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OK, I just ran into my second Seagate drive suffering this issue. In the first instance, the owner contacted a "seller" on eBay who unbricked the drive for a mere $80. Uh-huh. Little did we know . . . . In this case, I went to Seagate's site, wrote down the toll free support number (1-800-732-4283) and gave them a call. I spoke briefly with customer service and they sent me to tech support where 'Karen' explained the issue to me (they sent out a batch of drives with test firmware) before offering to have me ship the drive to them at their expense. They would perform a force firmware update that would unbrick the drive and make the data accessible, or replace the drive outright. I told them I did not need the data and opted for choice three, the advance replacement at $20. I should receive my new drive in three days and will return the old drive using a pre-paid shipper. I could have done the whole thing for free, but life is short and then you die. Bottom line: sounds to me like Seagate has their act together at this point and could not have been more accommodating, at least in my case. Give them a call. Edit: by the way, Karen and her colleagues are based in Oklahoma and sound real purdy .

Your method appears sound, but try it in reverse: set up the pop3 account first, let the messages/custom folders, etc. download fully from the server, then close Outlook and restore (overwrite) the existing .pst file from your backup. You might lose new messages, however. And heaven help you if you forget to restore the .NK2 file . . . many users rely upon it as their address book.

Or use the Office Resource Kit (Ork.exe) to remove the writer from the installation in the first place.

Yes, leave the disk in or simply click "cancel" (the button on the left) four (4) times and then WPI will start properly. Kel, Mark, I was able to tear down, troubleshoot, and set up dozens of machines this weekend thanks to MSFN and WPI. The least of my concerns was the actual install routine, which went like clockwork. Thanks again fellas.

Thanks for that, I'll implement it in the next round tomorrow. Strangely, issue one (the mshta.exe error requiring four "cancel" clicks) didn't really show up today even with no CD in the drive . . . only in a few instances. Edit: Nice, mritter, commenting that line did the trick! As for the mshta.exe error, I'll kick the CD out after the install, no problem.

Thanks, guys, good to know I haven't completely lost my mind. Things are going well, Kel, I have about 90 donated machines to roll out before Tuesday so a little stressed right now, but this too shall pass. It's not the install that concerns me, it's the condition of the machines: each needs to be set up uniformly and tested (HDD/RAM integrity and such). You'll recall I'm an elementary school computer instructor and little kids don't understand "delays" and other "issues." So it all needs to be working 100% when they walk through the door. I believe I saw a fix for two in an earlier post and need to experiment with it: a reg fix resetting Internet zone security in IE. Looks like I will need to make time to test, thought someone might have it on the top of their head. Looking forward to 7.1.0, gents. The problem described in one does not occur if the CD remains in the drive, so for now I will kick the CD out after WPI finishes. I'm installing on XP machines. Much appreciate your feedback, gentlemen.

Folks, I'd really appreciate it if you could reply with the solution to a couple of issues. I think I've found the solutions in other posts but don't have much time to test. If you've already dealt with them and can copy-paste a solution here I'll be more than happy to award you an "attaboy." I run WPI over the network after the Desktop loads. The network drive is mapped, IE7 gets installed together with a whole bunch of other essentials, then WPI is called. 1. The first issue occurs if I eject the CD prior to running WPI: I receive a error dialog titled "mshta.exe - No Disk" stating "There is no disk in the drive. Please insert a disk into drive D:." and I need to click "cancel" four times before WPI begins to work over the network. The solution should be a simple path or registry tweak? I must have faced this before and found a fix, but I'll be darned if I can remember it now that I have moved to 7.0 (which, by the way, is jaw-droppingly cool!). 2. Once WPI kicks in, Internet Explorer throws up a dialog box "This page is accessing information that is not under its control. This poses a security risk. Do you want to continue?" I click "yes" and WPI fully loads in all its glory. Again, I'm sure this could be fixed with a simple reg tweak imported prior to running WPI but can't locate the specific entries. Thanks for your help. Edit: Added exact context of mshta.exe error to help future searchers.

Thanks for that, MHz, I certainly stand corrected (never say never ). In hindsight I do recall folks using the WinMove() function--but forgot about it--but never noticed WinSetTrans() in the help file's function reference. Very nice, I'm going to have to start playing with that!

More information would be helpful: what program are you installing? Generally speaking, when you use AutoIt to interact with a dialog box then the box will need to be visible. That's the nature of the beast. You can also use AutoIt to install a program silently if the program has appropriate switches: myprogram.msi /qn, for example. I use AutoIt to install everything, saves me the trouble of typing. Edit: check MHz's sound advice HERE. Looks like you can indeed make windows transparent using AutoIt, in effect creating a silent install. Sorry for my earlier "shoot from the hip" comments.

