splendid

I made an unattended XP Home OEM (SP2) CD slipstreamed with MS Windows media Player 10 and critical updates. However, in the middle of installation of Win Media Player, a message appeared saying that the System Restore had been turned off and I had to press OK button to continue beating the purpose of the unattended installation. The switch I used for Win Media Player was “/q”. How do I bypass the message? Also the critical updates do not show in Add or Removal Programs in Control Panel. I know they were installed because subsequent Windows Update did not list them. Your help on these matters will be appreciated.

Sounds like RAM problem. Replace the RAM (if you have only one), or take out one at a time to find the culprit (if you have more than one).

1. Run CHKDSK /R from Recovery Console 2. If this does not work, Refer to MS KB Article 307545 or http://tinyurl.com/7ptt

What about installing updates in a current Windows XP that does not have updates?

I'd like to get information (or instruction) on how to ctreate a batch file to install MS critical updates. Let's say I downloaded all MS updates in a folder. What options do I have to install all of the updates at once without rebooting the computer?

1. Forgot to install chipset (IDE) driver. 2. Spyware 3. HD is crashing. 4. memory leak

Thanks to XtremeMaC, I finally resolved the problem. When I connected the USB 2.0 External HD, Device Manager listed it as USB Storage Device with a yellow question mark. I let Windows find the driver. I then clicked on View Hidden Devices and saw a yellow question mark on Unknown Device. I let Windows find the driver and it did. Now I can delete, create a partition and format the HD without any problem. Thanks guys.

XtremeMaC, I will try your suggestion. IcemanND, it is basic not dynamic.

The Maxtor HD is fine. When I connect it directly, I can partition and format it.

I can add a driver letter but i cannot format. When I reboot, the driver letter disappears.

Sorry about a typo. USB Enclosure shoud be ST-2312B2.

The USB2.0 External HD was working fine until SP2 was installed. In device manager, there was a yellow question mark on USB device. I let Windows update the driver and the yellow mark disappeared. Now the drive letter is gone. I deleted the partition. I could partition it only after I rebooted. And still no drive letter. I could not format (NTFS) the HD. I tried the device on another computer with SP2 with the same problem. I tried it on a computer with SP1 and it worked fine. I did BIOS flash. It got Via chipset 4-in-1 V5.1 installed. Windows update was performed. Tried USB2.0 driver from Constar. Any idea or recommendation? USB Enclosure: Constar ST-2322B2 HD: Maxtor 120GB CPU: AMD64 3000+ RAM: PC3200 512MB MB: MSI K8T Neo-Fis2r Video: EVGA GF-FX5500 256MB Windows: XP Home OEM

No. OEM, Retail, Upgrade, and Corp Product Keys do not mix. If he has an OEM Product Key, you have to install unattended OEM. You can make a slipstreamed OEM (with Service Pack and hotfixes) with YOUR Product Key and install Windows XP. After the installation is done, run "Sysprep -reseal".

As for your intention, you can make a complete unattended installation with appropriate Product Key and at the end, run "Sysprep -reseal". This will reset the Product Key and others. When your friend turns the computer on, he must put his Product Key.

Corp is for volume license and does not require Activation.

Typically OEM is for a computer without any Windows in it. For Windows XP, Pro OEM can be upgraded from Home OEM. Pro OEM cannot be upgraded from Win 2K, 98(SE), or ME. Pro Retail can be upgraded from Home, Win2K, 98(SE), and ME.

There's another possibility if the CD is a copy or slipstreamed one. The file might have been corrupted or damaged while being burnt.

You do have a problem. I think it is the best practice to take of the problem now because the cause is due to hardware. It could be due to 1. CD: The CD might have been damaged. Check for scratch or other visual damage. You may try with another CD if you have one. 2. CD-ROM: Try with another CD-ROM. 3. RAM: Ram is the most common culprit if a file could not be copied during installation process. 4. CPU: 5. Motherboard:

I would consider doing the following 1. BIOS flash 2. make sure the CPU fan is installed correctly. I have seen the CPU fan being installed backward showed the sysmptom you described.

If I understand correctly, the RunOnceEx executes at T12 minute not at the end of Windows installation. http://unattended.msfn.org/xp/runonceex.htm

I created a batch file “Sysprep.cmd” and put it in “$OEM$\$$\sysprep” folder. My winnt.sif has [GuiRunOnce] %Systemdrive\Sysprep\Sysprep.cmd Sysprep.cmd contains Sysprep –factory –quiet When I installed Windows, the batch file ran at T12 minute and gave an error message “Invalid combination of parameters” I used Sysprep without any switch and got the same message. Any suggestion or recommendation?

Where do I put that batch file or RunOnceEx?

I run Sysprep after an unattended Windows XP installation. Can Sysprep be automated?

How do I make "My Computer" icon and "Show Quick Launch" automatically enabled?

;SetupMgrTag [Data] AutoPartition=1 MsDosInitiated="0" UnattendedInstall="Yes" [unattended] UnattendMode=FullUnattended OemSkipEula=Yes OemPreinstall=No TargetPath=\WINNT Repartition=Yes UnattendSwitch=Yes [GuiUnattended] AdminPassword=* OEMSkipRegional=1 TimeZone=4 OemSkipWelcome=1 [userData] FullName="Happy Customer" OrgName="Good Company" ComputerName=Default ProductID="xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx" [Display] BitsPerPel=16 Xresolution=800 YResolution=600 [identification] JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP [Networking] InstallDefaultComponents=Yes [TapiLocation] AreaCode=800