Image Reboots continually after deployment

[sdub]

Reboots over and over after image is loaded to hard drive.

This is a great process and I really appreciate that you have put it together. I'm having a problem where the workstation continuously reboots after the image is loaded. I know I don't have a sysprep issue because after I first captured the image, I rebooted and it came up perfectly. Now when I try to reload the wim file on the same system, it just keeps rebooting. Has anyone else seen anything like this?

S dub

[IcemanND]

Will your image boot to safe mode?

Did you make any driver additions to your xp image? Did you use a modified cd when you loaded XP?

[sdub]

It will not even boot to safe mode. It goes through and loads all the drivers and then just stops and reboots. It's so bizarre because the "source" image that I captured the wim file from loads just fine. I have been able to duplicate this issue on multiple systems and with different load processes. In one I am using a sysprep.inf with several mass storage drivers. Another one I am using the evaluation version of UIU. Same results either way.

I did add extra drivers and I did use a modified XP CD. However, the fact that the source image works tends to point to the imagex process as being the issue.

I'm going to try doing this with just an out of the box XP SP2 build with no sysprep and see if the same thing happens...

[sdub]

It actually goes through the mini-setup wizard okay. After that that it just keeps rebooting.

[IcemanND]

sdub - I split your topic out as I don't think it has anything to do with the imaging process. Hopefully we can get some more answers and insight this way.

The only thing I have seen that soes this is when there is a corrupted driver or it doesn't like the mass storage controller.

[cluberti]

Or if you image an Intel machine and restore to an AMD machine (or to an Intel box with a totally different chipset). What was the source machine (the source of the .wim) and what is/are the destination machine(s)?

[IcemanND]

Oh yeah, forgot about that one. Don't see many AMD boxes here anymore. Almost entirely an Intel shop now.

[sdub]

I am using the exact same machine for both the build and the testing. I built the system, did some basic configuration, then ran sysprep.

I booted to PE and captured the wim file. Then I rebooted the system. That wim file should mirror what is currently on the hard drive. The system boots fine and works great.

Then I go back to PE, wipe the disk with diskpart, and load the wim file. The system boots to the mini-setup wizard, goes through fine, but then it won't load windows. It just keeps rebooting and coming up prompting to load safe mode. Even when I go to safe mode it does the same thing.

[cluberti]

Wow, that's awesome (/sarcasm). OK, so removing the image and plopping it back down didn't work, so how did you capture the WIM? If the sysprep worked (rebooting it and it worked) then it's something to do with either the WIM capture, or the WIM laydown back onto the disk that's the problem. How exactly did you capture the box?

[sdub]

I captured the image by booting to Windows PE on a flash drive. Then I ran ImageX to capture the image to the flash drive.

So now I have a wim file sitting on a flash drive, and the original is still on the hard drive. I reboot to the hard drive, and everything loads wonderully. I then apply the wim file back the hard drive, and it has issues. I have been through the same process about 10 times, on two different boxes and I keep encountering the same thing.

I'm assuming I have an issue with the mass storage drivers right now. I am going to try and pull them out of my sysprep.inf and see what happens. I should note that I captured the image without running sysprep and it reloaded fine which indicates that the wim transfer process is sound.

[sdub]

And if you're wondering why I'm doing this, I am testing the imagex process for building xp images across an enterprise. We're currently using Ghost quite successfully and I would like to make this transition.

[cluberti]

I captured the image by booting to Windows PE on a flash drive. Then I ran ImageX to capture the image to the flash drive.

So now I have a wim file sitting on a flash drive, and the original is still on the hard drive. I reboot to the hard drive, and everything loads wonderully. I then apply the wim file back the hard drive, and it has issues. I have been through the same process about 10 times, on two different boxes and I keep encountering the same thing.

I'm assuming I have an issue with the mass storage drivers right now. I am going to try and pull them out of my sysprep.inf and see what happens. I should note that I captured the image without running sysprep and it reloaded fine which indicates that the wim transfer process is sound.

Yeah, that pretty much leaves the mass storage drivers section.

[sdub]

I captured the image by booting to Windows PE on a flash drive. Then I ran ImageX to capture the image to the flash drive.

So now I have a wim file sitting on a flash drive, and the original is still on the hard drive. I reboot to the hard drive, and everything loads wonderully. I then apply the wim file back the hard drive, and it has issues. I have been through the same process about 10 times, on two different boxes and I keep encountering the same thing.

