atolica

HP is probably using an imaging system. Why do you need to locate those files? What are you trying to do? Does the recovery procedure fail ? Which one are you trying (disk or recovery partition)? Are you trying to make your own disk ? Yes to the last question. I finally made an HP OEM Windows XP SP3 cd with the original oem pk, everything went fine. It shows a genuine oem installation like fresh out of the factory. HP recovery partition is a waste of space so I erased it. No more hp junk.

I know they aren't typical install cds, but shouldn't be some refference of the pk on one of those two discs? Or on th hp_recovery partition??!? No winnt.sif, no unattend.txt. Ho does that os activate if the c drive gets formatted and the os reinstalled by booting the 1st dvd. I didn't figure this out yet. The same for F11 hp_recovery process. What I can understand is probably in the HP world, "format C:" is not an option. You have to start the recovery process either by F11 or booting off the dvd. Then the pk, winnt.sif are backed up from the existing installation and used for the new install. Else there should be some reference to the pk either on the discs or the on the recovery partition. atolica

WHAT is the "pk"? jaclaz product key

Hi all I just formatted my old OEM HP dv5000's hard drive and didn't thought doing a backup of the oembios files, winnt.sif or unattend.txt, but I did backup the pk. The oembios files I can get, but where the heck are the winnt.sif, unattened.txt on the recovery disk or the HP recovery partition??? There nowhere to be found. Did a good search and they aren't there. How does HP calls this a backup partition if the files used for unattened installation are missing. What does HP use? I really need those two files. Can anyone help me out? Thank you.

Can anyone please upload OEMBIOS.CAT and the rest of the OEMBIOS files from a Windows Xp Home French SP3 cd/install? I reinstalled the OS for a friend and forgot to backup the oembios files and now it won't activate. I installed the retail cd. Thanks.

Get access to a 32 bit Windows 7 or install Windows 7 in vmware or virtualbox and do the needed operations in there. Copy bootmgr to the host os and you're done. atolica

How can you tell I didn't select the right sources folder?!?! Of course I did. The Windows 7 source files don't have to be in the se7en_ua folder, that's why I'm asked to select the bootmgr so the files can get copied.

@myselfidem I tested the previous version I had on my drive, that actually WORKS and saw that now. @maxxpsoft Your latest version throws me these errors.

Ok, just downloaded your se7en_ua. Is there a way to replace %SystemDrive%\APPS from Appswitch.dat with the dvd path? I don't want the apps copied to the disk. edit:error plus Runtime Error 5

Didn't work Isn't there a way to just enter the Audit mode via Autounattend.xml simmilar to running SHIFt+F10 , install all the apps FROM the DVD, and enter the oobe welcome page? Nothing that I had tried works. I know there's a way, there is always a way.

Nothing new.

No \ cannot stand for that you would need full path. above cmd only returns drive root F: %MEDIA%\sources\loop.cmd which means F:\sources\loop.cmd You don't understand. That's what I want to achieve. You said I have to put the loop command that Mr Jinje posted (updated for Win 7) for %%i in (C: D: E: F: G: H: I: J: K: L: M: N: O: P: Q: R: S: T: U: V: W: X: Y: Z:) do if exist %%i\sources\install.wim set MEDIA=%%i ECHO %MEDIA% inside a batch file (loop.cmd). Thw whole purpose of the loop.cmd is to search for a drive that you want because you can determine that by adding AppsRoot.txt or as Mr Jinje's command, the drive that has a sources folder that contains install.wim. It can be anything. How could I add then : F:\sources\loop.cmd ?!?!? I've noticed the loop command has two lines and an Echo line-I know all about ECHO. My goal is to be able for the xml to detect the media,( flash drive, etc) so it could call the synchronous command. So what is the right syntax for running the loop.cmd batch file from within the xml? F:\ is not a constant drive so that's why I need the loop command, to search for \sources\install.wim or AppsRoot.txt and then run the apps batch installers from the Install folder on the dvd root. My issue is with the 2nd line of the loop command (if that really is a 2nd line or a formatting error?!?!) "ECHO %MEDIA%". Is the command: for %%i in (C: D: E: F: G: H: I: J: K: L: M: N: O: P: Q: R: S: T: U: V: W: X: Y: Z:) do if exist %%i\sources\install.wim set MEDIA=%%i ECHO %MEDIA% that can be added as it is in the Autounattend.xml !??! OR for %%i in (C: D: E: F: G: H: I: J: K: L: M: N: O: P: Q: R: S: T: U: V: W: X: Y: Z:) do if exist %%i\sources\install.wim set MEDIA=%%i ECHO %MEDIA% as two lines inside loop.cmd? I hope I was pretty clear. Thanks.

Doesn't matter. On the root of the dvd or in the 'sources' folder. Either way. I added \loop.cmd as a synchronous command as '\' stands for the sources folder.

