MOONLIGHT SONATA

Martin, I checked your latest blog. Deployment advices shared by you are just gems. It always keeps my head in place. BTW, just one more request. Can you please post a bare minimum WINNT.SIF, irrespective of any pre-determined deployment situations, which in the way, always spares USER intervention throughout the whole setup. Thereby, I'll be really informed about how many unnecessary entries I'm actually using in my WINNT.SIF. While forum members are running well ahead of time and space, Forum UA Guide is lagging behind enormously. Hope, you understand my concern. Thanks..

@vcBlackBox & seapagan, Thanks for the all testings done. Your comments really delighted me as now I know certainly that 4.24b had some inconsistency issues. Now, which one gives better compression result, 4.23 or 4.26? Can you please inform me that by percentage how much compression these versions achieve and replicates therafter, so that I can decide which version to use. Thanks, for your overwhelming response. Just post one more comment to "postkill" this thread and my worries.

2 Martin, Yeah, If I remove that entry, I think surely, setup will decide the HAL type on its own. Omission has no effect as such information is not left by Microsoft at the mercy of User's choice. Microsoft always thinks that their beloved OS is going to be used by rich, deep-pocketed, wealthy n00bs. And, asking ComputerType to input, is a very difficult question for them. So, Instead of asking them, MS made Setup intelligent enough to identify HAL on its own. While I'm no n00b, yet am a perfect id*** to casually include such parameter inside WINNT.SIF. I wish i could have attended your presentation, not yesterday, before burning the CD, which is at least 10 months back. BTW, why don't you maintain such interesting experiences upon which you base your presentations in your blog at least. There you totally ignore Deployment these days. If you restrain us from being enlighted with your sweet-and-sour-experiences in the company of sysprep and winnt.sif, etc. then we'll be robbed off the chance to share and learn a "good samaritan's" experiences. This is as good as paying attention to someone's scream for script ( may be another id***, or the same one?)

@ rikgale, Nope, I use traditional method of keeping a Driver folder inside $1. Sometimes, I use Drivers.EXE, an sfx archive and extract it from DetachedProgram. What I ask you is that such setting of ComputerType is not the source of trouble? As you use Laptop, I think you'll be able to say your ComputerType by just looking at Device Manager. Waiting for your kind response....

@ Martin et. al. I'm using CD-based install. Probably, I've sorted out the source of problem. My UAXPCD is specifically built for Desktop, as my WINNT.SIF contains this line: [unattended] ComputerType = "ACPI Uniprocessor PC", Retail Now, as i understand when setup detected hardware configuration, it expected either the following line in [unattended] section ComputerType = "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC" or no mention of ComputerType at all, there. I think for Laptop, this the HAL that's detected by setup and recognized as such. Am i wrong here? or there're some other issues doing this dirty trick? I expect some insightfull comments here by my erudite forum mates.

@seapagan, Sorry mate, no chance of including any already packaged Drivers.EXE inside the new archive. Before posting the problem I checked if i've done the mistake as stated by you.Nope. I've seen the same scenario to happen in another PC of my friend. What I request you or any forum member is to just unpack the same archive if you've made any, and try to repack it again with the same set of options that i've used. If possible, just try it in a temporary directory and please let me know the outcome. Your feedback is too important for me.

@gmx Sure absolutely. No doubt about that. I just wish if someone just dismantle their SFX archive and rebuild again to check if same size is achieved again.

