InTheWayBoy

Well I was gonna stay out, but here I am again... I think the thing that seperates us is the way we look at what consitutes "different" See, to me and many other people here, BartPE is different than WinPE because it is seperate code. While they may try to parallel certain things that came before them, they do so using their own tools...in this case that's code. You seem to equate the fact that since BartPE builds off features of another product that it is then the same as that product. I can see your theory, in that without WinPE the features required from WinXP would not exist...thus resulting in BartPE not working as it currently does. But if we continue to use that analogy, re-enforced by: Then you throw everything into chaos...well as far as I know unix has been out for ages, and since windows is effectively unix (An operating system), then windows is unix? Maybe that's not such a good example... But this is...Netscape VS. Internet Explorer! So both run on Windows...a piece of software that can be manipulated into doing different things. A group releases Netscape, a piece of software that does various things like send and recieve info and display text and graphics. It does all this without requiring any modification to the OS other than what is typical of most applications. Now M$ decides to join the party. They take a look at Netscape and basically copy it's most popular features...partly because they are the only features. But, just to be nice and to try and gain market share they add extra features. Now they may have tried to copy the interface and other features, but they did so using their own code. And then they added even more code to it that the other product doesn't have. Now are you telling me then that since both of these programs use pre-existing functions of another application in similar ways that they are the same product? And just to clarify what I mean by that: both examples (Netscape and IE) use pre-existing functions (The ability to see graphics, use a mouse, etc) of another application (Windows) in similar ways (They both process internet data). Do you see where, while you may not be wrong, most people don't agree with your logic? True, they are both web browsers, but they aren't the same product. True one may be copying anothers functions, but they do so using original techniques. One may not have been born if the other hadn't come out first...but if that held true then we are all driving Fords since they came out first. The previous poster pointed out a very key thing, that originally BartPE was not legit. It did make use of code owned by M$, and required illegal usage of M$ files. But now they have worked around all those issues, and the only thing left are the licensing issues we discussed earlier. Which shows that even M$ knows that it's not technically the same program anymore...since they haven't done anything extreme yet. And the more I think about it, since the features like MiniNT are built-in to Window XP and not WinPE, then BartPE is even further removed from WinPE. At that point, even though those features might have been implimented for WinPE, both of the programs are accessing a feature of another program. And since that other program (WinXP) doesn't have any specific licensing issue with usage of that nature, then I don't even see where there is that problem anymore...other than running both a local copy and a BartPE from one license...that's still bad.

I don't know if that would really work on a server system...I think I might have to try that when I get to work. There are a few ways to get around this...one is free, the other costs $$$. The free version is here: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ And the amazing ERD 2005 is here: http://www.winternals.com/Products/ERDCommander/ ERD 2005 is the best money you'll ever spend if you fix computers for a living...and a waste of money if you don't. Please note that both of these tools actually reset the password...they won't tell you what it is. I've never used this one: http://www.loginrecovery.com/ But it claims to tell you the password. Good luck!

You might have an I386 dir either in the root of your C: or inside your windows directory...in the I386 should be all the source files used to install windows. I say might and should because many OEM's like to do things differently resulting in situations where these tactics don't work. A WinXP install disc is basically that I386 folder, plus a few necessary files to support the booting and launching of setup...so if you can create the correct structure around the I386 folder you have on the HD, then you can burn that to a CD and try reloading. First I would make a new folder, lets call it XPCD. Next copy the I386 directory into that folder...when it's finished you should have a folder called XPCD with nothing in it other than the I386 folder you just copied. Next, you'll need to download the correct support files...I'm sure there is a more specific name, but we'll just stick with that for now. This step varies depending on what service pack the source files are. This isn't necessarily the same as what service pack the machine is currently running...you could be running SP2, but your source was SP1. But don't worry too much about that. As long as you include all the files for the various service packs (0, 1, and 2) and versions (Home and Pro) then you'll be alright. Lucky for you someone made a nice little download that contains all of them: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?s=&sho...ndpost&p=156691 Alanoll is good people. Download that and extract it to the root of your XPCD folder...so now you should have a bunch of files in the C:\XPCD folder along with the I386 folder. The last part of the puzzle is the boot loader. This is a file that specifically calls the setup process when you boot from a CD. It also gives you that nice "Press any key to boot from CD..." option. Since you don't have an original install disc to pull this from, you'll need to download this as well. You can download it here: http://www.msfn.org/uploads/files/boot.zip I tend to extract it to the root of the XPCD folder, but in truth it can be almost anywhere. It's just one file...boot.bin and it's only 2K. Now that you have the source files, the support files, and the boot loader you are ready to burn! You can go at this several ways. Some like to burn straight to a CD, I like to make an ISO file first...and then burn. Even though it's an extra step now, it saves a ton of time later when you need to make a new copy. Here's a way to do it going straight to CD using Nero: http://www.msfn.org/articles.php?action=show&id=22 Here's a way to do it using CDIMAGE, which will create an ISO image: http://unattended.msfn.org/global/cdimage.htm NOTE: There is a process called slipstreaming that I intentionally left out. It's a process that updates the sources files to a newer version. So if your source is SP1, you can slipstream SP2 changes into the source. The end result is an install that starts at SP2 instead of SP1. Seeing as you look pressed for time, I figure you don't really wanna put too much time into this. You can do it manually or by using a program. If you want to know more, look here: http://unattended.msfn.org/beginner/slipstream.htm Now others will tell you to just use nlite, and I agree in some cases. It's a great application that can do almost all of this plus much more. Problem is, if it's not used properly (And believe me, that's easy), then your CD may not work. Or, even worse...it may work and install windows, but only then after wasting an hour or two do you find out the installed windows isn't right. So I suggest you learn to do it manually first, and then you can jump up to an automated program. Sounds backwards but it's easier to understand the tools better when you actually know what they are doing Also, as you'll notice a bunch of the links point to this: http://unattended.msfn.org Even though it goes beyond the scope of your problem, it's a great document to read and keep handy. Good luck!

