiting %0 >>a:\detached.log

[How automate network printer logon?]

That's pretty advanced for me, and for what I'm trying to do. This is an unattended install, so any interaction is what I'm trying to avoid.

At the moment, even though the "net use" command shows the \\MPX\HPLaserJ printer on the server, I still can't connect to it in the GUI with the Add Printer dialog box because the net use \\MPX\ipc$ command didn't connect me to the workgroup.

Still working through this problem, which is actually becoming more diffuse rather than more clear. It would help if there were some scripts around that ran through diagnostic tests to establish/eliminate some of these problems. The descriptions I've read so far are not very helpful.

[How automate network printer logon?]

It is prompting you because you are trying to connect to a network printer before your computer is logged into the network. You might be able to get around it by using a runas or net use command as suggested. When you are installing the printer you are a local admin. You then add the printer but it needs credentials to access it.

Yes, I realize that. The simple net use example I posted earlier seems to handle this logon in one command line, but I need to experiment with this some more.

Do you happen to actually have a 'net use' set of commands that will accomplish this logon to network and add printer? Otherwise I'll use the earlier post logging onto ipc$ etc.

[How automate network printer logon?]

I've been working with a simple command, which when the workstation is connected to the workgroup does connect me to the network printer:

start /wait net use \\MPX\HPLaserJ /user:Administrator <password>

This is an unattended install, and what has been the problem is that Windows XP has no default driver for the Nvidia motherboard Ethernet controller I'm probing for the right place to install the NIC drivers with devcon.exe in the winnt.sif, but haven't found it just yet. I'm thinking that if I can get the NIC drivers picked up early enough, the pnp enumeration will have the drivers to work with when it hits the hardware id of the controller chip. At the moment it just installs a null driver because it finds no compatible drivers to load.

Your suggestion of net use \\server\ipc$ /user:domain\user password may be necessary in any case, if the winnt.sif isn't handling the workgroup logon properly.

[How automate network printer logon?]

Are you connecting directly to the printer or a print server queue?

No, it's a network printer I'm trying to connect to.

[How to add network NIC drivers to floppy?]

Hi:

How do I add LAN NIC adapter drivers to an unattended floppy on setup with Windows XP? I need the driver so that the motherboard embedded NIC is recognized during setup, enabling network access and remote printer install.

I'm not (at this time) trying to integrate anyting into a boot CD. I'm using the regular Windows XP Professional CD, with a floppy containing the winnt.sif file.

From the posts I've read, this problem has been unresolved. Adding a A:\$OEM$ directory structure did not work according to what I've come across. (I have not tried this yet myself).

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer with this problem.

-- Roy Zider

[How automate network printer logon?]

Hi:

For some reason this simple task has eluded me. Toward the end of the unattended install (from boot CD), the now-installed network printer has a dialog box asking for the user name and password to access the printer. There's nothing (that I saw) in setupmgr.exe that handles this, and printui.dll doesn't have an option to provide this (that I saw). I suppose I have to invoke 'net use' <something> to get this done.

Any help with this would be appreciated.

-- Roy Zider

[Can't override default Promise ultra.sys driver]

Hi:

I'm working on an unattended install of Promise Ultra100TX2 drivers in a boot CD install. The problem at the moment is that Windows setup is selecting the older default ultra.sys from drivers.cab as the best compatible driver, rather than the newer ultra.sys I'm trying to install. The rank of the older driver is -x00000003, the rank of the newer driver is 0x00002001, dates are 7/1/2001 and 8/22/2002 bzw. The newer driver is WHQL signed (as the rank shows).

It appears that setup is selecting the older driver based on the lower identifer score (signature scores are identical = 0), but is matching the older driver as device hardware ID matched the hardware ID in the INF Models section, whereas the newer driver is a device compatible ID matched the hardware ID (a less exact match), therefore in the range 0x2000-0x2FFF. I'm thinking the default inf has got some sort of idenfifier that makes it the lowest whatever it's presented with, so that it is virtually assured of beating any newer driver that tries to be installed.

Any light anybody can throw on this problem would be greatly appreciated.

-- Roy Zider