GreenMachine

For what it is worth ... I tried XPCREATE with this as a "HotFix" (meaning integrated into the source manually, as I have always done, and as Microsoft described so long ago), and got basically the same errors as RyanVM. I then tried adding it as a "ColdFix", meaning simply installing it via SVCPACK.INF, without the prior integration, and that seemed to work fine (limited testing). So, in XPCREATE, it would go in the SVC-CF1 directory.

So, you wanna get me going? Well, much as I loved Johnny in 2004, I think he has shown his true colors, and I, for one, embrace Coco Crisp with open arms. I mean, with a name like that, how can you not like the guy. Johnny jumped ship for what will be less than 6 million net over 3 years. (OK, to me and you that may seem like real money, but in this case it is only a few percentage points.) His beard and hair were a big part of his Spiel, but look at how quick he let them go. In terms of intelligence, I rate him somewhere behind a half drunk David Wells. In terms of integrity, somewhere behind a Pedro Martinez. Remember, this is a guy who considers himself an id***, and boasts of his own infidelity and adultry in his book. (Let me know, Michelle, if you want my phone number.) So, let him go put on his Gucci suit, and play alongside the likes of Pay-Rod, and that oh so lovable Sheffield ... Our chances this year? We could have seven top notch starters. Timlin is excellent. If Foulke comes back around, and Taverez is anything like what he has been before, we might not even have room for the superb prospects we are trying to bring up. And if Manny stays Manny, and Big Papi continues to shine, how can you not like our chances. But, in Red Sox Nation, it is not all about winning World Series (obviously ... ). Go down to Fenway Park, take in a game, and just soak it up. If things don't work out ... we still have the Pats in October! And, just to keep this post on topic ... It does not look like a Rollup will be out before SP3, which will certainly not be out before Vista. Sure you don't wanna make one?

Yeah, had to get out of hibernation in time for spring training! A couple of weeks working out, and I should be back in shape to actually post something of value! I would like to announce that I have "sold" two commercial licenses of XPCREATE to forum members, who use it for thier work. (Anyone else care to step forward during this period of amnesty?) Both members made 50 Euro contributions, one contribution to MSFN to get me that pretty little thing below my avatar, and the other to Bart, of BartPE fame, to allow the distribution of BBIE with XPCREATE. As for XPCREATE, and without meaning to belittle anyone else's thoughts, code or methods, it does remain the only Slipstreamer that conforms to Microsoft standards. If I were not concerned about breaking their warranty, and was short on eiither CD space, or time, I would probably do something along the lines of RyanVM's method, or merge all the hotfixes a la Hotfix Rollup. However, that is much to much work for me, and with XPCREATE I do not need to delve into the workings of each hotfix to add the ability to slipstream, or integrate if you so prefer, it into my Distribution Source. Now, a couple more days of GreenMachine Being Manny, and then back to work ... perhaps!

Hmmm ...

Hi xper ... Just wondering if there were any further developments on this issue. Thanks!

Previously, when I logged on as invisible, and selected "Remember Me" (or something to that effect), my name did not appear in the list of users browsing the forum. This is behaviour as expected. However, when I close the browser, and return to MSFN the next day, my username and password are remembered (also expected behaviouur), but my "log on as invisible" selection is NOT remembered. This is NOT behaviour as expected, and previously worked fine. I did not notice exactly when this problem first surfaced, but it is rececnt, perhaps with the transfer of MSFN to the new server. A bug, or a new, undocumented "feature"? Thanks! A second "new feature". There used to be an option for not adding the line "This post modified ... " when editing an existing post. This no longer seems to be the case. I often do not include that message, as my edits are mostly to correct typos. Is that also a "thing of the past"? Thanks again, xper!

StubPath in the registry ...

As I recall ... CMDLINES.TXT is processed regardless of the presence of a WINNT.SIF file ...

"dotnetfx.exe /q:a /c:""install /l /q""" That is the proper syntax. Now you can overcome the problem of installing DotNet from SVCPACK.INF ...