My UAXPCD as of today had no issues with Installation at all. I used it to Install XP in My Desktop PC for numerous installations without any problem. The same I386 folder, with just edited svcpack.inf from time to time, is used in my office environment, and there again it did nothing adverse. But, today I ventured into a Compaq Pressario 2200 Laptop belonging to one of my colleague, and the installation could not proceed beyond a few steps. I just narrate what chronologically happened in Pressario: 1. Press any key to boot from CD ====> Pressed. 2. Setup is inspecting your computer's hardware configuration. 3. Windows Setup > Press F6 > Press F2 4. Setup is Loading Files (Windows Executive) > > > ..> Windows NT File System.. 5. Setup Is Starting Windows.... My Harddisk light blinked for a few times, then CD-ROM reading lens blinked for a few seconds. I waited for 30 minutes but no examination of Harddisk and partitions took place. That's all about my Unattended venture into Laptop. Some other interesting observations that I carried out thereafter are as follows: A. The same CD if used anywhere except the said Laptop gives no trouble at all. Setup is Starting Windows and It really takes off and completes smoothly. B. If, instead of My UAXPCD, I use Vanilla XP+SP2 Slipstreamed CD for the Installation in Preassario 2200, Setup never hangs when it's starting windows. HDD is examined and Partitions displayed without any hitch. I'm totally confused. Which one is Faulty? Either Laptop HDD or my UAXPCD? If you read carefully, i can't put anyone of them at fault, honestly. Why such things happen? Does anybody have similar issues faced anytime? Can anybody come out with some advice. I eagerly wait.....

@Bullet, Can you please explain the purpose of the following things and their intended effects during setup? [unattended] NoWaitAfterTextMode = 1 NoWaitAfterGUIMode = 1 [DiskConfig] Disk1="Disk1.config" [Disk1.config] Size1="*" What if I wish to format Partition 1 of Disk 1 only? And what if it's Partition 2 of Disk 2? Please, elaborate, as your comments have enormous potential of implementations. Thanks.

Hey UA-Addicts! I've made one month ago an SFX 7-Zip Archive for my Drivers. The Drivers.Exe made thereby had Final Size of 46.1 MB, while the Uncompressed Drivers Folder was of 253 MB size. Parameters used during Compression were as follows: Archive : Drivers.EXE Archive Format : 7z Compression Level : Ultra Compression Method: LZMA Dictionary Size: 32 MB Word Size: 64 Update Mode : Add and Replace Files Options : Create SFX Archive And Nothing else. Now, today, I included another folder inside Drivers Folder which is named INTELINF and which contains all the .INF files for Intel-Based Drivers. The Size of this IntelINF folder is only 584 KB. So the total Size of Drivers Folder now stands at 253 MB+584 KB ~ = 254 MB. Then i got thunderstrike. With all the above compression criteria applied again, this Driver folder is now 7-Zipped into an SFX archive, named Drivers.EXE. Final Size is now, 115 MB. In vain i tried a few things, that i wish to narrate: 1. Increased the Dictionary Size to 64 MB, result is just reduction by 1 MB. Drivers.EXE is now resized to 114 MB. 2. I started with previously built Drivers.EXE of 46.1 MB Size. Extracted it and then tried to make the sfx archive from the folder that is just extracted. Size of the Drivers folder is 253 MB, same as it was one month ago. At least, this size has no change! Now, surprise after surprise, 253 MB is compressed into 85 MB. Can anybody feel my plight? I'm completely speechless and wish to be headless any moment. In all the cases i used 7-Zip 4.24 Beta version. I'm in urgent need of help. Please comment, ASAP.

@Martin, I'm in serious trouble in writting script. Problem is in Scripting Dependency of Setup.exe upon finding "Description" from Win32_videocontroller. even if i get "VIA/S3G" or Simply "VIA", how could i instruct running of a Setup.eXE just on the basis of finding "VIA". There're so many chipsets; Imagine my plight if i think about Intel--It'll kill Installation if upon finding "INTEL" as output from "Description" if i instruct script to run a particular Setup.EXe. What is Needed is To match "INTEL" or "VIA" with some chipset identification param and then schedule running a matching Setup.EXE. As i'm a n00b in VB Script , it's almost impossible for me to do these string matching without your generous inputs; After all, it's not batch filing method; i miss findstring so much. Please, help. @RogueSpear thanks for your comment on Martin's Script and ongoing discussions. Can you please share your script with us, so that my miseries are solved. I guess what i wrote above to martin is managed by you in your script. waiting kind response from both of you.....

@glent Will it not need ModifyPE? Will just doing makecab suffice?

