nLite 1.4.9.1 breaks RAID driver use

[mesheree]

I can take a brand-new Windows XP disc, and manually install my RAID driver (vmscsi.sys) using one of three methods, and all three of them work independently:

• using txtsetup.oem/winnt.sif
  
• editing txtsetup.sif/dosnet.inf
  
• pressing F6 to load the driver from a floppy disk
  

... But when I try to use any of these methods, either before or after using nLite on a brand new Windows XP install, Windows setup gets halfway through the "copying files" phase, and then complains about not being able to find vmscsi.sys. Coincidentally, attempting to use nLite to include this driver as a textmode driver yields the same result.

This happens even if the only thing I do with nLite is use its "unattended" settings.

Anyone?

EDIT: Found a workaround.

Do not use either the 'autologon' option, or change the name of the Administrator account, when you are integrating textmode mass storage drivers. The only textmode driver integration method that nLite uses is incompatible with OemPreinstall="Yes". These two nLite features are dependent on 'cmdlines.txt', which is in turn dependent on OemPreinstall="Yes". nLite does not warn you about these dependencies, and they are not documented in the program's help tooltips.

I hope that this gets fixed soon. At the very least, nLite should warn the user when they use an option that depends on OemPreinstall="Yes", that their mass storage driver integration will fail. (As of now, the only hint about this that you get is that selecting OemPreinstall="Yes" will break F6 integration. That's part of it--it also breaks the method of integration that nLite uses.) Even better: implement the other method of textmode driver integration, and switch methods according to the OemPreinstall option that the user selects.

EDIT: Didn't realize nuhi wasn't actively working on nLite.

Oh well, I suppose that if you just had to use those options with a RAID driver, manually integrating the driver using the Microsoft method (above) might work too. I haven't tried it, but g-force says that it works.

Sheree

Edited April 4, 2009 by mesheree

[Fernando 1]

It is not true, that nLite breaks the RAID driver use.

You can take nLite, but if you do not integrate the needed textmode driver, you have to disable the OemPreInstall option. Otherwise you get the error message. This is not a bug of nLite, but a behaviour of the Windows Setup routine, which expects the driver path within the WINNT.SIF, if such a file is present within the i386 directory.

By the way: If you are using nLite, why don't you just integrate the RAID driver?

[johnhc]

mesheree, Fernando 1 explained why your methods failed. I will try to determine why nLite itself failed. The folder containing the .inf file for a text mode driver must contain a txtsetup.oem file. Many of the newer drivers, that support several OSs, have only one txtsetup.oem file and it is not in the same folder as the .inf file. You will need to place a copy of the txtsetup.oem file in the same folder with the .inf file. Please post a link to your drivers and attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini. Make sure to always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders, do all your work in one nLite session and integrate only one SP. Please report when you have a solution, so others can benefit. Enjoy, John.

[mesheree]

if you do not integrate the needed textmode driver, you have to disable the OemPreInstall option. Otherwise you get the error message. This is not a bug of nLite, but a behaviour of the Windows Setup routine

The method I've been doing all my testing with does not use any $OEM$ folder tree. So of course, I would not have enabled OemPreInstall. But I went to go look at my winnt.sif, and there it was: OemPreInstall="Yes". But I can't disable it--nLite uses the $OEM$ folder tree even with minimal tweaks, to run 'cmdlines.txt'.

It honestly hadn't occurred to me that nLite might have used the $OEM$ folder just for the simple stuff I was asking it to do. Thanks for pointing that out. So, you're right. It's not a bug. It breaks two out of three RAID driver integration methods intentionally. Nice.

So, as it stands, it looks like I need to start working exclusively with the $OEM$\TEXTMODE method. I'll work with that method more tomorrow and report back.

If you are using nLite, why don't you just integrate the RAID driver?

As mentioned in the original post, I have the same problem using nLite to integrate the driver as I do manually integrating it before or after running nLite.

Fernando 1 explained why your methods failed. I will try to determine why nLite itself failed.

Cool! I'd love to not have to manually integrate textmode drivers.

The folder containing the .inf file for a text mode driver must contain a txtsetup.oem file.

The driver package contains only five files, all in the same folder:

• disk.tag
  
• txtsetup.oem
  
• vmscsi.cat
  
• vmscsi.inf
  
• vmscsi.sys
  

[johnhc]

mesheree, you can disable OEM Preinstall on the Unattended page, General tab, in nLite. Please also read the help (? in circle). I will look at your driver files tomorrow and see if I can figure out anything. Many people use nLite to install text mode drivers and is the reason I came here in the first place. I plan no floppy on my next build. I must quit now. Have fun, John.