An excerpt from the EULA that you agreed to upon installation of XPCREATE

That's where the problem was! I replaced CALL XPCPRVAR by CALL :SETVARS. and I also removed CALL XPCTVARS since it is created by XPCPRVAR. Why isn't there more people complaining about this? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So ... You have a problem, blatently break the XPCREATE EULA, dare to post on your "fix", and then wonder why others are not complaining? No wonder I have been spending more time at the pool hall drinking than here posting ...

Thanks, Bitfrotter, for doing the testing that I am too pressed for time and resources to do (takes forever on a laptop ... ) As for using Microsoft Update as opposed to Windows Update, that will have to wait until Microsoft creates a hotfix / patch similar to the Windows Update Version 6 thingy.

I'm still thinking about this, and now I am wondering if it is as simple as I thought. I suspect that IEXpress leaves me in some TEMP directory, and not the install directory. If that is the case, I suppose I will have to dig deeper ... to be continued ...

That's a new one on me. Attach the LOGFILES.CAB file, and perhaps there is a clue inside.

Thanks, PeterGau, for the (sort of) confirmation, and the links.

Thanks for keeping us up to date!

Never tried those driver packs with XPCREATE ... but if you do, I would suggest creating an WORKING XPCREATE CD, and going on from there ...

Thanks, krismark! I hope to get to Windows 2000 later this month, and I will start with this list. Never had problems with the rootsupd.exe, but the IE updates can be a pain in the neck.

Hmmm .... THat does not look like one that I can integrate off the bat, as it contains multiple languages of the same file, which must be renamed. You can try placing it SVC-CF1 and see what happens ...

@p388l3s: Bitfrotter is right: A place for everything, and if everything is in it's place, it should work fine ... WGA included. @DSchwenk: PeterGau was on the right track. There were some files in the wrong place, but you fixed that. The log DOES say Service Pack 2 WAS slipstreamed, but it was not. Ideally, I would have a way to check that, but as I do not insist on a name for SP2 (or SP1), I would need to devise a way to know which SP it was. What happens is that the SP is extracted, and then slipstreamed (2 steps). The extraction (almost) always works, but the slipstream may error out, and I do not detect the error. Instead I assume it completed succesfully, which it does not in your case. There could be different reasons. The most likely is that the Dell CDs do not accept slipstream. Another example is trial versions of Windows Server 2003 that will not accept slipstreamed Service Packs either. I may try to find a way to read the Service Pack log file, but for now you should try to simply manage a SP2 slipstream by hand (see the Unattended Site for the command), and see the error message that appears (there usually is one). As I am in the middle of yet another move, it will be at least next week before I update the links in the Current Hotfixes page (the file names and sizes ARE correct), and I still have no timetable for the download lists. Good Luck!

My vote! I manually integrate them ... and use SVCPACK.INF ...

@royalbox: The default hive (e.g. C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\NTUSER.DAT) IS loaded at T-12, and any attempt to load it will result in an error, as it is "locked" (in use). You could load it when the administrator logs on (GUIRunOnce), using REG LOAD, etc, but there is really no reason that you cannot simply import your settings (REGEDIT): most import fine from there, unless there is some initialization going on afterwards (which could be the case)

The "No Disk In Drive" message is just one of many drawbacks of looping through all possible drive letters. In almost all cases that I have seen of people using this method, what the user is really trying to do is simply find the CD Drive from which Windows Installation was done. When this is the information I need (as the Install CD is almost always there where the installation was done ... ), I simply query the registry for the value of the SourcePath, get the drive letter, and asign the varible INSTALLCD with that value. In other words ... FOR /F "TOKENS=3" %%I IN ('REG QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion" /v "SourcePath" ^| FINDSTR "SourcePath"') DO SET INSTALLCD=%%~dIWorks for me ...

No problem! Just remember, do a little at a time, and run lots of intermediate tests. It seems like it takes forever, but in the end, it will save a lot more time than trying to figure out what went wrong later! Good Luck!

@Bitfrotter : SVC-X2M