IcemanND

Strange. It added all of the carriage returns when I tested it before posting otherwise I would have added them.

It doesn't like the default unicode encoding of out-file. It also appears to have a problem with the file being "open" at the same time you are writing to it, though since the default startnet.cmd file only has the one wpeinit line it may not make a difference to you. Personally I would replace this: Get-Content $cmd | Where {$_ -ne "wpeinit"} | Out-File $cmd Write-Output "@echo off" >> $cmd Write-Output "echo Inititalizing WinPE ..." >> $cmd Write-Output "wpeinit" >> $cmd Write-Output "echo Initialized!" >> $cmd Write-Output "echo Connecting to Image Server ..." >> $cmd Write-Output "net use Z: `"\\SRHS-SUP-FS\Desktop Support\Images`"" >> $cmd Write-Output "echo Connected!" >> $cmd Write-Output "cd /d Z:\" >> $cmd Write-Output "echo Launching GUI Interface ..." >> $cmd Write-Output "index.hta" >> $cmd With something like this: $startnet = Get-Content $cmd | Where {$_ -ne "wpeinit"} $startnet += "@echo off" $startnet += "echo Inititalizing WinPE ..." $startnet += "wpeinit" $startnet += "echo Initialized!" $startnet += "echo Connecting to Image Server ..." $startnet += "net use Z: `"\\SRHS-SUP-FS\Desktop Support\Images`"" $startnet += "echo Connected!" $startnet += "cd /d Z:\" $startnet += "echo Launching GUI Interface ..." $startnet += "index.hta" Out-File -filepath $cmd -InputObject $startnet -Encoding ASCII

Assuming a Windows machine I would use Robocopy not xcopy. And as long as the source drive has no files in use it should work fine. Most of your disk cloning software will do this also when booted from external media.

I assume you tired the above without success in Vista? I no longer run any vista systems so I have no way to check or test. Alternatively you can open gpedit.msc and browse to the same setting: Computer Configuration\Windows Settings\Security Settings\Local Policies\User Rights Assignment As far as I know this is in every NT based OS.

open SECPOL.MSC under Security settings - Local Policies - User Rights Assignment Add the users/groups you want to have access to change time to: - Change the System Time - Change the Time zone

You could change the executionplocy for the machine by opening powershell as admin and setting the policy. Though it looks like that is what the are trying todo with the PS_Console.reg import. Are you running this script as admin?

What is being used as the email provider? Do they have the option of using imap and having mail left on the server (easiest)?

http://entechtaiwan.com/util/moninfo.shtm You can use it to create your own monitor.inf driver file for your projector or standard monitor and configure it to set only your desired resolution. Downside is the driver is not signed and you are prompted to allow it to install.

How old/new is the machine? Able to replace it with new hardware that has the current Intel AMT technology in it? It allows connecting to the machine remotely and watching the entire boot process from the BIOS to windows.

http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/144914-guide-creating-wim-images-of-windows-for-system-deployment-using-pe/page__p__929349#entry929349 Just about everything most people want to know about creating/updating a WinPE boot CD/USB and some info on capturing and deploying images with it.

I have never needed to try, but does a system restore, restore deleted accounts?

I don't know if Dragon Naturally Speaking can take an audio file as input but you could loop the speaker output to the mic. It does a fairly good job of recognition, though you might end up missing some punctuation.

I removed your attached file for you since you left you product key in it. in the AutoLogon seciton you are missing the <Enabled> value. <AutoLogon> <Password> <Value>UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAsdfsdfsdfCEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value> <PlainText>false</PlainText> </Password> <Enabled>true</Enabled> <LogonCount>2</LogonCount> <Username>Administrator</Username> </AutoLogon>

I was afraid of that. And with as random as it happens finding something useful in them can be next to impossible with six DC's to dig through.

Do you pre-create the computer accounts in AD? Otherwise with your answer file it will by default try and create the computer account in the default Computers OU which in most places I have been has been restricted to domain admins only. If you supply the OU or pre-create the computer objects in the correct location with the correct name anyone with rights to join a computer to the domain should be able to.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa387102(v=vs.85).aspx http://poshcode.org/1932

I've never run bootrec after dropping an image on a machine. Only to fix a possibly corrupt boot record. As long as the boot partition has been marked active and the image you captured was bootable it has just worked.

In the Windows Image System Manager, load the Install.wim: Components\ x86_Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin_6.1.7601.17514_neutral\ Identification\ Credentials Add to pass Specialize

Specialize

If all of the machines are going into the same OU you won't have a problem, or if you have a staging OU and then move them from there to their permanent OU. Otherwise if you change the <machineobjectOU> value before the machine attempts to do the join you'll be fine. I do this right after applying the image to the machine before rebooting. If you are using Ghost version 11.x you should be able to do the same thing. <component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <Identification> <Credentials> <Domain>contoso.com</Domain> <Password>joinpassword</Password> <Username>joinaccount</Username> </Credentials> <JoinDomain>contoso.com</JoinDomain> <MachineObjectOU>OU=Computers,OU=finance,DC=contoso,DC=com</MachineObjectOU> </Identification> </component>

Use the system image manager, manually creating the Win7 unattend.xml answer file is near impossible. Just use the install.wim from your install media as the reference image when asked. There is a good blog here with most of the info you would be looking for. For the domain join you either need to pre-create the computer account in AD and the provided account has rights to join, or supply the OU the machine will be created in and the provided account has rights to create the object and join to it.

In the black bar above any forum page where it says "Logged in as jclarkw" you can click on your user name and select "Messenger", or to the right of that if you have a message there should be a link to the messenger. In the messages page in the folders list the the New folder will have anything you have not read and the "My Conversations" folder will have any messages you have read or sent.

Cluberti, you know anything specific we could look for? I've glanced at the client logs but never noticed anything useful. I don't have access to the DCs to look at those logs but if I had any starting point I would be better off than I am now.

I've been seeing the same thing in my environment and have yet to find the cause. If you have NETDOM you can use it to resync the computer account password with the domain. Or you can unjoin the machine form the domain, not need to perform the reboot, then rejoin it to the domain and reboot and with the exception of one machine I have not had any repeat customers.

you could script it, so that you run the script and check the existing version and if older than what you are deploying copy the installer from a network share to the machine and install. Or you push the current version to everyone, then I believe you can use the upgrade option in the advanced software deployment in GPOs to perform future maintenance. And in the meantime look into and invest in SCCM.