@ Rikgale, Sorry mate, i couldn't make you understand my concern. You are right 100%.I know 99% will be defeated by the already developed idea, but i want to keep those 1% guessing. Everything is breakable, but we aim to make that hard. By just running all from RunOnceEx.CMD, neither we're making life harder for 1%, nor we can rest easy believing that 99% is thereby defeated, and remain defeated forever. I don't want to fool myself, i know with time at least 30% out of 99% will even break the protection as they get chance to inspect RunOnceEx.cmd. Atleast, another level of protection is mandatory, and that protection will be based on checking for the presence of our protection files. In the end what you said is permanent, but it only takes the steam out of our effort. Don't misunderstand me....I just want to make the presence of our Protection files must in order to run our UAXPCD. If hardware doesn't match, it'll not run; If software is absent, it'll not run even.

@Martin, 1.) As I feel for it, i'll definitely try the Changes on my own. I know, if i can do that, i'll get your pat in the back, which is my ultimate motivation. Yours... @ 4.) What's the Analyzer, and Is there any way to do this before mounting the drive? I want it now, but my DVD-Rw will come later. Case of DVD-RW is actually fictitious, I want to see variations in an already implementable idea. It only expanses my knowledge reach. And you know, I'm the self-proclaimed On-Line Student of you in this regard. My antics are little irritating, but i can't escape... Withstand Me. Please....

Hey Nanaki, xtremely sorry for the mistakes done by me. Now, you see MOON has even forgot what switch he used a few weeks back . After such fiasco, Is it fair to put my name in your list of acknowledgement? Until and unless you send me further test versions, very soon i'm going to forget whole cdswitch program. For my sake, as my reputations are at stake, please send some test version quickly.

@Rikgale, WMI Classes are not available at T-39 Minute Mark, it's not even available at T-13 / T-12 minute marks. Only during 1st logon it can be used. That's why i'm paranoid about "once bitten twice smart" type people. If they just force machine into SafeMode, i suppose all runOnceEx.cmd entries are bypassed, if i'm not mistaking basics. Nanaki, my very new forum friend has made "CDSWITCH" just to serve this purpose. Do you know, in the latest 0.9 version you can run *CDROM*\Setup.EXE switch to force cdswitch to run setup.exe from the cd in the tray. It's amazing, Mate, you'll love it. Finally, you made me depresed again, after a long layoff, Phoenix has risen from ashes and you are going underground for such a long time. Hey, Man, Enjoy, and Miss Martin and Me during at your own peril...Refine your 2Do list and post before you take leave....Happy Vacation!! Better Isay Early than Never!!!

Dear Martin, Here're a few questions again that bothers me....I know you're very busy, please look into these only when you find time. 1.) Is it not possible to alter your script slightly in order and instead of finding pci\ven_ string, it actually finds Product name like VIA/S3G Unichrome IGP. My logic is, if this possible then we can crudely install or run .EXE setup files just because of finding nVidia or ATI or VIA string from product description. 2.) If it's possible, can i be able to check the ?-bit OS running, so that if its AMD 64-bit and 64-bit XP OS, i can install VIA Hyperion Pro Pack or if its AMD 32-Bit and OS is 32-bit i can install VIA Hyperion 4-in-1 Driver Pack. 3.) Can this VB script be modified in the line of old batch files, so that if its Intel 845, some .exe will run, or if it's Intel 915, some other .exe will run. Similar to our old "If error level n goto m" batch commands. 4.) I currently use CD-Writer, wish to buy a DVD-RW in a few weeks time. Now, IDE\CDROMHL-DT-ST_CD-RW_GCE-8320B________________1.04____\5&19E23F39&0&0.0.0 is for my CD-RW. How could i guess what it will be for My DVD-RW , so that i include it in my UAXPCD now, and Nero gets installed upon detecting my DVD-RW? whenever you find sometime, look into these questions, as you looked and suggested all along since i joined this forum.

