Cartoonite

Dunno if it's clear either. It's not to me. Regardless, it doesn't look like something that would produce my desired result, even if I did understand it. I'm not sure I made my intention clear enough. I would like to make Mount and Unmount menus like the "Open With" menu pictured here. "Open With" represents the desired location (Main menu of right-click) of "Mount" and "Unmount" (have them both as their own sub-menus), and the individual devices (0, 1, 2, 4) should be accessed the same way "WinRAR" and "Virtual PC" are in the image. Hopefully I've given a better description this time around. If it's still not clear, just let me know and I will try again.

Another possibility is testing using network installs. The setup would have to be done a little differently ($OEM$ folder would have to be put inside the I386 folder, for example), but as far as testing the uA process itself goes, it should be just as effective. I'm still pretty new to this too. (Grand total of maybe two weeks experience so far.) I use VPC to test my CD, and so far the only VPC-related "problem" I've encountered is trying to find something to do for the 2-3 hours it takes for the uA install to run.

Are you trying to do a network or a CD install?

I believe you need to enable Branding of IE in your WINNT.SIF as well. Have you done this? These are the settings I use, and my uA installs finish with them being properly configured: [Branding] BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes [URL] Home_Page=about:blank [Proxy] Proxy_Enable=0 Use_Same_Proxy=0

ECHO Installing .NET Framework v1.1 ECHO Please wait... start/wait %systemdrive%\install\NetFramework\netfxsp1.exe /qb ECHO. If you are using RyanVM's repackaged .Net Framework installer that includes SP1, it is already silent. Just run the installer, no switches needed. Remove "/qb" from the end of the line and it should work perfectly. ECHO Installing Microsoft JavaVM - Build 3810 ECHO Please wait... start/wait %systemdrive%\install\JavaVM\MSJavaVM_3810.exe ECHO. I'm not at all familiar with Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine, so I won't be much help with this one. I did find a guide (I believe it was written by MSFN Member baliktad) posted here that may be of assistance. Don't know whether you've seen it before or not. If you are not 100% comitted to Microsoft's version, RyanVM has also created a switchless installer for Sun Java2 Runtime Environment 5.0 that can be downloaded here. Good luck, I hope this helps.

Certainly looks like he has the wrong image there. I'm not quite sure what your question is, though. You can set the default theme in you WINNT.SIF file like this: [Shell] CustomDefaultThemeFile="%Windir%\Resources\Themes\Luna.theme" Modify the string within the quotes to reflect the location of the theme you want applied. This particular string points to the default location of the Luna theme, or, if you prefer, the default Windows XP theme. Does this answer your question?

You can get rid of it by editing boot.ini in the root of your system drive. [boot loader] timeout=30 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn This is what mine looks like. It is a single-boot system. Just make sure you delete the right one (the broken link) from the [operating systems] section, or you won't be able to boot at all. If your re-install was fairly recent, you may be better off just reformatting and re-installing again, just to be sure you clean up any files left over from the aborted installation. Edit: And MCT beats me to the punch. I knew I needed to learn to type faster...

I've wondered about this myself, Jeremy. It would simplify my computing life greatly if I could configure MSN Messenger to open all links using their default clients rather than the Microsoft clients specifically. I don't hold out much hope for this (there is a reason M$ is constantly being sued over monopoly laws, after all) but, if it can be done, I would love to know how.

Check out this guide: http://greenmachine.msfnhosting.com/READING/addraid.htm I've not looked at it myself, since I don't currently use a RAID configuration, but it is the one linked to from MSFN's own unattended guide. (Found here.)

I am silently installing eMusic Tag Editor (an NSIS installer package) silently using the /S switch. For some reason the installer program isn't creating a Start Menu folder for the program. Instead it is dumping all the shortcuts directly into Start\All Programs\. I searched but couldn't find anything else related to this problem. I could always write a batch file to move all the shortcuts to their proper place afterwards, but I'm looking for a solution rather than a workaround. Has anyone else seen or heard of this issue? If so, how was it resolved? (Anyone wishing to download the installer for their own testing can find it here.)

