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I have created a sysprep image for Windows XPsp3 that will pull the BIOS asset tag and enter it for the Computer Name and join my domain. This image is dual purpose, for users who get the full blown Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook) and users who only get certain full components of Office 2007 (Outlook, the other components are just viewers, Excel Viewer, Word Viewer, Power Point Viewer). I have a bat file that works manually but when I place it in the sysprep GUIrunonce section of my sysprep file the bat file launches both entries. Probably a little confusing...ok, alot confusing so I'll elaborate. I have a file on the drive a batch file that needs to be ran so the user can specifiy what they should get regarding the Office suite. This also installed some hard drive encryption software. The batch files goes something like this: REM Simple Menu System CLS :start echo . echo . echo This is the image for such and such users echo Image 3bc echo Choose what type of user you are echo ==================================== echo . echo 1. Full Office User echo 2. Viewer Office User echo . echo Enter option (1 or 2) Reply if errorlevel 50 goto Office if errorlevel 49 goto Viewer rem beep :Office C:\path to install batch file :Viewer C:\path to install batch file end When the machine starts up and goes through sysprep everything is fine and I can login to the domain with my AD credentials. Then the runoncegui launches, this batch file and stars installing Office and doesn't give me an opportunity to hit 1 or 2. If I run this manually it works like it is suppose to. Is the reply causing the issue. Any suggestions on how to fix or an alternative solution? Thanks.

Thanks Tripredacus, so far everything looks good.

So I can use this method if the machine is already joined to the Domain? I don't see where that reads the BIOS Asset Tag to make that field the Computer Name.

I am trying to completely automate a Windows XP installation for re-imaging purposes. I found a tool called mysysprep which says it will read the BIOS and I can extract certain fields from the BIOS and use for my sysprep file. I've tried this several times and it isn't working. I want to take the BIOS asset tag and have it applied to the Computer Name during the sysprep process and then join the AD domain. I can get the AD join stuff to work alright but the Computer Name is my issue. I thought I could use the UIU (Universal Imaging Utility) from Binary Research but even then I can't get the BIOS asset tag to get applied to the Computer Name. Any suggestions from the pros?

Yes, I burned the iso to a CD and it does boot and run with no issues. I am wondering if there is something wrong with my startrom.0, ntdetect.com or ntldr file? I copied them from Server 2003 R2. It seems like it wants to but runs out of gas.

First of all, your startrom.n12 should be renamed to startrom.0. The entry for winPE should look like this: label winpe kernel startrom.0 If your iso is in root directory, your winnt.sif should look like this: [SetupData] BootDevice = "ramdisk(0)" BootPath = "\I386\System32\" OsLoadOptions = "/noguiboot /fastdetect /minint /rdexportascd /rdpath=winpe.iso" Architecture = "I386" Getting a little further along. Now no error but it just sits there. Not sure what is wrong. Maybe I need to try and create WinPE 2.0 image file, iso. Does this method work for booting other iso's?

I have PE 2.0 and 1.6 booting from my pxe server using pxelinux as a boot menu. To get 1.6 to work, you need the following files: \ <--- root of your pxe boot folder ntldr ntdetect.com startrom.0 (renamed startrom.n12) winnt.sif \sources\winpe2005.iso Your winnt.sif file should look something like this: [SetupData] BootDevice = "ramdisk(0)" BootPath = "\I386\System32\" OsLoadOptions = "/noguiboot /fastdetect /minint /rdexportascd /rdpath=sources\winpe2005.iso" Architecture = "I386"Note that you can put the iso wherever you want and name it whatever you like. Then just point your DHCP server to boot from startrom.0 (option 67). The only thing I don't like is that you have to hit F12 once your startrom.0 kicks off. I never have been able to figure out how to get rid of that prompt, but I rarely use 1.6 for one old prototype server that doesn't meet the requirements for PE2.0. Thanks for this information. When I attempt to boot I am getting an Invalid of corrupt kernel image. What should my pxelinux.cfg file look like? Mine looks like this. LABEL winpe KERNEL startrom.n12 APPEND initrd=winpe.iso I have my winpe.iso in the root of my tftpboot directory.

I have the PXE server up and running and it works well for most of the desktops and laptops except the newer HP nc6910p notebooks. Most of our network drivers are .com extensions for use with our Netware file servers. We have our Ghost images sitting on these servers. Anyways, I have a WinPE iso, about 150MB in size I am trying to get to boot from the PXE server. I have searched high and low on Google trying to figure out how I can PXE boot an iso image and the items I've tried don't seem to work. Has anyone gotten WinPE or an ISO to boot from a PXE server? The closest I have been was getting the booting............................ message but it just sat there forever and I manually killed it.

I am not real sure how to go about this scenerio. I currently have a DHCP server that put out IP addresses for our organization but is managed by a different department. I am getting tired of walking around with CD/USB in order to boot up a workstation and Ghost it when the PC gets hosed. My question is does anyone know how I can just setup a PXE server without DHCP, use the primary DHCP in the organzation. We do use Symantec and it looks like it could do it but I need to research more and was wondering if anyone is doing this type of thing and if so what are you using and how difficult was it to setup and maintain. Thanks!

I'm also looking for a solution to reinstall beep driver.