Shotgun

Have you tried: option 1: notice the double quotes instead of single quotes. option 2: I don't know if XML supports it, but you might try to "escape" the needed & by writing &&. option 3: use the MSDOS 8.3 short name instead of the long name. You can open a command prompt window and CD to the Start Menu\Programs folder, then do a DIR /X to see the short names associated with each file.

Please add me to the list for people who want to use this for Win2k

Count me in!

I was recently looking for a way to download the latest hotfixes for both Windows 2000 and XP Pro, and a way to effectively deploy them in our LAN. I found out that GFI Languard Security Scanner has a feature that it can scan your network PCs to check for missing hotfixes, and offers to download and deploy them thru your LAN. Since I regularly update my Unattended CDs, this feature alone made this software really useful for me. It is a really no-brainer way to download the current hotfixes. One thing I noticed is that GFI LSS downloads the full hotfixes, not the "express" version, so it is really useful if you make Unattended installation CDs regularly.

Or... drill a hole in a monitor tube (e.g. the screen) and fill it with black powder. That would be a REALLY nice blockbuster for July 4!

Wow! Thanks alanoll Where can I get the docs that explain those options further? I mean, the docs/readme where you got that. I would really like to explore the extended return codes. Can they be used in a batch/cmd script?

Over 200 views and still no answers!

I'm been using PM to monitor my unattended installs and to obtain the command-line parameters that MS uses to install certain things. Now I've hit a rock in the road with those 2 parameters that seem to be undocumented. Haven't found anything on those on google or MS Knowledge base. Can someone please clarify what -ER -PA does?

While using a proggie called Process Mate (a freeware task manager), I found out that it can give the path of the running processes as well as the parameters used to start them. I used WindowsUpdate to check my Windows 2000 SP4 IE6 SP1 install, and found I needed about 4 updates. Using Process Mate I noticed that the hotfixes were called using the following parameters: -q /Z -ER -PAfor example: WINDOWS2000-KB837001-X86-ENU-express.EXE -q /Z -ER -PAWINDOWS2000-KB828741-X86-ENU-express.EXE -q /Z -ER -PAWINDOWS2000-KB835732-X86-ENU-express.EXE -q /Z -ER -PAI know what the -q and /Z parameters do... but does anyone know what those other two parameters (-ER -PA) do? I tried running the hotfix files (found under the C:\WUTemp folder) directly at the command prompt using /? to check the parameters, but those parameters are not listed in the parameters help window.

J-lo and Pam Anderson both are too burnt-out! (Excesive in-your-nose propaganda every few seconds about them! arrrrgh)

Angelina Jolie, April Lavigne, Christy Carlson Romano... mmm!

@X-U Look at the Dell Tools subdir in your Hard Disk. On my Dell Optiplex GX-1 at work we found in that subdir an utility that could read the service tag from the command prompt. I don't know if the Dell Support website has a download for it. Edit: Just checked the Dell website. They have a download for the utility. It's called SVCTAG.EXE, just search for it in the website. A word of caution, the utility will not run under windows (or a command prompt window), it must run under MSDOS (Real mode?). It detects if running from multitasking environment, so it must be used from a boot floppy (or CD).

Here's mine: Yep. That's me.

I have worked for over 10 years with computers, and no glasses or headaches here either. At one time, I worked with 7 monitors very near me (monitoring those old, washing-machine like servers), and that was for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for about 3 1/2 years. No ill effects or anything else. As someone mentioned, it WAS those Green/amber monitors (circa 1984) that did not have anti-glare screen coverings, lead protection or degaussing coils within. Those were the ones that consumed as much power as a small radiator, and they generated a lot of EMI, and heat. Those were really harmful, gladly the technology has advanced and that is not the case any more. The ones made now consume less power than a Home Theater and don't generate as much heat as the older ones did.

Forgot to mention that the output from DATE and TIME can be redirected to another program or to a file.

This works for Windows NT and up: DATE /T outputs the current date TIME /T outputs the current time

You really believe that! I work at an university, and they still have PCs with Windows 3.0 !!!! The previous university I worked with had PCs with DOS 3.0! And they wonder why students "hack" their PCs all the time. p.d.: Not the whole campus, but some departments are somewhat cheap-minded and they want to "squeeze" the maximum life of their systems. Try to explain "technology development" to those guys!

ABC for me!

I use something similar, but this is for all users of that PC: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\5.0\Cache\Content] "CacheLimit"=dword:0000A000 [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Cache\Content] "CacheLimit"=dword:0000A000 This sets it at A000 (hex) which is 40,960 (KB) in decimal. About 40 MB. Play with the scientific mode in calc to get your equivalent HEX value for the size you need. 2 MB = 2,048 KB = 0800 Hex -> dword:00000800 in the mentioned reg keys

My dad STILL has a working, IBM XT clone! MS-DOS 3.30, no windows. He still uses it for writing out letters and some number-crunching (taxes? anyone?) with AS-EASY-AS (shareware). He still has an Epson FX-286e printer (he re-inks his cartridges himself). So I guess he has the oldest PC! He mostly uses his Pentium 4-1Ghz PC (Windows 98!!! ) but still uses the old "frankie" PC for simple stuff. It boots to command prompt in less than 30 seconds!. hehehe A year ago I still had a working 386-DX-40 Mhz MoBo, but since I bought my current PC a 960 Mhz Pentium III PC with 256 MB RAM and 80GB HD, I kinda "donated" it to one of my cousins who's in a vocational school. Everytime I see my dad working in the old PC, I joke him about donating it to the Smithsonian or to an antique shop.

Wooohooooo!! Finally, the options given in Skyfrog's post (first link) worked! Finally got the thing to install! I used ie5setup.exe /q /c:"ie4wzd /I:Y /M:0" Thanks to all!

Strange... Both IE 5 setups I tried did not display the Install Now or Customize options. From what I see, they try to connect first and (i think) show the options after that.

Downloaded and they're exactly the same (same cab files). I even tried to install IE 5.01 from an old MS Office CD. The setup insists on contacting MS Download locations and they NO longer have the IE 5 files, so the setup aborts with an error "Could not contact download locations".

@Skyfrog: Already done that. This is what I get: I know there was a parameter within the /C:<CMD> option, but I can't find it anywhere. I know I read something about disabling setup from connecting to the Internet if all install files where present.

@p4killer: Actually, the evolt website copy is just an archive of the files that used to be in the MS website. Since they're not longer there, I downloaded mine from them. I know I also had one of those IE CDs that came with many Win95 PCs, but right now nobody seems to have any left or they already trashed them away. Mine was lost, so downloading it was my last option. The problem is that I have all the installation files, but since ie5setup and ie5wzd try to contact MS Download sites (to check missing files), the install aborts "Setup could not contact download sites". Since the IE5 files are NO LONGER there in the MS website, how can I install without the setup trying to connect to the Internet? I read a long time ago there was some command line parameter to disable setup from connecting to the Internet to try to contact MS Download sites, but I can't remember/find it. Anybody know what it should be? I know it exists, but can't seem to find what it was. I know it disabled setup from accesing the Internet and verifying the files.