[winnt.sif question]

Technically, the "Repartition" line is only used on network or RIS installs...

[Need Help From The Experts]

Was this box already activated before? It sounds like the activation portion is not working (you may have to call PSS to get this to work again, unfortunately).

[Windows 2003 SBS joining existing forest]

"I still don't get why it can't just join a domain"

You answered your own question - SBS is meant for a (very) small busines. Think of what you get in an SBS box, and what you actually pay for it, and it's very cost-effective. However, if you're getting too big for SBS, Microsoft no longer considers you a small business , and you'll need to pay the full price and use full standalone versions of the product. Basically, if you need more than one server, you're not a small busines to MS anymore .

[Slipstream Exchange 2003 with SPs?]

No, Exchange SP's are not slipstream-able.

[Windows 2003 SBS joining existing forest]

Not only does SBS have to be a DC, but it can't join a domain with other domain controllers either. If you want to add more DC's later, bye-bye SBS.

[ClearType in Windows]

Is it a true-type font (TTF), or some other font type? What font are we talking about?

[Security Center on Windows XP SP2 Freezes PC]

Consider running "sfc /scannow" from a command prompt - also, try opening it from the control panel in safe mode to see if it opens then.

[XP unnatended RAID problem]

If you're installing from DOS, this is sort of a known problem (I can reproduce it with multiple XP and 2003 CDs, different SP levels, and with multiple RAID controllers). Consider using the TEXTMODE way of adding files to your unattended CD (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=816299), or use nLite to add the drivers. Otherwise, you'll always have this problem when installing from DOS.

[Hard drive eraser]

I'd recommend Active@KillDisk (http://www.killdisk.com), but googling "DOD Wipe" will find you lots of tools that may meet your requirement.

[No access rights]

Uh - virtual addres 0 doesn't exist... so, looks like a problem with Steam. Try uninstall/reinstall, perhaps?

[where to put swap file ?]

I'm not sure that hardlinks are supported cross-volume, but it's worth a try .

[W2K install - formatting takes forever]

Is this a Windows 2000 RTM CD, or have you slipstreamed SP4 onto it? I know W2K prior to SP3 had issues with large hard disks formatted for FAT32. You may have less trouble if you just format it NTFS .

[Windows 2003 Small Business Server Backup fails unexplainably]

Do you use volume shadow copies on this server? Also, the error is access denied - check one of the files from the list of failed files and make sure that SYSTEM has at least read rights on the file or folder. It would still be wise to use a real user to run the backup job, not SYSTEM - if the username is "backup user" (as you stated), then you simply put "<DOMAIN NAME>\Backup User" in the run as box.

[Little problem]

You'd have to create a script and run it in GUIRunOnce, otherwise there really is no other way (short of using WinPE to start the installation).

Also, what do you mean by "I dont use the $OEM method because it doesnt fit with drivers for s-ata disk when you have to press F6 in the beginning" - do you mean that you can't physically fit the drivers on the CD due to disc size, or you can't get the drivers to install using the TEXTMODE option?

[%CDROM% Variable]

It would be better to place that file in your $OEM$\$1\TEMP folder (or whatever $1\<*> folder you choose) and run it from there via %systemdrive%\TEMP\start.cmd. %CDROM% is not a valid variable in Windows unless you set it.

[How best to deploy using RIS]

Actually, Microsoft frowns on imaging technology (even their own, ironically) and suggests that you don't use sysprep or riprep if you don't have to. I also agree with you and MS on this, a clean install from a flat image without using the other tools is better in the long run as each install is indeed different, with virtually no chance of SID issues, etc.

It's better to get your flat files set up, create scripts to install your applications, and test everything until it works the way you want. If you're thorough, you can get Windows to completely install itself and all of your apps via RIS. Here's my .sif file for use with RIS:

----------

[Data]

AutomaticUpdates = YES

AutoPartition = 1

MsDosInitiated = 0

UnattendedInstall = Yes

OemDrivers = OemInfFiles

[unattended]

Unattendmode = FullUnattended

UnattendSwitch = YES

OemPreinstall = YES

OemPnPDriversPath = drivers\audio;drivers\chipset;drivers\misc\wireless;drivers\modem;drivers\network;drivers\RAID;drivers\touchpad;drivers\video

OemSkipEULA = YES

TargetPath = WINDOWS

Filesystem = ConvertNTFS

DUDisable = YES

Hibernation = NO

WaitForReboot = NO

NoWaitAfterTextMode = 1

NoWaitAfterGUIMode = 1

DriverSigningPolicy = Ignore

NonDriverSigningPolicy = Ignore

Repartition = YES

[GuiUnattended]

TimeZone = 035

AdminPassword = *

EncryptedAdminPassword = NO

OemSkipWelcome = 1

OEMSkipRegional = 1

AutoLogon = YES

AutoLogonCount = 3

[setupParams]

UserExecute=%systemdrive%\temp\unattend.cmd

[userData]

FullName = USER

OrgName = HOME

ComputerName = *

ProductKey = XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

[Display]

BitsPerPel = 32

Xresolution = 1024

YResolution = 768

[identification]

JoinWorkgroup = WORKGROUP

[Networking]

InstallDefaultComponents = Yes

[NetOptionalComponents]

Beacon = 0

[Components]