The batch file is suppose to run with "cmd /c" command? If I understand corectly the xml logic, I have to put the *.cmd iside the 'sources' folder and add : or can I just add ? It will recognize the '\' as the full path to the 'sources' folder. Am I correct?

that's a good one bra- I did exactly as you say, "EXCEPT" I did it differently. LOL. I guess this will detect the "install.wim" on your DVD. Give it a go. for %%i in (C: D: E: F: G: H: I: J: K: L: M: N: O: P: Q: R: S: T: U: V: W: X: Y: Z:) do if exist %%i\sources\install.wim set MEDIA=%%i ECHO %MEDIA% But to be honest, I cannot figure out why you are wasting your time to script these installs at all. You clearly state in your first post that after the installation of these apps you plan to sysprep, generalize, oobe + shutdown + image the machine. To me it seems you can install all your apps and sysprep then after you capture your image that will be that. Or are you trying to install these applications on the first boot of every machine that gets this image ? (which defeats the purpose of sysprep under certain circumstances) MrJinje Is this the correct syntax for the RunOnceEx loop command? "for %%i in (C: D: E: F: G: H: I: J: K: L: M: N: O: P: Q: R: S: T: U: V: W: X: Y: Z:) do if exist %%i\sources\install.wim set MEDIA=%%i ECHO %MEDIA%"

Thank you for all your clarifying answers. So if I add another synchronous command after AuditUser.cmd in audituser pass, will it work? Because if I just the command sysprep /audit...., the setup breaks and I don't know why.

Sorry I missed that. So AuditUser.cmd calls "%systemroot%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /oobe /reboot /quiet /unattend:OOBEAudit.xml" which calls oobe pass and then it reseals it in Auditmode? What does OOBEAudit.xml do? At what pass do you enter the synchronous commands for silent apps installation? audituser or auditsystem? "cmd /c %AppsRoot%\Install\AdReader9\silent.cmd" for example? I also have a "cmd /c "FOR %i IN (C D E F G H I J K L N M O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) DO IF EXIST %i:\AppsRoot.txt SETX AppsRoot %i: -m"" command for RunOnceEx.cmd. Is this necessary for your setup? I guess not as you're running everything from the %systemdrive%. I want my apps installed from the DVD though. I want to use RunOnceEx.cmd from CD method. Your Se7en_UA is copying all the apps and drivers to the root drive.

I got that, but what does the AuditUser.cmd contain? Does it run sysprep /audit or what does it do?

Can you share AuditUser.cmd please? Do you still have it?

@maxXPsoft If I add a synchronous command to the specialize pass "%WINDIR%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet /audit" the setup hangs with a Sysprep 3.14 error: Title: System Preparation Tool 3.14 Information: A fatal error occurred while trying to sysprep the machine. So there's no way of entering audit mode from the specialize pass. What does your AuditUser.cmd do? Can you post the content, or do you have it stored somewhere? Can you also please post your Autounattend.xml and other xml you have? I'd like to analyze them. See there's the problem I've been having since ever. I am forced to activate the Administrator account which by default it is disabled. After I activate it and install the apps in audit mode I can't deactivate it and the autologon proceeds with the Administrator account and not with the local account I have set up(admin group). I tried running net user administrator /active:no, but it won't take it.

I just saw mentioned briefly on a few sites that since Vista SP1 there's no more way of running Audit mode from the specialize pass. Don't know why. My intention was to run: "%WINDIR%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /quiet /audit" from the specialize pass go into Audit mode and then run Synchronous command: "\%AppsRoot%\Install\App1\silent.cmd" and so forth. It seems MS dropped this method and now requires resealing the install during oobe pass (Microsoft-Windows-Deployment ) and from there going into Audit mode.

I guess I didn't introduce myself I've been dealing with RunOnceEx.cmd and unattended installations since Windows XP SP 0. I've read most of the technet documentation so I guess I am not going to do that again. Technet is not of the friendliest places to be. I just put some simple questions for some issues I had in installing applications using Firegeir's vista guide and I expected some simple answers. I know that RunOnceEx.cmd can be run for Windows 7(doh). I'm a long time user of MDT. What I wanted to know was, when's the right time to run synchronous commands for installing applications from withing Autounattend.xml? My previous runs with that were unsuccessful. And what you said "if you just do a little learning about Runoncex" is uncalled for as I know what I'm talking here, I've been "here" before, probably more often than you. Maybe I can teach you a thing or two. I am not shouting for help, help, help as most of noobs do. Thanks but no thanks. 7UA is the worst app that does what it claims it does. Are you for real??!?! Unbelievable. Loose the tone buddy! I guess I'm back to testing and testing.

Tried that, but sorry to say it's a b***h to work with. Unfriendly interface and undocumented.

Sorry to ask dumb questions, but what post are you referring to?

I'd like to install all the apps and then syprep /oobe /generalize the machine so the user will be prompted by the the welcome screen and the new user account gets created. his way all the applications, mostly FF and some generic apps. So I don't know when is the right time to install the applications? Specialize or oobe pass? @maxXPsoft Icon Why wouldn't it? The specialize pass I mean. Never worked for me in the past, also. Maybe auditpass? I am testing this tomorrow. @Mrjinje I gave up using vlite, it breaks too many things. I stuck to Autounattend.xml.