getwired

Fast User Switching? Not supported on Server 2003.

Because of the driver's name I'm inclined to think it isn't actually memory related - but I would try running one more memory test on it, this one - http://oca.microsoft.com/en/windiag.asp - to be sure. What kind of NIC is in your system? Have you ever experienced any other blue screens on that system?

Depending on what you are building Windows PE from, you may hit an error with that command - a security bug. Try running MSHTA.exe with the full path to the HTA file (meaning you aren't asking Windows to discern who owns the HTA file extension) and it should work.

Paul Thurrott's site at one time stated imaging tools were going to be a part of the Interim releases of Windows PE. Don't know if that article is still up there...

Check out PSKill - http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/pskill.shtml - should do what you want.

I have to smile a bit - most people I deal with are familiar with Sysprep.inf files, and unattend.txt - but not usually SIF files. :-) Take a look in the deploy.cab (on your Windows CD, under \support\tools\) for setup manager. Use it to create a baseline sysprep.inf file. Using that you can basically use some of the same entries you have used in the past for SIF files to provide the product key, set an admin password, machine name, etc. Note that the machine naming isn't as capable as RIS - you can't provide a template for machine names like you can with RIS.

Using an image will speed up the process the most. Running setup for every system you install is very time consuming. RIS installs are traditionally faster than CD, if you have the network capacity. If you have access to WinPE, you can easily use that to boot from CD, and start setup (winnt32) from an external USB or 1394 HDD... Can also connect to a UNC share and run setup from there as well.

You basically have three choices: 1: Use DOS with networking (shudder) to start winnt.exe (shudder) over the network. Remember, smartdrv is your friend. 2: If you have access to WinPE or BartPE, use that and start winnt32.exe over the network using the unattend file you already have. 3: If you have a RIS server set up, and you have only tweaked the unattend file, you can use RISetup to pull in the OS, and edit the normal ristndrd.sif (basically an unattend.txt with a few special entries) it creates to include your customizations. I would recommend looking at the deploy.cab file on your Windows CD, or at the documentation for RIS, if that looks like it will work for you.

More likely your NIC is running at half duplex when it could run faster. You may want to take a look at the INF file in WinPE for your NIC and see what the defaults are. You can force it faster by tweaking the inf - though you will break the digital signature...

This is one of the things that made "Windows Smart Displays" not successful - that and the fact that they were too small, and too expensive. The fact that you couldn't have more than one user on a system at one time. I have an HP Media Center Extender, and it is the only thing I'm aware of that can cause more than one user to be logged on to Windows at a time - albeit within the limited constraints of a Media Center Extender session... I'm with you, Precam - I wish this was possible - for administrative reasons. To be able to log onto a system where a novice user is logged on, and fix things behind the scenes for them would be very useful - but you have to force them to log off (remote desktop, XP Pro only) or share with them (remote assistance, XP Home or Pro)...

Are you just trying to do this on one machine? More than one? Have you used WinPE before? You can do an unattended installation from CD, from within DOS or WinPE (or BartPE), or using RIS... more info and I might be able to recommend something to you.

Yes, those three should have you covered. As far as I know, WinImage should just work - unless it has any weird dependencies that aren't in WinPE. Check the documentatin in the Windows deploy.cab, or the Internet. You are looking for sysprep.inf, and GUIRunOnce. Best practice is to install as much of your image as goes to all users, including the OS, applications, service packs and patches for both. This is a huge benefit to images instead of scripted installs - they don't have to be patched immediately on application if you do it right. HTH

Are you using the product key provided with the MCE 2005 media? If not - you will wind up with Windows XP Professional - which you have just described.

Unfortunately Terminal Services for Remote Administration (what became Remote Desktop with XP/2003) is only in Windows XP and newer, it isn't possible with Windows 2000. You have to use VNC, Remotely Possible, PC Anywhere, or other third party software to control a 2000 Pro system, and it will always be the console of the host system (which is actually all Remote Desktop can do on XP Pro anyway - only Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 Server support connections other than to the console). BTW - your English is better than my German. :-)

What's the EXACT bluescreen you're getting?

It will require them to activate, and will (should) fail to do so. They need to either find the recovery media for their PC, ask the OEM/system builder for the original recovery media, or buy a retail copy of XP.

As noted, it is illegal. Additionally, it is not possible anyway.

Did it have the "new" drive in it when it was running 2003 on the old one? If so you still need to fix the entries, as the new drive is mapped to it's old drive letter, and Windows can't find the profiles, since they're on the drive you removed as far as it knows.

There are two ways to install Windows - scripted setup (unattend file) or Sysprep (RIPrep, if you are using RIS). If you can invest the effort to go with images, doing what you asked about will be markedly easier. Regardless of which you choose, you should probably consult the deploy.cab in the support\tools\ directory of your Windows CD, which has documentation on both. If you use an unattend, you will need to hook the installers for your software in the GUIRunOnce section of the unattend file. That will let you install any applications that are scriptable themselves. If they aren't all scriptable installs, then using Sysprep is probably your best option. Sysprep/imaging allows you to build out the source system, including system updates, service packs, and any applications, and then run Sysprep and capture it up using an imaging utility. Though it requires more work, if you are deploying to multiple systems, you'll find this scales much better than an unattended setup. HTH

Run this on your system that you used that product key on and it will tell you the key that was used. Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder

It is not possible (or supported, for those who might find it hack-worthy) to upgrade from any version of Windows XP to any version of Windows Server 2003.

I take it you aren't getting rid of the original drive (swapping one for the other)? That would make it a bit easier in most cases. The problem is that Windows is confused by the drive letters. You moved the contents of the drive - but Windows didn't change the drive letters. You will need to use Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices and swap the two drive letters. Once you've done that, reboot and it should be happier.

Longhorn does not use boot floppies - CD/DVD only. None are available, none will work with any released (or leaked) version of Longhorn.

See the Windows PE category. You want to create a WinPE DVD with the image on it. You can do this as long as the image of WinPE you create is ISO, not UDF formatted. Note that a properly formatted DVD is UDF or UDF-bridge (both UDF and ISO).

Generally, yes, it will be significanty faster. Also allows you to remove some of the infinite variables present in regular Windows setup by starting with one common image. Ghost, PQDI, or Winimage would all work from within WinPE. The only step(s) missing in your list below are "2.5" which is run Sysprep on the "source" system, and then an aspect in 5 that will run the other half of Sysprep with a sysprep.inf file to complete Mini-Setup. The one catch you have to also watch out for recently with HALs is systems with Intel HyperThreading. They will be "ACPI Multi-Processor", which isn't compatible with an image of an ACPI system with a single processor and no HT.