[johnhc]

mesheree, what kind of a crazy file is a .flp? I tried to open it with Flash and no-go. Please post a link to your drivers and, if you want some help, attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini. John.

[Ponch]

mesheree, what kind of a crazy file is a .flp?

Floppy Disk Image File. Open with equivalent of Winimage (did not try) or with Virtual Floppy Drive (did try).

[johnhc]

Ponch, thanks, I learned something. I attached the image to my VM and took a look at it. Enjoy, John.

mesheree, the text mode drivers you posted are for VMware, not a real machine. What kind of silly game are you playing? John

Edited April 2, 2009 by johnhc

[mesheree]

you can disable OEM Preinstall on the Unattended page, General tab, in nLite.

That allowed the driver to integrate (manually--nLite still won't integrate it), but then some of the options that I selected within nLite didn't work at all. For example, DEP was not disabled, Fast User Switching was still enabled, and Outlook Express was still there. I think nLite needs OemPreinstall enabled to work correctly.

the text mode drivers you posted are for VMware, not a real machine. What kind of silly game are you playing?

The kind of game where I make a stripped-down version of Windows to run in a VM. That's not such a stretch, is it?

[g-force]

The kind of game where I make a stripped-down version of Windows to run in a VM. That's not such a stretch, is it?

Man, you`re kidding, aren`t you? Did you ever tried to install without that crap of drivers?

I`ve never seen XP needed integrated driver for installing in a VM.

[johnhc]

mesheree, attach your Last Session.ini, if you want help. I run VMware Server on my XP x64 and use nLite to integrate the VMware audio text mode driver and that works fine. John.

[g-force]

I can take a brand-new Windows XP disc, and manually install my RAID driver (vmscsi.sys) using one of three methods

I´ve never seen a RAID in a VM. Excuse me if I`m wrong or too stupid. Nobody`s perfect.

[johnhc]

g-force, here are his drivers in a easily readable format. Enjoy, John

EDIT: After looking at mesheree's floppy image on my VM, I left it connected and started a new install from an ISO. I got an error, and guess what it was? Exactly! - /vmscsi.sys is missing....error code 22. When I disconnected the floppy and reconnected the A: disk, all is well. Perhaps there is something to be learned here! Enjoy, John.

Edited April 3, 2009 by johnhc

[mesheree]

When I disconnected the floppy and reconnected the A: disk, all is well.

I only use the floppy image while troubleshooting. The driver gets integrated into every ISO I build for VM use.

here are his drivers

Her drivers.

I`ve never seen XP needed integrated driver for installing in a VM.

Windows XP will install just fine on the default IDE-type virtual device. However, the general consensus seems to be that using the SCSI virtual device yields better performance.

I´ve never seen a RAID in a VM.

You're right, there's no actual RAID. 'RAID driver' is jut a lazy way of saying that it's a driver for a controller which is capable of RAID (SCSI/SATA).

So, after more troubleshooting, I find that it will integrate the driver... but then when I need to enable OemPreinstall to get certain nLite options to work, the driver integration breaks.

When OemPreinstall is enabled, successful integration requires a different method of driver integration than nLite uses by default, and I think that nLite is failing to correctly implement that method.

johnhc, I don't have a LastSession.ini yet for you. They are all messed up by my troubleshooting. I'll get you a clean one where I exactly duplicated the problem, ASAP. (Personally, I don't think the LastSession.ini files look descriptive enough to tell anyone why something went wrong, but maybe I'm missing something?)

Edited April 3, 2009 by mesheree

[johnhc]

Her drivers.

Sorry about that, mesheree. I guess I should have broken your name down and figured it out myself or made my reply gender neutral.

After my experience with the floppy, I was thinking that VMware Server (are you using Server, Player, Workstation or ...?), is using the floppy to get its SCSI driver installed. Perhaps this is really a VMware design that is not possible to work around as you are trying to do. I really don't know what you're trying to accomplish, so it is hard to help. We can learn much from the Last Session. I will look at the Disable OEM Preinstall connection. Perhaps VM is doing some kind of fake F6 that is getting in your way. Be sure to read the Help (? in circle) next to the OEM Preinstall drop down in Unattended. Enjoy, John.