How to help a plonka with Vista unattended

[bookie32]

Hi guys and girls

I am starting again with my project because I really want to learn from the beginning all the ways of doing this and saving myself some grief.....I HOPE!

I know the title will amuse a lot of you and that is OK...really just felt I needed to start again and with your patience I will get this right.........

I have a few questions as I get going and please feel free to spell it out for me, BUT I am calling myself a plonka already and don't need anyone ridiculing me for the sake of it...

My way of looking at things is I don't laugh at people...I laugh with them and for that I don't mind you laughing....

Down to business:

I have all sorts of customers with windows crashes etc and a lot of the time the recovery partitions are just too infected with parasites or have degraded because of problems..either way leads to I can't use the recovery partition and often recommend removing them and doing a fresh install with their basic drivers and then build on that...

VERY OFTEN they haven't created their recovery media and that makes my job harder and more costly for them...

I have several ideas and will look at them like different scenarios.....

Scenario1

This includes using DVD's as my media, but can be phased out.. I would like to create DVD's of all versions whereby they have all service packs included plus the updates...Problem with this scenario is the updates are fast filling up the 4.7GB on a standard DVD. Just a quick way of doing them at the moment. I have looked at slipstreaming the sp1's into the versions and that goes OK with this guys help mentioned before on another thread. But the problem doesn't end there....there are a ton of updates left and I want to integrate them on to the dvd......the best way?

Scenario2

This includes distribution of images from a server to the computers...just setting up a server for this purpose, but this is being run on linux...because I like linux and windows server costs too much for a small company like mine. Anyway I would like to create the versions with all updates and then use Clonezilla to capture them onto the server thereby giving me standard images I can deploy in case my customers crash their computers...This would be a quick way of doing things once set up...

Scenario3

Is I create an image on a test computer and then run imagex.exe to create my .wim and then back up that onto a network server and then call on the server from the customers computer and copy image back to computer and apply the image to the computer in question? There are probably things wrong with this scenario as well....LOL

Now the best way of achieving these scenarios is where I am at a loss to decide the easiest way to do this......

My simplist way is to install the version on a test computer and then just update to today and then capture an image that I can deploy to all hardware? Of course I understand that 64bit is just that 64bit and can't be used on 32bit...sorry waffling

I would have to deploy my images back to my test computer at different times to add more updates..this would save the going over the 4.7GB limit....

But I gather there are pitfalls in this way of looking at things?

Of course I know that having a Windows server I can capture and deploy at ease.....

I really don't mind doing the leg work and I think you that know me know that is true....

Please give me some opinions, ideas, leads, whatever!

I really want your expert help on this..

bookie32

Thanks for reading the demented scribbles of a plonka of the first grade....

[Tripredacus]

As I mentioned before, my company stopped selling Vista so I never worked with SP2. However, when I wanted to make SP1 installs, here was my process.

1. Use Autounattend.xml to install Vista and have it boot to Audit mode.

2. Install the SP1 standalone installer (wave0 in my case)

3. Sysprep /oobe /generalize /shutdown

4. capture the drive as a WIM with Imagex

Of course I used a WDS Server for my deployments, but you can create a new install DVD easily. Take your WIM and call it INSTALL.WIM and replace the one in the sources folder. You should be able to do an install with that, probably can do with an XML as well. You do not need to put the XML on the DVD, you can insert a UFD during install.

[bookie32]

Hi Tripredacus

OK! I hear you!

I will begin with the Autounattend.xml when I have a mo and we can take it stage by stage....bit snowed under at the moment, so be patient with me

bookie32

[bookie32]

Hi Tripredacus

I know this is going to be long winded thread....I am known for rambling on a bit......LOL

I have been looking at your example of a Autounattend wihich you linked for me here I like the idea of the Autounattend and will try that with reference to creating a WIM and as you say replacing it in the Sources file and transferring it to a DVD or just saving the WIM on a server for deployment at a given date..

You mention about booting to Audit mode....

OK! I have done as follows…if I have done wrong please tell me…LOL

As stated in another thread – I have created the dvd’s with the reverse integration to slipstream sp1 and sp2 into Vista as Alan Norton shows us here.

I have followed that and have Dualboot on my drive at the moment. The first partition is currently Vista Home Premium given to me by a customer. I shrunk the partition to allow for the second partition for my “Builds” (I am not saying your method is wrong….will get to it). After adding both service packs I have cleaned the drive as he shows and exported and imported the “MountedDevices.reg” as he goes onto explain…

I then rebooted into my main Home Premium and created an iso of the “Build” (Vista Ultimate) which I burned to DVD.

I then installed the Ultimate to the partition I had the build using the “Default Key” that I just learned about from you …LOL I created an account as a normal user with password etc and logged into windows as that user. I then proceeded to add all the updates that were available and after checking to make sure there were no more – I ran sysprep in "Enter System Audit Mode", but didn’t generalize.

After restarting the computer I then went to system > Advanced Settings > User Profiles Settings and erased my profile.

I then went to user accounts and erased my account and files.

I then ran sysprep again, but this time as “Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)” ticked yes to generalize and then rebooted to my Home Premium again and proceeded to create my iso again, but with all available updates.

I have reinstalled using the DVD with all updates to test it….

I know what you are going to say…..help…..LOL Very tedious........

I have tried to integrate the updates using WSIM and something went wrong….

Another very tedious process is downloading all the updates from windows catalog…they all come in individual folders!!

I have done it this way to have both options..a DVD with sp1 + sp2 and a DVD with sp1 + sp2 and updates.

I like covering my bases....

As you can imagine - this has taken time to perform...usually do stuff like this while working on customer computers...several jobs at once...

I bet you are laughing as you read this....me tooooooooooooo

bookie32

[Tripredacus]

I've never tried to use WSIM to put in updates from the Distribution Share, only add them to a WIM with DISM... or maybe you use PEIMG for Vista... I can't remember. Its like I erased Vista from my brain for the most part.

Its hard to read your post but did you get it to work now?

[bookie32]

Hi mate!

Sorry,I didn't mean to waffle on like that...

Yes, my it seems to work, but has been time consuming... I would still like to do this by using a Autonattend and will work with that as well

I have used, as said the Alan Norton method for slipstreaming the service packs into Vista and then basically installed each version and created a new wim with all the updates.

At the moment after doing ths with all versions...they don't exede 3,5GB with all the updates available at the moment. Ultimate was finished yesterday.

It means that there is still room on a standard dvd för further updates....

Thanks!

bookie32