Thanks for the info and advice. I will certainly test this. The last install I tested with your tweaks did work. There were also a couple (virtual) hardware changes made at the same time. When I retested after replacing (rereplacing?) your tweaks with my own and used the same virtual hardware, it also worked as it should. So, short answer: Yes, it worked with your tweaks. Long answer: it also worked without your tweaks. As I said before, I don't think the issue lies in the registry tweaks. I suspect BeenThereB4 has got it right. I will post back after I do some more testing and have definitive results.

Please post the lines from the batch (.cmd) files where these installers are called.

SP2 Custom-built or Pre-fab?

It is there, and it is running. Not surprising, really, since the current test install is a functioning one. I will look again if I can manage to recreate the problem. Thanks for the idea. Edit: Service is also present and running after a "faulty" install.

Well, not sure whether I should laugh or cry. I ran the uA with Astalavista's tweaks and my corrected batch files and the Luna theme was properly applied on startup. Am I the only one who thinks this doesn't make any sense? More testing is definitely in order. It's a good thing I'm already crazy, otherwise this stoopid issue would certainly be sending me there. @prathapml This issue is starting to look more and more random every day, too. Thankfully it really isn't any more critical than your issue with $Docs not being copied properly, I'm just really picky. Starting over is a good idea, and I suspect I will at least once before this whole thing is over. At the moment I am somewhat headed in the opposite direction: taking my current, buggy CD and removing changes one at a time until it behaves the way it is supposed to. Or until I remove everything I possibly can and get forced into spending several productive hours inventing swear words, whichever comes first. Edit Hey, I just noticed: I got a star. YAY! Uh, just out of curiosity, wth does it mean?

I'm not sure I understand your question. That folder should get copied across at the same time as everything else in the $OEM$ folder. (During text-mode setup, I believe.) Copying before what? I'm a little confused here...

Ok. Two uA installs and much impatient waiting later, this is what I've come up with: Applying Astalavista's regtweaks instead of my own without fixing the batch file scripts gets me a Classic theme with Bliss wallpaper. (The default XP theme's wallpaper.) Applying my own regtweaks gets and fixing the batch scripts gets me the Classic theme without Bliss wallpaper. I guess the next step is to apply Asta's tweaks to the properly scripted CD, but I am anticipating the same result. Point 2 pretty much belies my thoughts of FNF errors being the cause of the problem. I will run that test when I leave for work in a few hours and post the results when I get home. Perhaps the fact that it is not a true Windows Classic theme (although I can't see the difference) is a clue? The Themes tab of the Display Properties box lists it as "Modified Theme." As near as I can tell, this Modified theme is just a Classic theme with an XP-style Start Menu. I would suspect a corruption (or even just a change) in the settings of the default theme itself (Luna.theme on the CD), except that I can choose Windows XP from the drop down box on the Themes tab and have it applied in it's usual format. Looks like it's back to square one on this issue again. Anyone else have any ideas? I have made several changes to the files since I first posted them, but nothing really major. If reposting them in their current format might help, just let me know. (I'll put them all in a text file this time, so I don't wind up with another 25-mile post. ) Edit: For the sake of complete disclosure, here's the file created when I saved the Modified theme I'm getting.

You will likely have to translate this if you are using a french version of Windows, but this is how I would do it for my (English) version: \$OEM$\$Docs\All Users\...\Quick Launch I've never seen All Users used for Quick Launch shortcuts, so I can't guarantee that they will work, but I can't see why they wouldn't. J'espère que ceci vous aide. Bonne chance. (I hope french isn't against the rules here, hehe.)