I'm assuming I have an issue with the mass storage drivers right now. I am going to try and pull them out of my sysprep.inf and see what happens. I should note that I captured the image without running sysprep and it reloaded fine which indicates that the wim transfer process is sound.

Yeah, that pretty much leaves the mass storage drivers section.

Well, it's not the mass storage drivers. I pulled them out of sysprep and it still does the same thing. System boots when I boot the original drive, but when I apply the WIM it won't boot after the mini-setup wizard runs. I am using the exact process that IcemanND layed out in his guide for the WIM portion.

Any help would be much appreciated!

sysprep.exe -quiet -reseal -mini

Winnt.sif

[Branding]
    BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes

[Components]
     freecell  = Off
     hearts = Off
     minesweeper = Off
     pinball = Off
     solitaire = Off
     spider = Off
     zonegames = Off
	 Msnexplr = Off      ;MSN Explorer
	 OEAccess = Off      ;Install visible entry points to Outlook Express.
	 WMAccess = Off      ;install visible entry points to Windows Messenger.
	 WMPOCM = Off        ;install visible entry points to Windows Media Player.
	 WBEMSNMP = On       ;WMI SNMP Provider
[Data]
;   AutoPartition=1
    MsDosInitiated=0
    UnattendedInstall=Yes
    AutomaticUpdates = 1
    UseBIOSToBoot = 1

[Display]
    BitsPerPel=32
    Xresolution=1024
    YResolution=768
    Vrefresh=60

[GuiUnattended]
    OemSkipWelcome=1
    AdminPassword=*
    OEMSkipRegional=1
    TimeZone=4
    AutoLogon=Yes

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[Proxy]
    Proxy_Enable=0
    Use_Same_Proxy=1

[RegionalSettings]
    LanguageGroup=1
    Language=00000409

[Shell]
    DefaultStartPanelOff = Yes

[Unattended]
	Repartition=Yes
    OemPreinstall = Yes
    UnattendMode=FullUnattended
    OemSkipEula=Yes
    TargetPath=\WINDOWS
    NTUgrade=No
    UnattendSwitch = Yes
	WaitForReboot=No

[URL]
    Home_Page=*****

[UserData]
    ProductKey=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
    FullName="****"
    OrgName="***"
    ComputerName=*

Sysprep.inf

[Display]
BitsPerPel = 16
Vrefresh = 75
Xresolution = 1024
Yresolution = 768

[GuiRunOnce]
"c:\windows\bldmenu.exe"

[GuiUnattended] 
AdminPassword = *
AutoLogon = Yes
OEMSkipRegional = 1
OEMSkipWelcome = 1
TimeZone = 004

[Identification]
JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP

[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[RegionalSettings]
Language = 0409

[Sysprep]
BuildMassStorageSection = Yes

[SysprepMassStorage] 
[TapiLocation]
AreaCode = 916
CountryCode = 1
Dialing = Tone
LongDistanceAccess = 9

[UserData]
ComputerName = *
FullName = "****"
OrgName = "***"
ProductKey = XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

[Unattended]
ExtendOemPartition = 1
InstallFilesPath = C:\i386
KeepPageFile = 1
OEMSkipEula = Yes
ResetSourcePath = C:\i386
;TapiConfigured = Yes
UpdateInstalledDrivers = Yes

Edited September 25, 2008 by cluberti
Removed product key

[IcemanND]

Actually it could be any of your drivers. Two things to do.

1. Turn off the automatically reboot on BSOD. One of the dumbest settings I've ever seen MS come up with.

2. disable all of the drivers.

Then Run sysprep, capture and redeploy to the system.

If it works, then re-add the Mass Storage drivers and repeat.

If that works then try a portion of the other drivers.

Though if it did not work with the UIU demo, I'd be leaning more towards whatever modifications were made to the install media. Or have you now tested with base media? Also have you installed SP3 and are you using the version of Sysprep for SP3?

[sdub]

Well it looks like the problem is limited to when I use ImageX to create the image. When I use Ghost, the system boots fine, but with ImageX it blue screens. When I use a very generic sysprep.inf the ImageX process does work properly. However, when I start including MSDs it bombs.

I guess I'll have to go back to the drawing board with my drivers if I want to use ImageX. It's somewhat frustrating because I was hoping the transition away from Ghost would be simple, but it appears that will not be the case.