At this point it sounds like the accounts have already been removed...now all that is left is the folders. You can delete these folders if you don't need anything from them. If you don't know already, the user folders contain the profile that is loaded when you logon to an account. That includes both personal files (My Docs, Favorites, Outlook, etc) and system files (settings, cookies, temp files, etc.). So before you delete the folders, make sure you get all the info from it first! But in truth, if the user account is dead (Removed from Control Panel) then those folders aren't accessed anymore by windows...now, if there is some spyware/virus hiding in one of those folders then that's a different story. Each user's personal settings, including the HKCU registry, are stored in the folder and not loaded unless the user logs on. Now if the user changed anything to the 'universal' HKLM, then there is no way to undo a specific users changes...at least none that I know of. You say you are running into uninstall errors...I saw that quite a bit when I was a spyhunter. A lot of the apps that clean systems have a bad habit of removing files they shouldn't. For instance, many have a feature that removes all log files...thus when an uninstall needs to access a log file it isn't there. So it's not really a problem of users, but more of how things have been handled. And don't discount the fact that many uninstallers just plain don't work...sad fact. If you are at this state of the repair, I would seriously look into a reload...when you add up all the time needed to fix the remaining problems you've probably wasted more time than a backup + reload. I know you don't have his CD, but if you have the CDKey (Should be on a sticker somewhere on the unit) then you can try methods. If there is an I386 directory on the unit, then you can most likely rebuild a new CD. Or, you can try a CD of a similar OS...so if he has XPHome then try another XPHome. Be warned, I wouldn't try a Dell XP CD on an HP computer. That's just an example, but many OEM's customize their CD's to the point where it could cause problems on different machines. And if you can't delete a folder, then the user may have 'secured' it...depending on the OS you can get around this very easily. If it's XP Pro, you can become the 'owner' of the folder, at which point you can delete it. If you are on XP Home I don't know how you do that since it doesn't have the NTFS File Permissions tab. Another way, and one you should look into for other uses, is some kinda bootable CD...In particular one that boots to a GUI and gives you NTFS access. There are a few options, but the best by far is BartPE. With this you can boot off a CD into a GUI and run various programs...you can even run SpyBot from it! It's not all that simple, as each program you add on needs to be correctly setup, but it's well worth it. Once you have a BartPE CD, then you can run a file manager (A43 is included by default) and delete the folders that way. This is also a very effective way to remove those last bits of spyware that you just can't remove from a running copy of windows...good luck!

Well, after a little investigating I am sad to say this doesn't look like a winner...seems to require a higher version of VMWare than I have. Oh well, it does give me some ideas...

This looks promising: http://www.run-virtual.com/?page_id=55 I could setup a server to host this, and then you can pick and choose which VM you want. I haven't tested this yet, so it coule be complete crap...but hey, it looks cool! VM-On-Demand As for the VMX GUI, I have some ideas to clone the VMWare setup mini-app...but that will only happen if I get enough time to attack it.

Yeah but that would only work if the drive was USB...and IDE drive doesn't get that function. Long story short: IDE = NO HOT SWAPPING! You can with SATA, but even that I question...

As can I...wonder if I checked before the DNS was updated.

There was a site called blackviper.com that had this list, but recently it's been AWOL...here's a backup of the list: http://majorgeeks.com/page.php?id=12 Enjoy!

big poppa pump beat me to it...CBin is easy, fast, and does what you need. Just run the program, then select all the files you want to compress...drag them to the application and let go...all compressed files are put next to the original files.

