WinPE wpeinit.exe ignoring ImageInstall

[retro486]

Hoping someone will have some insight on this strange issue...

We currently use a custom WinPE image (built from an environment started with the Windows AIK using the instructions here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc709665%28WS.10%29.aspx), and I placed a custom unattend.xml on the root of the WinPE boot.wim.

The issue I'm having is wpeinit.exe appears to be ignoring my ImageInstall and DiskConfiguration sections, yet it'll follow the EnableFirewall and EnableNetwork directives. Previously I used a custom script to wipe the local drive and restore a specified image when the WinPE is booted as we don't have admin access to our domain or DHCP servers, so using WDS is out of the question. The goal is to specify a WIM location and name in the boot image so all we have to do is boot the image via USB, CD, etc and the system will go on its merry way with wiping the local hard drive, repartitioning it appropriately, apply the specified WIM, and reboot. The less we have to touch it the better.

I've been successful with unattend.xml in the Windows 7 images themselves, it's just WinPE that seems to not like what I'm telling it... Oh, and the log doesn't have any errors, just stops after the network has been brought up. I've searched for the past few hours and haven't come up with any reason why this is failing... I can post my unattend.xml on request if needed.

Thanks,

Russ

[iamtheky]

make your startnet.cmd look something like this:

wpeinit
diskpart /s disks.txt                              - diskpart with a script file to partition
imagex /apply payload.wim 1 c:         -imagex apply c: drive, provided it is index 1 in the catalog.

for our use, wpeinit kicks on plug and play, that is all.

[retro486]

Thanks for the response, iamtheky. Our current process does use scripts in the way you mention, I just got all optimistic about those extra settings available in the Windows System Image Manager for the WinPE stage. Your comment about only PnP being processed is spot on with what my log file is showing me.

Thanks for clearing that up, I'll put more time into making my scripts more automatic then, and thank you for the examples.

Russ

[Tripredacus]

So you say that some of your XML is processed on a stock WinPE boot? I was under the impression that the XML is only used by Setup.

[retro486]

Apparently I misunderstood the documentation to mean that I could also use the WindowsPE stage in a custom WinPE environment, but I did notice the log mentioned errors such as "no display settings specified" and "no enablenetwork unattend setting was specified..." then once I put those settings into an unattend.xml file and placed it in the root of the boot.wim, the log no longer complained.

This is partly why I thought it would load the module sections, but I guess it can only do a very limited portion, seemingly limited to fix cases of failed PnP (network, display resolution, etc).

I've also recently learned that diskpart can reassign drive letters on the fly, so my previous issue of imaging over Windows XP machines (which have only a single partition at boot, so drive D: goes to the USB/CD-ROM) has been resolved. Previously I was assume letters C: and D: for the boot and system partitions of Windows 7. When repartitioning a Windows XP machine, this is not the case. Instead, the system partition will get something like letter E:. Now that I've learned I can reassign the letter to something more predictable, say S:, I can hardcode my script and it will achieve the same effect as I was trying to get from the unattend.

Hope this makes sense... I can contribute my script here once I've finished testing it, but it's basically a fancy version of what iamtheky posted (i.e., some error checking and the ability to manually push the image if the script fails).