Hi Martin & Rikgale, Protection is like Phoenix, always rises from ashes! Nice to hear from you guys. Martin, here's my 2Do List (Rikgale please add yours by another post, Mate, find no time to make the list in collaboration with you..) 1.) Include BIOS Release Date & Version as usual; Also include HDD Serial Number, it's the Killer punch. 2.) I "Prefer" inclusion of CD Media VolumeSerialNumber as I'm also in favour of 2-OR-Multi-CD Protection. After inclusion, i'll write a guide on Protecting CD from CD-Copy type breach of Security. Rikgale, and also you or anybody then help me out by burning some CDs to check how far it works to our advantage. 3.) Martin, I really want 2-levels of protection and 2-time checking of Protection Files. As, we run the whole Authentication from RunOnceEx.CMD, anybody can learn the path and file name of the .vbe script. If someone just deletes the same command from RunOnceEx.cmd, running of .vbe gone! Yes, they couldn't extract the encrypted ZIP file for sure, but the get Vanilla XP Installation completely. Moreover, if after entrance of RunOnceEx keys into Registry, when machine reboots, i press F8 and enter SafeMode, don't you think whole RunOnceEx entries are bypassed? If bypassed, then next time if i boot into normal mode, will protection work at all? That's why in our protection scheme i want a script from you that pass authentication on the basis of MD5 Checksum checking of Protect.vbe file and then comparing the same with what written as its MD5 Checksum Value in reference file. If, someone deletes the entry for .vbe command in RunOnceEx.CMD file and alongwith deletes the .vbe file from $$\system32, our protection still works as MD5 checksum-based authentication will go against it as no checksum could be done for missing .vbe file. One more point, this extra step has some advantage as it's not relying on WMI Class Query, so wee can schedule its running at a much earlier time before 1st logOn. Hope, i could make you understand my points... Waiting for your kind response.... P.S. Somehow, i feel better and relaxed today, after getting PMs from both of you...Thanks.

@Martin, What i'm going to say now is not PnP-based, instead it is thematically linked to your PnP Method. So, instead of starting a fresh thread i post it here; During setup user can select his choice of FileSystem( or it can be automated, whatever...), either FAT32 or NTFS. Now, if user has some software which are File System specific; for example, NTFSstreamsInfo or R-Studio FAT or R-Studio NTFS versions, can such software installation be done as it's done intelligently in case of PnP-based Programs, so that only NTFS-specific programs get installed if FS is NTFs and vice-versa? I know, your answer is yes. Mine also, but now i put it specifically: how to construct it through a vbscript,..... will i go for checking any Registry Key or i go for any WMI class query? If WMI, then Win32_???????????????? Waiting for your kind response....

Dear Nanaki, Here's my response-cum-queries against your invaluable comments (at last, and at least, you came to my rescue, .....Thanks, Mate) R1> When Your use of Presetup.cmd before Windows Setup starts, is actually takes place? Is it at T-39 Minute Mark through DetachedProgram? Someone very knowledgeable Forum Member advised me long ago that from DetachedProgram can only be possible to run a .BAT and not .CMD file. I'm asking you T-nn mark of Presetup.cmd only for this reason. R2> I've duly consulted keytotime's priceless tutorial on making switchless installer based on 7-ZIP Solid archive(extension: .7z)(Link:http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=39048). But, unfortunately, they silence extraction by reshacking 7z.sfx file. My intention is to make and deploy 7-ZIP SFX archive(extension .exe), which is not an installer. there lies my problem, as .EXE archive has no 7z.sfx file there. R3> I'm hopefully waiting for resonse from some other kind persons (just like you) in order to dive into this dangerous ocean. R4> Changing Safemode Wallpaper is not so easy; i learned the bitter truth very hard way. Safemode wallpaper is set from safemode.htt file in Windows\Web folder. If you look in the right-pane of Registry Key : HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Desktop\SafeMode\General you'll find Wallpaper value which has default data set as %SystemRoot%\Web\SafeMode.htt; Mere changing this value leads me to nowhere. R5> Thanks for "topng"; downloaded, nice tool, serves my purpose fully. R6> Yeah, i'll ask in nLite forum. Additional Notes: All these space-free measures are because of Protection Method that i envisage and that i've to make possible from 2nd CD, but the security file will be located in 1st CD. Actually, 2nd CD is needed by me to be Copy-Protected; for that, i wish to deliberately put a large video file in 2nd CD and try to make an error-full Overburnt CD, which will be rejected by every burner and every Burning software for being unable to copy. This video file will waste a lot of space, you know.... Waiting for your comments further...

