n00dles

Ummmm or you could just use the AutoLogonCount value in your unattend.txt file? [GuiUnattended] AutoLogon = Yes AutoLogonCount = 2

I agree with rtK - you might as well hard code it since WinPE is hardcoded to use drive X. But to answer your question, you need to specify a REG_EXPAND_SZ value if you want to use environment variables in the value data. Either way will work.

Probably opening up winpedef.inf and adding / modifying Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders entries would do the trick.

@joe You can get the RAM disk working by downloading the WSSRA Deployment kit and using the ramdrv.sys from there, and there are many posts around that will tell you what mods you need to make to winpesys.inf to get it working. If you still need a hand reply to this post and I'll post up how I do it. @dman Amen to that! I also have a massively updated version of this script... it's weighing in at close to 1000 lines now. It includes stuff like the ability to install W2K or W2K3, some better IP address handling code, and also I have separated out the distribution share credentials from the domain join credentials... anyway, if anyone is interested let me know and I'll post it up.

And in case you want to get WinPE from Hard drive into RAM, here's a shamelessly self promoting link Run Windows PE from RAM This is how I'm remotely deploying servers now... boot remote server off a floppy, dump an image of a disk with PE on it, reboot and run PE from RAM.

I do exactly the same thing at the end of my preinstallation script... good ol sendkeys!

Use this in addition to the default username / password keys [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon] "ForceAutoLogon"="1"

I had a similar wierd problem recently, ended up fixing it by booting of a dos floppy and doing fdisk /mbr

I haven't extended WMI, but haven't had a need to... you might try PCI32 from here. You don't need plugins or anything - just chuck pci32.exe, pcidevs.txt and gwiopm.sys into the same directory (doesn't matter which directory) and let er rip

As in everything was previously outsourced to HP, but then the company decided to bring everything back in house... ie in-source

It could go in either forum so see this post My apologies for spelling your name wrong likuid! I'll fix that up later.

I started a new job recently and found there was no standard process in house for doing unattended builds, so I whipped one up ala the script in the attached .txt file Here's what you need *Windows PE / Bart PE - with script support enabled (i use winpe personally - for just building boxes, you don't need all the other nice stuff that Bart gives you). - with a RAM disk (doesn't have to be big. 1MB would be plenty) - with ScriptPW.dll registered (I have a post somewhere about how to do that. Search!) - with any necessary mass storage and NIC drivers *A distribution share with the following structure - <root> | ----- 2000unattend.txt | | ---- $OEM$ | ------ ADV | | | ---- I386 | ----- STD | ---- I386 There is only one variable you need to modify really, if you have that structure, being strDistShare on line #392 *2000unattend.txt - an unattend.txt file something like the one attached Took me about a week to write the bulk of it and then an extra 2 weeks putting the final touches on (it's always like that, ain't it!). It's geared towards 2000, but can easily be modified for 2003. Please don't email for any kind of support - if you don't know vbscript or how to do unattended builds, use google and technet and learn yourself. That's how I did it! Oh and thanks to likuidkewl I think for how to reboot PE... best.hack.ever <edits> Crap I can't get that directory structure to format correctly... I'm sure you can work out what I mean! 2000unattend.txt, $OEM$, STD and ADV all sit directly under the root, then the I386 directories sit underneath STD and ADV. BUILDSOE.txt2000unattend.txt

drvinst anyone? Or just build your source with /pnp and put the .inf files in i386\INF, .sys files in i386\System32\drivers and that's it. pnp detect will do the rest for you when factory.exe runs.

You can get an updated Microsoft ramdrv.sys from the WSSRA deployment kit here. If you take the default install options you'll find the driver in C:\WSSRA\Deployment Kit\MSAAPFTree\WinPESupport. You don't need the inf file - if you've already modified your winpesys.inf then just chuck this updated ramdrv.sys into \system32\drivers and you're good to go. Mind you it still has all the limitations of the original sample driver... if you can use the Qsoft one from BartPE, do so!

Anyone using WinPE on HP/Compaq hardware should be using the SmartStart Scripting Toolkit (1.2 is the current version - obviously get the Win32 edition, not the DOS one!) for drivers... it's p*** easy to integrate all array controller and NIC drivers for pretty much all HP/Compaq hardware... I've used the same build from 6400R's right through to DL580 G3's and not had a single driver issue. You need to register for it, but it's a free download and you go to the download page right after filling in the registration page so you can put in bogus info if you're paranoid and hate salepeople (like me :-) SmartStart Scripting Toolkit I wish all hardware vendors would do stuff like this... big tick for HP in my book.

