Tripredacus

Yesterday we have gotten in an order of 3 machines that the customer wants to have XP Pro SP2 loaded onto them. We normally use a CD and a Distribution Share to install XP. These machines do not have CD Drives, or CD Drive support, and will not detect a USB CD Drive. While we may still have the option of installing XP via a USB Key, there is still another option which would be more beneficial to us in the future. We are also battling with the fact that we cannot reference the winbom.ini from the WinPE 2.0 to do an unattended install of XP from PXE similar to how we can do that with Vista. If anyone has any info on this instead, it may help. First let me tell you what I did. I started the install of XP on ANOTHER computer (my test computer). It formats the drive, downloads the CFGSET and then copies the Source files to the drive. The computer reboots and enters textmode. After that is finished, I turned the computer off. I then hooked it up to my test WDS and uploaded the drive image. I drop the image to the target machine, and reboot, and Setup starts and fails at the x7b error meaning the MassStorage driver is wrong. I have mounted the WIM but do not know how to put more drivers into it. Any ideas?

First of all, take a look at this guide: http://www.msfn.org/board/GUIDE-Creating-W...-X-t101383.html When you press F12, there is a virtual network driver loaded by your computer's BIOS that enables TCP/IP and other things, and knows how to boot to the network. Presuming your PXE Server is set up properly, you should be able to boot into the PE or whatever else you are selecting. For example, if you are using Image Manager, you should get a prompt for which install images to apply. If you are booting into the PE (like I do), then the PE will attempt to load the NIC driver from its own driver store when you run WPEUtil InitializeNetwork. If your NIC driver isn't found, it won't give you an error, but if you run IPCONFIG you won't see any information. You can install more drivers into the PE with the PEIMG command on the server using the PE Tools Command Prompt. Make sure you are using either Vista 32bit or Vista 64bit drivers depending on which PE you are using. I also have a server guide here to make sure your settings are correct. My config may be slightly different but you will get the idea hopefully. http://www.msfn.org/board/A-Step-by-Step-g...-f-t113927.html

That is, if you want to keep things as cheap as possible. Am I wrong in thinking that Wireless-N (or Pre-N) hardware operates at a frequency not affected by these household devices? I remember being at a Cisco seminar and the rep was speaking about how they had a wireless technology that was available and operated outside the range that affects 802.11b. How many ports is up to you. If you are running wires through walls, you are going to want to plan ahead for future expansion. But if you aren't being so creative then you can get anything you want. So let's say you have 6 computers, you'd probably want a 8 port switch. They typically come in standard sizes, like 4, 8, 12, 16, 24, etc. But its not just your computers. You are going to run a setup like this: Cable/DSL Modem -> router -> switch The router can handle your wireless machines, like notebooks or whatever else. So all your hardlines connect into the switch, and you need to do a +1 because one cable will go to the router too. So an 8 port switch would work fine with 6 wired computers + a switch. As far as the brand goes, try to stick to a popular brand (they have better support and warranties) such as Linksys, 3Com or Netgear. You'll want a 10/100 speed (sometimes called auto-sensing) switch because the ports in the modem won't be higher than 100, and you probably aren't getting internet service anywhere near 10. It doesn't matter if you have newer computers with a gigabit NIC in them, unless you are going to be doing heavy file transfers a lot. Also, make sure you are looking at a switch and NOT a hub. They are different, and they will be labelled as such on the box, especially if you get one of the brands I listed above. So here's a summary 10/100 Switch, with at least 2 more ports than you are going to need, and made by Linksys, 3Com or Netgear.

I can't find specs on these notebooks, probably because they are old. You need to find out what NICs are actually in them first. Do they have Windows on them already? If so you can get this info out of the device manager. Look at the Hardware ID on the Details tab of the NIC properties. Then post the VEN, DEV and SUBSYS numbers. Alternatively, you can run PCISCAN from DOS to get the hardware IDs for the NICs. After getting this information, you can do a string search against the LAN Driverpacks. Although Driverpacks is xp32 not vista64, after finding which XP driver it uses, you might be able to find a Vista driver to use with your PE. http://driverpacks.net/DriverPacks/DriverPack.php?pag=l Website that has PCI SCAN

Are you trying to just add the computer to the domain or have the 2k3 server be a backup domain controller?

The recovery CD it makes is not a Windows install disc. It only makes a bootable DVD that contains a backup of the recovery partition. Your notebook should have some tools you can get to from the start menu, look in the HP folder or maybe its on that Welcome screen that they use. That tool should make the DVD for you.

If you have a Type-II PC Card slot (PCMCIA) you might be able to find one of those hard disk controllers to go in there. I know Adaptec used to make one, since it used to come with the external Iomega drives... Zip or Jaz, I forget.

Does Trillian support Live yet?

I only know of trialware for such purposes. And those are Total Video Converter and any graphics program capable of editing animated gifs like Fireworks, ImageReady, PSP or whatever.