A few further questions come to my mind; without starting a new topic, i post them in this topic, again, numbering conttinued from my previous post : 4. Is it possible to change the background of Safemode Wallpaper, which, as i've seen, is nothing but pure black. Can i be able to apply a different bitmap image as background? What are the other formalities that i've to go through in order to use a custom image? 5. Is it possible to convert my .jpg images inside the Windows\Web\Wallpaperfolder into .bmp images from command-line, during UACD installation? If possible, then i'll be able to pack smaller .jpg files inside my CD and instead of space-hogging .bmp file. Which command-line utility, if any, can serve this purpose? 6. My UACD, after XP+SP2 slipstreaming, has a folder named cmpnents, which further have two sub-folders named netfx and TABLETPC. Now, i really don't need to have their support after XP installation. Can this cmpnents folder be deleted from the UA Setup CD? Further, mere deleting cmpnents folder is enough to realize this goal, or, do i need to edit txtsetup.sif or any other .inf file inside i386 folder? Please, respond....My previous 3 questions are still not answered by anybody... I request my fellow members to look into these questions, and come forward to my rescue ...I badly need your piece of mind.

I'm in trouble because of some problem posed by my always irritating brain. Please, give advice to solve my miseries. Here're they: 1. I've successfully packed my Driver package into 7-ZIP SFX archive named Drivers.EXE. I wish to run it at T-39 Minute Mark. I know how to include Arguments in Winnt.sif if something is to be run as DetachedProgram. Problem is i also wish to include extraction of another 7-ZIP SFX archive named Install.EXE at the same T-39 Minute Mark by DetachedProgram. So, i'm thinking to run extraction of both these EXE files from a BATCH file;the path of the BATCH file is going to be included as DetachedProgram. Now, my question is: "running a Batch file as DetachedProgram Do need any Arguments= inside the [GUIUnattended] section? Or, more specifically, does Arguments= always needed in order to run DetachedProgram ? If not, then what are the choices? Arguments=No or No referrence of Arguments= at all? 2. Is there any way to completely hide progress bar of 7-ZIP SFX Archive, when it gets extracted at the T-39 Minute Mark? I'm troubled by the Progress Bar because it totally destroyes the beauty of Background Image. 3. My last question is unrelated to the above 1/2. How many things from the I386 folder of Setup CD can be taken out of it during installation safely upto 1st Log-On so that i can schedule installation of those parts from RunOnceEx.cmd? My UACD size is crossing a CD's Max. Capacity. I wish to use a 2nd-CD and Nanaki's Cdswitch utility to change CD-1 to CD-2 inside RunOnceEx.cmd. By things or parts, i mean some services or games or any other thing you could imagine. nLite takes out portions of installation by user's choice at the start; or XPLite which can take out after the install. Can anything taken out be really added back during the same install from a different CD, so that when Total Installation leads me to Blue valley, everything looks as if Setup Completed as a whole from a single CD? Please help me. Waiting.......

2mediapla, i precisely ask you to elaborate what you mean and what you do to achieve your means by "add/remove-ing a string in BIOS"? waiting for your response...

2mediapla, i precisely ask you to elaborate what you mean and what you do to achieve your means by "add/remove-ing a string in BIOS"? waiting for your response...

rikgale, one problem may be that after the GUI reboot, you are no longer able to access files on the CD, as you cannot know which drive letter is assigned to the CDROM. The reason to copy the files to the HDD(%systemdrive%\) is that there is not an easy mechanism to know which drive letter the CD has been assigned during the post GUI Reboot portion of setup. You are lucky in the first place, as you run your softwares from %systemdrive% which has no letter assignment problem at all. But, in your RunOnceEx.cmd original there was no SET PATH= option included which truly relocated your CDROM(RunOnceEx.EXE needs to be run from %CDROM%). I solved the problem in edited RunOnceEx.cmd but forgot to mention it to include in the .cmd file which you compile ultimately. Moreover, use START /WAIT %CDROM%\$OEM$\RunOnceEx.Exe instead of START %CDROM%\$OEM$\RunOnceEx.Exe as this will wait untill .EXE instructions get executed completely. Hope, you're this time lucky!