Metzen, u champion, thanks a million .All working now - couldn't get 32Mb but maybe that's coz im testing on a vm that has 256mb allocated. 8mb should be fine though - better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick Yer that bit about having a formatted disk does seem very strange, especially since you would potentially be using it on a system with a new unformatted disk, or maybe a machine with a corrupted MFT. I have removable disks on one of machines so I'll give this a test when i get home. I might also try swapping that ramdriv.sys with the free Christiaan Ghijselinck one and see if it still works... can't see why it wouldn't! It also seems wierd that you still need the .inf file, when it's not being called anywhere, and the settings in there ultimately dont matter. FOr example, in the files you have provided, the size of the ram disk is determined by the additions in WINPESYS.inf, not what is stipulated in the ramdisk.inf file! It's of no consequence anyway - it all works following your instructions and I'm stoked! EDIT 1 I have just tried this on a machine with NO disks and it worked fine - Metzen u da man! EDIT 2 COuldn't get 32MB working - switched the ramdrv.sys file for the Christiaan Ghijselinck one (version 5.2.10.2), and now have 128MB - $2 well spent

Cheers m8 Here is what I have attempted so far: 1) Build WinPE using XP SP2 or 2003 Server 2) Install RAMDisk using Christiaan Ghijselinck RAMDisk.sys (version 5.2.10.2) and Windows 2000 reference .inf file (from here) on a clean XP SP2 / 2003 Server virtual machine, setting ramdisk to be 64Mb via .inf file. Ramdisk works in windows. 3) Export HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\RAMDisk key as RAMDisk.reg. 4) Extract setupreg.hiv from WindowsPE image using UltraISO. Open up regedit and load the hive as "SetupRegHiv". 5) Modify RAMDisk.reg - search and replace HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM with HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SetupRegHiv. 6) Import modifed RAMDISK.reg into registry. Check that the RAMDisk key is created correctly. 7) Unload SetupRegHiv. 8) Replace Setupreg.hiv on WinPE image with modified setupreg.hiv 9) Add RAMDisk.sys to \I386\System32\Drivers directory of WinPE image. 10) Add RAMDisk.inf to I386\INF directory 11) Save WinPE image ...and then boot into WinPE using Virtual PC, and the RAMDIsk doesnt appear - it should be there as Drive Z. I check regedit from within WinPE, and the entries look correct. From everything I have read, I should have a RAM disk, but I don't... frustrating! OH yeh, I am using the winpe mkimg.cmd and other supporting files from Windows PE 1.2, if that makes a difference...

Hiya fellas, A little off topic, but I can't seem to get a workign ramdisk... i tried using the one that comes with bartpe and doing the setuphiv registry hack, but no luck... Metzen, any chance you could post a link to you Microsoft supplied driver, or at least give me a pointer on how I can get a ramdisk happening (even if it's only 32Mb using the bartpe one?) CHeers

I've been playing around with PE for the last week or so, and basically have everything I want working (thatnks to CuBie's excellent Explorer tutorial), except netsh. My startnet.cmd has the following entries (in this order, but there is some other stuff after 'netcfg -v -winpe' and before the list of regsvr's) Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\netcfgx.dll /S factory -minint netcfg -v -winpe Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\netshell.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\dgnet.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\hnetmon.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\ifmon.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\ipmontr.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\ippromon.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\ipv6mon.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\rasmontr.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\rasman.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\rasmans.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\rasrad.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\rassapi.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\rasctrs.dll /S Regsvr32 %SystemRoot%\System32\framedyn.dll /S From what I have read, the problem is that the network connection is not named by PE - it has a GUID, but not a name. I've read a few articles on MSDN saying that it is possible to rename a connection if using something other than Explorer as the shell by using the following command: rundll32 netshell.dll HrRenameConnection However that doesn't seem to anything. Anyway, i figure if I can get netsh working I should be able to assign static IP's on the fly instead of having to specify a static IP in winbom.ini. The reason I want to do this is because all the servers I work with are on non-DHCP subnets, and I'm trying to build a recovery CD using PE. As someone else has already said, yes I could just BartPE, but I'd rather try to figure out how to do it with PE only. Cheers