You can't just copy those files out of there. I'm pretty sure files in Recycler are just shortcuts and not actual files. They need to be restored on the original computer. The problem is that they are going to be pointing to data on the hard-drive that doesn't exist now that you are using a different hard drive.

Ha! I'd like to see a Pentium 4 with 3DNow!!

I wrote a similar guide here: http://www.msfn.org/board/A-Step-by-Step-g...-f-t113927.html The process for Server 2008 is very similar to 2003, but some things are just in different places.

and make sure you use /unmount commit when you are done. If you don't use the commit, it won't save your changes.

Round 3 - Ray Charles OK I am starting to get annoyed/confused. Last time I tried to use an X-Fi PCI card in a Vista image (Business) it blew up and I had to recreate the image no less than 8 times. This time everything is working.... It might be because I am using an MSI board now instead of an Intel one, but all the other hardware/drivers are the same. So anyways, here are the results of installing the MSI Chipset INF, onboard sound and Video card drivers. Video card drivers are nVidia 175.19. All three of these situations passed: Test 6 Software: Creative SoundBlaster X-FI PCI driver package XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079 Sysprep method: sysprep -audit -restart errors: none result: PASS Test 7 Software: Creative SoundBlaster X-FI PCI driver package XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079 Sysprep method: sysprep -audit -restart -generalize errors: none result: PASS This test (7) had the following other results: - X-Fi driver was blown away but sound worked at startup. Windows prompted for software and it installed automatically. - video artifacts (incorrect colors, inverted gradients) appeared on the dock, the clock and the clock's transparency alpha layer was visible. This corrected after a reboot. - The Realtek HD Audio driver was removed. Test 8 Software: Creative SoundBlaster X-FI PCI driver package XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079 Sysprep method: sysprep -oobe -restart errors: none result: PASS Windows Defender blocked Nero Startup (setupx.exe) which is a program that prompts the user to complete the registration. I used a silent install of Nero 8 in the image so we do not have to type in the serial number. The method used is similar to installing the demo silently, but this is the full version instead. This is interesting because the OOBE method did not block the Nero Startup app without the video and motherboard drivers installed. My next test will be the same as this round, but to do the complete job. This means installing the two other sound cards, and verify if they work simultaneously. I will do a generalize but I might have to reinstall some stuff, like the onboard audio. I was really hoping for more errors here, but it is beginning to look like there are certain motherboards where its software conflicts with the Sound Blaster software. This is good to know, at least, but this also means we will have to re-evaluate the X-Fi card with all of our motherboards with Vista...

A couple other things I'd like to note about the image. It is a generalized image and has OfficeReady (Office 2007 60 day trial) and Nero 8 Essentials Suite 2 pre-installed. Round 2 - Harry Belafonte Test 3 Software: Creative SoundBlaster X-FI PCI driver package XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079 Sysprep method: sysprep -audit -restart errors: none result: PASS Test 4 Software: Creative SoundBlaster X-FI PCI driver package XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079 Sysprep method: sysprep -audit -restart -generalize errors: 1 ERR01: This error was actually present in all the tests, and can be fixed with Service Pack 1. There is also a VSS (Volume Shadow-Copy Service) error that appears but I won't be listing it. Source: ACPI Event ID: 6 Description: IRQARB: ACPI BIOS does not contain an IRQ for the device in PCI Slot 0, function 0. result: PASS Test 5 Software: Creative SoundBlaster X-FI PCI driver package XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079 Sysprep method: sysprep -oobe -restart errors: none result: PASS Next up, Same process as above, but install all drivers. Since this driver package caused the errors before and I am not getting them now. So I will do these again but with the video card and motherboard drivers and see what happens.

