sdub

That was it! Thank you so much for your help. This has been driving me crazy for about three weeks now. I used the following reg file to streamline the set up. It should be noted that this needs to be part of the Windows PE environment before the diskpart is run. Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 ;Settings for Windows XP, 2000 and 2003 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\vds\Alignment] @="Alignment Settings in Bytes" "Between4_8GB"=dword:00000000 "Between8_32GB"=dword:00000000 "GreaterThan32GB"=dword:00000000 "LessThan4GB"=dword:00000000

The reboot is actually a blue screen that reads UNMOUNTABLE_BOOT_DEVICE message. Could it be the diskpart routine that I'm running? This is what I'm using to prepare the drive: select disk 0 clean create part pri select part 1 active assign letter=c: format fs=ntfs label="CDRIVE" quick exit

Has the version and process in the guide been tested with any mass storage or other oem pnp drivers? I have found the wim image to consistently fail after running through the sysprep mini-setup wizard when either of these exists in the sysprep.inf. However, the same image works fine when using Ghost. Also, when using ImageX and not including the mass storage or oem pnp drivers in the sysprep.inf, the image boots correctly. Could this be a case where we need to modify the exclusion list? I'm going to try to not exclude any files and see what happens. Not sure what other implications this may have....

Well I'm glad I'm not crazy! It seems like any time I designate any MSD or OEM PNP drivers it will cause a BSOD when using WIM, even though Ghost works fine. I have been creating dozens of images with different nuances to try and isolate the cause. So far no luck. I am using a very plain build at this point. The WAIK I have is based on vista_6000.16386.061101-2205-LRMAIK_EN.img. Where can I get the latest version? Looking forward to seeing the new guide on ImageX.

Well it looks like the problem is limited to when I use ImageX to create the image. When I use Ghost, the system boots fine, but with ImageX it blue screens. When I use a very generic sysprep.inf the ImageX process does work properly. However, when I start including MSDs it bombs. I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board with my drivers if I want to use ImageX. It's somewhat frustrating because I was hoping the transition away from Ghost would be simple, but it appears that will not be the case.

Yeah, that pretty much leaves the mass storage drivers section. Well, it's not the mass storage drivers. I pulled them out of sysprep and it still does the same thing. System boots when I boot the original drive, but when I apply the WIM it won't boot after the mini-setup wizard runs. I am using the exact process that IcemanND layed out in his guide for the WIM portion. Any help would be much appreciated! sysprep.exe -quiet -reseal -mini Winnt.sif [Branding] BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes [Components] freecell = Off hearts = Off minesweeper = Off pinball = Off solitaire = Off spider = Off zonegames = Off Msnexplr = Off ;MSN Explorer OEAccess = Off ;Install visible entry points to Outlook Express. WMAccess = Off ;install visible entry points to Windows Messenger. WMPOCM = Off ;install visible entry points to Windows Media Player. WBEMSNMP = On ;WMI SNMP Provider [Data] ; AutoPartition=1 MsDosInitiated=0 UnattendedInstall=Yes AutomaticUpdates = 1 UseBIOSToBoot = 1 [Display] BitsPerPel=32 Xresolution=1024 YResolution=768 Vrefresh=60 [GuiUnattended] OemSkipWelcome=1 AdminPassword=* OEMSkipRegional=1 TimeZone=4 AutoLogon=Yes [Identification] JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP [Networking] InstallDefaultComponents=Yes [Proxy] Proxy_Enable=0 Use_Same_Proxy=1 [RegionalSettings] LanguageGroup=1 Language=00000409 [Shell] DefaultStartPanelOff = Yes [Unattended] Repartition=Yes OemPreinstall = Yes UnattendMode=FullUnattended OemSkipEula=Yes TargetPath=\WINDOWS NTUgrade=No UnattendSwitch = Yes WaitForReboot=No [URL] Home_Page=***** [UserData] ProductKey=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX FullName="****" OrgName="***" ComputerName=* Sysprep.inf [Display] BitsPerPel = 16 Vrefresh = 75 Xresolution = 1024 Yresolution = 768 [GuiRunOnce] "c:\windows\bldmenu.exe" [GuiUnattended] AdminPassword = * AutoLogon = Yes OEMSkipRegional = 1 OEMSkipWelcome = 1 TimeZone = 004 [Identification] JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP [Networking] InstallDefaultComponents=Yes [RegionalSettings] Language = 0409 [Sysprep] BuildMassStorageSection = Yes [SysprepMassStorage] [TapiLocation] AreaCode = 916 CountryCode = 1 Dialing = Tone LongDistanceAccess = 9 [UserData] ComputerName = * FullName = "****" OrgName = "***" ProductKey = XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX [Unattended] ExtendOemPartition = 1 InstallFilesPath = C:\i386 KeepPageFile = 1 OEMSkipEula = Yes ResetSourcePath = C:\i386 ;TapiConfigured = Yes UpdateInstalledDrivers = Yes

And if you're wondering why I'm doing this, I am testing the imagex process for building xp images across an enterprise. We're currently using Ghost quite successfully and I would like to make this transition.

I captured the image by booting to Windows PE on a flash drive. Then I ran ImageX to capture the image to the flash drive. So now I have a wim file sitting on a flash drive, and the original is still on the hard drive. I reboot to the hard drive, and everything loads wonderully. I then apply the wim file back the hard drive, and it has issues. I have been through the same process about 10 times, on two different boxes and I keep encountering the same thing. I'm assuming I have an issue with the mass storage drivers right now. I am going to try and pull them out of my sysprep.inf and see what happens. I should note that I captured the image without running sysprep and it reloaded fine which indicates that the wim transfer process is sound.

I am using the exact same machine for both the build and the testing. I built the system, did some basic configuration, then ran sysprep. I booted to PE and captured the wim file. Then I rebooted the system. That wim file should mirror what is currently on the hard drive. The system boots fine and works great. Then I go back to PE, wipe the disk with diskpart, and load the wim file. The system boots to the mini-setup wizard, goes through fine, but then it won't load windows. It just keeps rebooting and coming up prompting to load safe mode. Even when I go to safe mode it does the same thing.

It actually goes through the mini-setup wizard okay. After that that it just keeps rebooting.

It will not even boot to safe mode. It goes through and loads all the drivers and then just stops and reboots. It's so bizarre because the "source" image that I captured the wim file from loads just fine. I have been able to duplicate this issue on multiple systems and with different load processes. In one I am using a sysprep.inf with several mass storage drivers. Another one I am using the evaluation version of UIU. Same results either way. I did add extra drivers and I did use a modified XP CD. However, the fact that the source image works tends to point to the imagex process as being the issue. I'm going to try doing this with just an out of the box XP SP2 build with no sysprep and see if the same thing happens...

Reboots over and over after image is loaded to hard drive. This is a great process and I really appreciate that you have put it together. I'm having a problem where the workstation continuously reboots after the image is loaded. I know I don't have a sysprep issue because after I first captured the image, I rebooted and it came up perfectly. Now when I try to reload the wim file on the same system, it just keeps rebooting. Has anyone else seen anything like this? S dub