Well I'm not getting anyresponse from: acharrow.org.uk or www.acharrow.org.uk And the IP you had beside it: 192.168.155.1 Is an internal IP address...I don't know if that is an issue, but it might be. Also, where is this hosted? It sounds like it's on one of your units... As I understand it a NS should have a entry for your domain name that equals the IP address...if this entry is pointing to 192.168.155.1 then that's your problem. If it's pointing to the correct IP address, then your next area to look at would be the webserver it's hosted on. Is it blocked? Is there more than one site, and if so do the others work? I could be in the wrong on most of this, but that IP is just standing out...

As the previous poster suggested, I use the PXE boot screen to get the GUID of my computers. If you boot to PXE there is a short period where the unit will display various info...MAC, IP, and GUID just to name a few. You can copy it down there. Also, if you don't have a GUID, then it's the MAC Address with enough 0's to fill it out. So if you MAC is: 00 11 22 33 44 55 The you GUID is: 00000000000000000000001122334455 I don't know how many leading 0's you have to add...I think it's 20...but the part where you enter in the GUID should respond when get to the correct amount. When you get the GUID, you need to create a new computer to go with it. Open Active Directory Users and Computers, and then create a new computer in the appropriate OU...the first screen will ask for a name, then next screen will ask if this is a managed computer...put a tick in the box and enter in the GUID in the text box. You'll notice once you tick the box that the "Next" button becomes gray...it will stay that way until you properly enter in a GUID. If you miss a letter then it won't let you continue until you fix the problem. Once it's in line, the "Okay" button will become clickable, and you can finish creating the new computer.

Yeah, no kidding... I've heard of ISA, but never really thought much about it. Would a situation like that require a server at the other location? I'm trying to find the best way to not have to have a server at the remote site. Looks like I have three, maybe four choices: 1. Firewall-to-Firewall (PIX, SonicWALL, etc) 2. ISA (Software) 3. ISP VPN (They handle it all) 4. Linux That third one is kinda new, as I didn't think they offered it. Anyone have any experience with this kinda VPN? On one hand I tend to think since it's done at the ISP it should be faster...but on the other hand this is USLEC we're talking about and generally I find them to not be so bright. And the linux solution is neat, but not very reliable as I'm sure it'll take me forever to get all the kinks ironed out. Thanx again!

I like that DFS idea...hadn't really seen a use for it yet, so I don't know much. But essentially anything in the DFS share I create would (Over time) replicate to other servers that have been configured to use that same DFS share right? That's pretty smooth... But then bandwidth comes into play...we have a full T1 at the main office, and a 3/4 T1 at the other office. I would think that the DFS would be smart enough to only transfer changed files, but still...it's only as fast as the slowest. As far as you know, is there a way to limit the bandwidth used while it's syncing, as I don't want it to suck the whole connection up. So the PIX can handle the site-to-site and DHCP. I understand the route thing more now, so I'm gonna try leaving the PIX to handle the DHCP. When you say more than 25 VPN connections, that's not counting the site-to-site is it? For instance, if I have ten computers at the other site, does that only give me 15 VPN's letf? I know some of these questions are better asked at a sales rep, but I don't trust them as far as I can throw em. I really appreciate all the info, you really know your sh*t! And just to confirm, I should be able to have both the site-to-site, plus additional VPN clients (Laptops, users home machines, etc) as long as it's configured correctly? We don't have much data, most of it is documents and such...but we will have some programs we need to share. I still need to get them under the domain for security reasons (HIPPA), but now I'm wondering what would be the best way to share the apps. I was originally thinking after this VPN is setup to just run the software on the remote site, but have it pull the info from the server in our office. Now I can see where bandwidth issues come into play, and I'm wondering if something like Terminal Services would better handle the data...any opinion on that? Most of it is silly, proprietary payrool crap, so I don't think they've made it very friendly to situations such as this. I can see where with the way they store files it would bog the link down...with a terminal server it should be faster, since it's pulling the data locally but showing it remotely right?

Okay, so I get two of something like these: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/vpn...2030/index.html And configure them to communicate between the two. That establishs the VPN, and it's always connected...so on the clients I wouldn't have to configure anything then right? DHCP will travel over? And what would be a good description of this kinda item. For instance, if I want to see what NetGear or D-Link offer, what feature should I look for. Cause it seems like a lot say they support VPN, but turns out it's only via software clients or something. And it sounds like if I do something like that, then I can't (easily) have other single unit VPN connections? Or is it just so hard to handle that it's not worth attempting... I've seen RRAS, but have never used it. I'll read up on it and see what's what. And thanx Oh, and would this be a good price: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/se...CMP=OTC-FROOGLE Not that I would buy from them, I hear they are the worst. $1800 for two...at that price I might as well go with another server. I'll still look into it though, seems like it could be handy!