Accessopt = Off

CertSrv = Off

CertSrv_Client = Off

CertSrv_Server = Off

Chat = Off

Deskpaper = Off

Dialer = Off

Fax = Off

Fp_extensions = Off

FP_Vdir_Deploy = Off

Freecell = Off

Hearts = Off

IIS_Common = Off

IIS_Doc = Off

IIS_FTP = Off

IIS_HTMLa = Off

IIS_Inetmgr = Off

IIS_NNTP = Off

IIS_NNTP_Docs = Off

IIS_Pwmgr = Off

IIS_SMTP = Off

IIS_SMTP_Docs = Off

IIS_WWW = Off

IIS_WWW_Vdir_Printers = Off

IIS_WWW_Vdir_TerminalServices = Off

IISDbg = Off

Indexsrv_system = Off

LicenseServer = Off

Media_utopia = Off

Minesweeper = Off

Mousepoint = Off

Msmsgs = Off

MSMQ_ADIntegrated = Off

MSMQ_Core = Off

MSMQ_HTTPSupport = Off

MSMQ_LocalStorage = Off

MSMQ_MQDSService = Off

MSMQ_RoutingSupport = Off

MSMQ_TriggersService = Off

Msnexplr = Off

Netoc = Off

Pinball = Off

Solitaire = Off

Spider = Off

WMAccess = Off

zonegames = Off

[PCHealth]

ER_Display_UI = 0

ER_Enable_Applications = None

ER_Enable_Kernel_Error = 0

ER_Enable_Reporting = 0

ER_Enable_Windows_Components = 0

ER_Force_Queue_Mode = 0

ER_Include_MSApps = 0

ER_Include_Shutdown_Errs = 0

[shell]

DefaultStartPanelOff = YES

DefaultThemesOff = YES

[systemFileProtection]

SFCQuota = 0

[systemRestore]

MaximumDataStorePercentOfDisk = 7

RestorePointLife = 7

[branding]

BrandIEUsingUnattended = Yes

Home_Page = http://www.google.com

Search_Page = http://www.google.com/ie_rsearch.html://http://www.google.com

Search...ie_rsearch.html

----------

My unattend.cmd file is kicked of at the T-9 minute mark, and installs all optional Windows updates that I didn't integrate, as well as set the PC up to install applications on the next reboot (and some other changes as well). I can post that as well if you find you need it for reference.

[Assign IP based on MAC address]

Something like this vbscript will get you a PC's MAC address:

' ----------

'

Dim objNetworkAdapters, objAdapter, objWMI

Set objWMI = Nothing

Set objWMI = GetObject("winmgmts:")

' Get a list of IP-enabled adapters

Set objNetworkAdapters = objWMI.ExecQuery("select * from Win32_NetworkAdapterConfiguration where IPEnabled = 1")

For Each objAdapter In objNetworkAdapters

wscript.echo "Network adapter: " & objAdapter.Caption & " has MAC address " & objAdapter.MacAddress

'

' ----------

What you do with that information is up to you , but at least you can now have the MAC address of each machine.

[Windows 2003 Small Business Server Backup fails unexplainably]

The Userenv errors are actually very informational, but probably not related. However, it would be wise to install uphclean from Microsoft to clear those up. As to the backup jobs failing, have you gone into the scheduled tasks applet and tried to use a different account for backing up files in the properties of your backup job? It sounds like perhaps you've got a permissions issue - also, make sure that you haven't messed up the bypass traverse checking right in your GPO, or this sort of thing can happen too. The everyone group (or a similarly more secure group, like Authenticated Users) should have permissions here.

[XP Clone IDE SATA - Install Help Needed]

Consider Sysprep 2.0 (probably on your XP CD in the /Support folder, in deploy.cab) and a cloning tool such as Symantec Ghost.

[where to put swap file ?]

I think it was written best in one of our own MS Press books on WinXP:

"You can enhance system performance in several ways. First, if your computer has multiple hard disks, create a paging file for each disk. Distributing information across multiple paging files improves performance because the hard disk controller can read from and write to multiple hard disks simultaneously. When attempting to write to the paging file, VMM tries to write the page data to the paging file on the disk that is the least busy."

So if you want, you can have multiple pagefiles and perhaps speed up performance. However, with that much physical RAM you probably aren't swapping too much to disk unless you are doing a lot of A/V or perhaps heavy gaming.

Hey Crash&Burn, perhaps you do need to call MS Support every once in a while... . Read the following article on HARDLINKS ON NTFS VOLUMES :

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documen...kc_fil_baey.asp

fsutil is your friend

[RunOnceEx.cmd]

If you've got timing issues, use the sleep.exe utility from one of the NT/2K/2K3 resource kits. I used to do it all the time, before I stopped using RunOnceEx regularly. It's not entirely the best way, but it works all of the time.

[best linux for a semi-newb?]

I second Ubuntu, or any other Debian-based distribution. It's easy to manage once it's installed, and it's easy to remove or add software as well (apt-get, aptitude, and/or synaptic). No dependancy worries (unless you're trying to do something really weird ).

[where to put swap file ?]

Hahahaha

Now why would I do that? Some of these things are pretty cool B) .

[What would be best for me?]

I would say Server 2003 would be best, as you say it is acting as a file server currently. Besides, the 2003 codebase is the future of all versions of Windows, so it can't be that bad .

[Windows not starting]

Can you get it to start in safemode, or Last Known Good?