As of right now, I am going through a testing regiment concerning the use of Creative Labs' SoundBlaster software in Vista's Audit mode. We cannot sell computers to customers that want Vista and an X-Fi card of any sort, unless we can agree to certain delivery methods that I won't get into. Here is the facts that we can start with: 1. Creative Labs does not test their sound cards with the on-board audio enabled or another sound card present. 2. Creative Labs does not support the above configuration. 3. Creative Labs' primary customer focus is the end user and not system builders. 4. The X-Fi drivers (stand-alone) and/or software suite does not survive Sysprep from Vista Audit mode. Here is the current hardware configuration: - MSI G31M3-F motherboard - Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 3GHz CPU - 2GB PC2-2400 DDR2 533MHz RAM - nVidia GeForce 7300 LE PCI-Express x16 - PCI Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy 24bit - PCI Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi - PCI 1x Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi - Windows Vista Ultimate There are multiple issue with this config. The first is that the drivers for the PCI-E X-Fi are not made available on Creative's website. Oh I know what you are thinking, yes there are drivers you can download there... This card supports Vista x32 and x64 and XP Pro x64, but the drivers from the website will not actually install the INF for the card in ANY of the OSes listed. Only the CD the card comes with works. This config also originally had 2 PCI X-Fi cards in it, but they weren't playing properly. When different sound sources (CD or MP3) were used at the same time, the audio got all garbled and started playing too fast. The customer informed us that they had gotten a similar (ie XP Pro x32 with SB Live cards) config working fine. I talked to our Creative rep, and while he couldn't actually help me out, he did say "maybe there is a problem using the same driver" which is why there is an Audigy card in the config now. As a test, I loaded up the PC with Windows XP Pro x64, and installed all the drivers. Using Winamp and a program called MK1, I was able to successfully play multiple files through multiple soundcards simultaneously without a problem. However the issue is that the customer did not order XP 64bit, although we might change his mind. So right now I am testing the process of installing Vista Business 32bit, which works the same as Ultimate as far as sysprep goes, only because I have a generalized image of it up on the WDS and I don't for Ultimate. The bottom line here is that when you install the X-Fi software in Audit mode, and then run a sysprep, choosing generalize or not, or choosing OOBE or Audit on reboot, Windows has some problems. Those problems (from memory) are: 1. drivers and/or software are removed after unseal/welcome 2. Windows reports error and prompts for reinstall. 3. Windows reports error with SB software and prompts for reinstall. 4. Windows never completes the sysprep phase. This thread is to be used to document all testing results. Products to be tested are the SB Audigy software, X-Fi PCI and X-Fi PCI-E software and Sysprep. I should note now that using Service Pack 1 does not change the results, although I will likely be testing this out also. Process - shared - Deploy Vista Business x32 image from network using PXE/WDS - Unseal image - install sound card software and restart - verify sound card can play an MP3 using customer supplied software - check for errors - reseal using posted method - step through welcome, restart and retest software - document errors Test 1 Software: Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 24bit driver package SB24_VTDRV_LB_1_04_0077 Sysprep method: sysprep -audit -restart errors: none result: PASS Test 2 Software: Creative SoundBlaster Audigy 24bit driver package SB24_VTDRV_LB_1_04_0077 Sysprep method: sysprep -oobe -restart errors: none result: PASS I am working on the third test now. I may also consider retesting all results using -generalize pass as well. Comments, ideas, whatever are welcome.

OK for some stupid reason the driver is on the CD but not the website... We usually don't use CD drivers because they are typically out of date.

Well the SP2, did you get it from Windows Update, or run it separately, or from a CD? If you ran just the actual file, it will have "-x64" instead of "-x86" in the filename. I didn't actually install the 32bit Sp2 myself, one of my co-workers saved me from that. So I don't know if the 32bit would error out saying it was not supported, or if it would just install anyways. Either way, since you removed it I don't know if it even matters now. You can try to run the recovery console and restore the affected file from your original OS CD... that is if your admin account has a password.

Did you install the Service Pack 2 for 64bit? I almost installed a 32bit SP2 on 64bit XP yesterday.

I am having trouble finding a driver for the following: Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi PCI Express Windows XP Professional SP2 64bit This website says it is supported http://us.creative.com/products/product.as...16770&nav=3 But I cannot find any drivers to let it install. The 0001 is for Vista only.

The current driver package I am using is XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079. And a folder path: E:\drivers\Creative\XFXA_PCDRV_LB_1_04_0079\Drivers\xp\Win2k_xp Is where the INF file is located. You can extract out this driver package using WinRaR... Or maybe I have a slightly different driver package than you do. I've been doing some research today and that folder layout you are referring to is in the SB Audigy package.

Do you think the requirements will be similar to San Andreas? I'd really like to be able to play this before I can build my new computer.

I've used a few of the ones in that list, but after a couple years of battling spyware, I was able to determine how to deal with them without those programs. Currently, my computer hasn't had spyware on it for well over a year, because I am careful about how I do things on the internet. My favorite apps for dealing with spyware (on other people's computers) are: File Monitor, Process Explorer, NTFSDOS and Regedit.

I do not use any anti-virus. The last time I had anti-virus was an old version of McAfee that ran off a floppy disk (boot disk) way back in 1997. Since this time I have only gotten 2 viruses, and those were ones that I had installed myself to see how to remove them. My computers are always setup to for maximum security and I do not allow anyone else to use them. I usually recommend people to use Panda, because you can get it free for a year, although I wish they had a lite-version since it adds like 9 processes to Windows.

Well what you can do is have 2 user accounts: a limited user account and an administrator account. The admin account would be for the tech and have a password on it. The limited user can have a password, use autologon or not. Then assign a Group Policy to the limited user account to be applied at startup. This can lock out the keyboard and mouse for this user, and if a reboot is made, you could log on as the admin account and make corrections. Of course, you are going to need to be running XP Pro, Vista Business or Vista Ultimate, or another OS but the computer and users would have to be added to the active directory (domain).