Sounds like you might not be using the right boot loader... When you make a CD, you include a boot loader. This is usually the file that throws up that "Press Any Key To Boot From CD..." message. So you hit the key to start setup...and after the file copy is done the computer reboots. Now after the first reboot if you hit a key you will start the setup process...resulting in something like you are explaining. So it sounds like you don't even get the the message, meaning the loader isn't working properly...or may not be there at all. So when you get done with your first boot, instead of rebooting into the GUI mode it's automatically rebooting into the text setup because there is no chance to NOT boot from the CD. Sounds like a headache, but it's not that hard. You could rip the boot loader from the original CD, or you can download it. I usually use the one that comes with nliteos. If that's not the case, then I don't know what to tell ya...good luck!

Okay, so I've finally got my domain all nice and pretty...so it's time to mess it up again Currently I have a single domain controller running AD, DHCP, DNS, WINS, and RIS...and it's our file and print server. I would like to get another server, but since I just barely got this server I don't think that will happen anytime soon. Now we have some users who need to access info from a remote location...and that's where I'm lost. I understand some of the ideas behind remote access, but I don't know what I need to use. I would like to have it so they are part of the domain, applying GPO's and folder redirection. I know that last need may be a pain if the access is slow, but I'll deal with that when I have to. So I'm getting hung up...I would like to have a solution that would work at login, and I've always seen that "Login using DUN" option, but never knew how to apply it. Do I need a VPN? If so, is the one that comes with 2003 good enough? Also, what kinda client configuration while I be needing to do. I've never played with VPN, but as I understand it the user would need to login to their computer locally, and then establish a VPN connection. But then none of my GPO's would be run at login right? Also, do I need to worry about the low-link speed detection when doing something like this? I know this is kinda a vast question to ask, but I have no problem following links and reading papers, so any suggestions would be great. Also, I have another site that is 100 miles away...both sites have a T1. I was wondering the remote machines could be permanently configured to be apart of our network without the need to have a server there. I've seen some things (Branch Office) that look like what I need, but it looks most solutions require a server at the other location. Thanx in advance!

I don't think so...that's the danger of nlite. I like it, but it's takes a lot of testing. The file you are downloading is nothing more than a client, not the actual Remote Desktop application that runs on WinXP.

Upgrade would be the easiest. Otherwise, you could just copy the profiles to another drive...you shouldn't have your profiles on the system partition anyways, it's bad form. After the profiles are safely off the system partition, you can format and reinstall. I don't think you'll be able to use that trial again, but I could be wrong.

No, they just never included the "Quick" format option with 2000...only XP and above have it. As everyone has already mentioned, if you do the format before install with a seperate program you can achieve the same results.

Well, it's not likely for anything past NT4...they stopped supporting other platforms since then. Now they could be developing it all in house, but I would doubt they would waste the time to convert the code. WinCE on the other hand is still developed to run on multiple platforms, even though they are all mobile hardware. But just like with the DreamCast you can design it to run on several classes.

You also have to take into account how many computers access the computer as a server. XP has a limit of only 10 connections to a computer, while Server has no limit. There are some tricks to help XP get by with the 10 connections limit, but nothing solid it looks like. They do this on purpose, so you are forced to buy the Server OS. If that's not an issue, then both are well suited to run as a file/print server. Server can do a lot more in total, but when it comes to file and print sharing it's not that much more advanced. There's a few things, like Shadow Copy and...well that's all I can think of right now.

Based on your screenshots you've either got XP Home or you have Simple File Sharing enabled on XP Pro. If you have Pro you should disable it so you can use the real security settings...if you have Home I think you're stuck. If you can get to where it looks like this: Then you can tighten down the access. You could remove everyone except one user, resulting in access denied to everyone else. You can still bypass this if you have the user rights (Admins), but it keeps most everyone else out (Users). You can disable Simple File Sharing in Pro by loading Explorer and going to Tools > Folder Options > View. In the white box it's the last on the list...disable that and you should be in business. This will also give you access to fine tune the share settings if you're on a network.

If the other machine is still working and you have the run, just build up the new one and then network the two. Transfer your data, shutdown, done. Of course, you'll need multiple keyboard, mouse, monitor, and the right network setup. Otherwise I would normally build the new machine, install software, and then hook up the old IDE HD to the system. Copy files over, shutdown, remove IDE HD.

Here's the kicker for the 360...it's not an x86 CPU anymore (PowerPC), so it's not very likely to be any normal code anymore. If anything, it's probably going to be a very tweaked version of WinCE. Some were thinking since PowerPC's run the Mac's that it might be some form of BSD since that's what OSX is. Wouldn't that be funny...an M$ product running BSD.