OK, I understand what you're saying now. I just checked my Expression Web install in "Uninstall a program" and choose the "Change"option --> "Add or Remove Features." Expression Web is set as "Run from my computer" and NOT "Run all from my computer." So I set it to "Run all from my computer," but when I return it still has "Run from my computer" set as the option. So I don't know. I haven't played with the program extensively so I can't say which features might be missing with the default install. Perhaps some more investigation of the config options is in order? But I'm good for now. Since this program uses shared Office Tools and such, I wouldn't be surprised if it can be installed WITH Office and modified using the Office Resource Kit. @Radix below: NICE ONE! Thank you for taking the time to investigate fully and arrive at that. I will use your modifications and post back if any issues arise, but I sure don't anticipate any. Again, excellent!

Yes, don't hide it. The Windows must be visible, that's the nature of AutoIt. You will never get a "silent" install, but you will find your unattended issues just vanished.

Here's how I adjust visual settings using AutoIt: TrayTip('Unattended Installation', 'Adjusting visual settings . . . please wait . . .', 0, 1) Send("#r") WinWaitActive("Run") Send("sysdm.cpl{Enter}") WinWaitActive("System Properties") Send("{TAB 3}") Send("{RIGHT 3}") Send("!s") WinWaitActive("Performance Options") Sleep(1000) ControlClick("Performance Options", "", "Button3") Sleep(500) ;Use visual styles on windows and buttons ControlSend ('Performance Options','Tree1','SysTreeView321','{End}{Space}') Sleep(500) ;Use drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop ControlSend ('Performance Options','Tree1','SysTreeView321','{End}{Up}{Space}') Sleep(500) ;Use common tasks in folders ControlSend ('Performance Options','Tree1','SysTreeView321','{End}{Up 2}{Space}') Sleep(500) ;Show windows contents while dragging ControlSend ('Performance Options','Tree1','SysTreeView321','{End}{Up 8}{Space}') Sleep(500) ;Show shadows under mouse pointer ControlSend ('Performance Options','Tree1','SysTreeView321','{End}{Up 10}{Space}') Sleep(500) Send("{ENTER}") WinWaitActive("System Properties") Send("{ENTER}") TrayTip("clear tip","",0)Notice that I'm not trying to click the boxes but rather--keep it simple--use ControlSend to navigate within the Combo Box and place the check mark using the spacebar. Always impressive to watch it run, too. Where the heck is MHz when ya need 'im?

@radix: That's exactly what I did. 1. Locate the config.xml 'answer file' file found in the WebDesigner.WW directory. 2. Copy it to the root, alongside Setup.exe. 3. Modify it. Use THIS as a guide. Now you don't need to specify a path to the config.xml. In the past, when I put the config.xml in the "Updates" directory it didn't work at all. Keeping it in WebDesigner.WW did not work completely unattended (I used AutoIt to click one button). Placing it alongside Setup.exe did the trick. Now just run Setup.exe, no switches required. And remember: I'm using a volume license version now, not my single install retail disk. Hope that helps.

No problem. In my opinion, yes, look for AdbeRdr90_en_US_Std.exe as it does not include Adobe.com and Air.

Nice find, Cluberti, I might add that reg tweak to disable the updater. @akoop: you need to run the installer with the /? switch and LET IT RUN. The program will not install. Running C:\Users\MeMeMe\Desktop\AdbeRdr90_en_US_Std.exe /?, for example, will run "Adobe Reader 9 - Setup" but end with a simple Window listing all of the setup switches available, as stated by hannubys.

Just to follow up on this, I recently laid hands on my school's volume license version (locked in a safe for the past year or more) and placed the config.xml file copied from WebDesigner.WW alongside setup.exe in the directory root, customized it, and everything worked fine. No need for switches, nada. My config.xml looks like this: <Configuration Product="WebDesigner"> <Display Level="basic" CompletionNotice="no" SuppressModal="no" AcceptEula="yes" /> <!-- <Logging Type="standard" Path="%temp%" Template="Microsoft Expression Web Designer Setup(*).txt" /> --> <PIDKEY Value="AAAAABBBBBCCCCCDDDDDEEEEE" /> <!-- <USERNAME Value="Customer" /> --> <!-- <COMPANYNAME Value="MyCompany" /> --> <!-- <INSTALLLOCATION Value="%programfiles%\Microsoft Expression" /> --> <!-- <LIS CACHEACTION="CacheOnly" /> --> <!-- <SOURCELIST Value="\\server1\share\Expression;\\server2\share\Expression" /> --> <!-- <DistributionPoint Location="\\server\share\Expression" /> --> <!-- <OptionState Id="OptionID" State="absent" Children="force" /> --> <Setting Id="Reboot" Value="ReallySuppress" /> <!-- <Command Path="msiexec.exe" Args="/i \\server\share\my.msi" QuietArg="/q" ChainPosition="after" Execute="install" /> --> </Configuration>Nice.