Have you tried importing them directly from the CD using the $Docs folder under $OEM$? This folder is supposed to be automatically copied over to the documents folder (default is %systemdrive%\Documents and Settings) at the same time as the rest of the information is copied across. I have yet to do anything with this folder, so I can't tell you how effective it is. See here for more information on using $Docs. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Nice idea. I think it's great that you want to give back to a community you feel has helped you out. I do have a few suggestions: 1. Use SET's /p switch to assign values to the variables rather than setting them statically in the batch files. set /p XPSOURCE=What is the path to your Windows XP source files? (e.g.: C:\XPCD) set /p SP2I=Do you Have SP2 already integrated? (Yes/No) set /p HFSOURCE=What is the path to your Hotfix executables? (e.g.: C:\Hotfixes) 2. You can use /i switch on IF statements to make them case insensitive IF /i %SP2I%=="No" ( SET /p SP2P=What is the path to your SP2 source files? (e.g.: C:\SP2) echo. echo. Now installing Service Pack 2 echo. %SP2p%\i386\update\UPDATE.exe /PASSIVE /S:%XPSOURCE% echo. Service Pack 2 Installed.... OK ) Else IF NOT /i %SP2I%=="Yes" ( echo. echo Invalid Service Pack Integration Choice echo. pause exit ) This code should also eliminate the need for your goto statements. 3. You say right upfront that these batch files are for integrating hotfixes and/or SP2 into your Windows XP CD. This makes both the OPTIONS and the SP2O variables unecessary. Both are static and called only once. Remove their set statements and insert them directly into your batches. (See modified SP2 ingration line above and HF integration below.) %HFSOURCE%\%HOT%.EXE /PASSIVE /INTEGRATE:%XPSOURCE% 4. There should be a way of asking a user how many hotfixes are to be integrated, and then run a set/intagr8 loop that will execute as many times as needed. I'm not sure how to code this though, and don't have time to try at the moment. Sorry. Hope you find this feedback helpful, and do feel free to disregard it. It is, after all, only in my opinion that these changes will make your scripts "better." Since they are your scripts, it's up to you to decide for sure. The code provided here is largely untested. I make no guarantees that it will work as planned. Please use caution when implementing it. Edit: Replaced "end" with "exit" in the second code block because, well, "end" isn't a real command.

Wow. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I think your post actually out-does mine for length. Maybe we should rename this thread to "How much text can we fit into the default 10 posts/page without talking nonsense?" Thank you for taking the time to give me such a detailed reply. I did see the thread pertaining to the Winamp MSI, but I don't think that was until afterwards. Either way, Winamp was simply the program I picked as an example. The solution proposed was meant to apply to any and all programs, regardless of whether or not they posess their own re-direction switches. Nice to know about winamp.ini. I will certainly be adding this to my uA tweaks. Lastly, I'd gotten the impression that many of those post-install options were essentially extensions of RunOnceEx. I guess I was mistaken. Oh well. I can and will research them more once I have the uA itself working the way it is supposed to. One step at a time, and all that. Thanks again for taking the time to help me out. It really is appreciated.

Bent over Straight Brown over Pink Both Pizza and Burger (Could this be why I'm gaining weight?) White over Black Text or Talk?

I'm not sure why you think it could be regtweaks when they haven't been modified at all since the problem first began, got "solved" and has now reappeared. I will certainly follow up on your suggestion and see what happens, but I really think the issue lies elsewhere.

Seems I spoke too soon. Even with CustomDefaultThemeFile being set in WINNT.SIF, ye olde Classic Theme has once again reared it's ugly (or should that be asthetically displeasing? I wouldn't want to offend anybody...) head. I now suspect it has to do with File Not Found errors being generated by my sloppy batch file writing. Can anyone confirm/deny whether this is a possibility? I will post back when I have more details.

KDE over Gnome Neither Palm nor Pocket PC (ask me again when I have money) Both Old school and New school games (I think graphics are the only thing that can honestly be said to have consistantly improved over the years. ) Thunder Cats or Transformers?