Some folks over at the Adobe forum note that you can get the Reader 9 installer sans Adobe.com and Adobe Air HERE. Download the AdbeRdr90_en_US_Std.exe installer. Here's my AutoIt script to install unattendedly, arrange icons, get rid of the EULA nag, and remove "speed launcher" from Run: RunWait ( @ScriptDir & '\AdbeRdr90_en_US_Std.exe /sPB /rs') FileDelete( @ProgramsCommonDir & "\Adobe Reader*.lnk") FileDelete( @DesktopCommonDir & "\Adobe Reader*.lnk") FileCreateShortcut(@ProgramFilesDir & "\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe", @ProgramsCommonDir & "\Accessories\Adobe Reader 9.lnk") RegWrite('HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\9.0\AdobeViewer', 'TrustedMode', 'REG_DWORD', '00000000') RegWrite('HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\9.0\AdobeViewer', 'EULA', 'REG_DWORD', '00000001') RegWrite('HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\9.0\AdobeViewer', 'Launched', 'REG_DWORD', '00000001') RegWrite('HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\9.0\AdobeViewer', 'EULA', 'REG_DWORD', '00000001') RegWrite('HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\9.0\AdobeViewer', 'Launched', 'REG_DWORD', '00000001') RegDelete('HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run', 'Adobe Reader Speed Launcher') Edited for typos.

Oh . . . my . . . goodness. My sincere thanks, Green, wouldn't have been able to do this so seemlessly without your insights. I'm running all of this post-install, no need to update CDs.

Yep, ditto with Project and Visio. You doubtless have license to them, but they are on separate discs.

Not everybody, Gosh. I was glad to see you return to MSFN recently after a lengthy hiatus. I read every word you post. Your willingness--and that of a handful of other gurus--to share your expertise throughout the years made MSFN what it is today. The newbies come and go, but the learners keep their MSFN bookmarks handy. I'm one of them and I thank you.

5.6 here on Vista Business x64. Good news is that I can go 45nm Quad when they become available and could always pop in a different graphics card. 5.9 is the top rating available at this time, if I understand correctly.

Testing on three heavily infected machines in one week about a year ago did it for me. After installing and updating Symentec AV Corp 10, I ran a scan in safe mode. When the result proved significantly less than satisfactory, I loaded up AVG Free, updated, and scanned in safe mode. Results? Night and day . . . one machine in particular still took about three minutes to get past all the viruses and pop-ups after the Symantec scan, but booted cleanly after AVG did its stuff. The Symantec scan revealed only one repeat one issue and claimed to have taken care of it. AVG found 106 issues, to include the one reported by Symantec. Clearly, it took care of them. The machine was running great again. Let's see . . . expensive program that doesn't work or free program that kicks it. Is this a trick question? I've been using AVG ever since and have never looked back. You know Norton works? Take the Pepsi challenge and report back. But our IT consultant sticks to Symantec at my school (he doesn't sell AVG). "Oh, virus problesm? Well, we're running Symantec." As if that makes everything better. So we continue to use Symantec on the teacher and staff machines, but I've been insisting on AVG on the student machines. Guess who suffers from virus-related issues? Yup. AVG uses about 3MB combined, whereas Symantec uses about 60MB. Our machines are running XP Pro with 512MB total. It kills me that Symantec requires such a large bite. Teachers and staff complain about their machines, whereas the students are coasting. While I was writing this, AVG popped up a message saying it's virus database had just been updated. I clicked the OK button. Such a bother.

No. 1 You can edit the Installer.hta file found in the Common directory (and keep a backup, of course). No. 2 No brilliant ideas here, I think maybe leave excellent enough alone.

Answers to 1 & 3: yes. If you are comfortable editing HTML, then you can open the relevant files found in the themes directory to revamp WPI's layout completely if desired. The JavaScript files can also be tweaked. Play with it, but make certain you keep a backup handy.