HAL / Sysprep Issues - Possible Solution?

[sintaxasn]

Hey guys,

I know a few people here are probably in the same situation as I am - you want 1 universal image for all hardware types.

Right now, I use an unattended XP install to build my image. I dont have any driver paths set in WINNT.SIF. Instead, when my image is finished being built, I run sysprep. my sysprep.inf has all the driver paths. This way, when I load the image on, say an IBM T40, T41, X31, X40 etc. It loads all the correct drivers, with no residue of the others. Good right?

However, HAL is still my major problem. Right now I have to have two images - one for laptops, one for deskstops. All my desktops have Hyperthreading disabled - which means they're uniprocessor essentially. I want to re-enable HT, which changes the HAL type - whichmeans a third image!

From what I can establish, you *CAN* reset the HAL prior to taking your sysprep image - to a common HAL that won't bluescreen every machine. However it's not the optimum HAL and you shouldn't really do it.

I'm wondering if anyone is interested in working on this issue with me. Essentially I need to get as much info on the how's and why's of this HAL problem as possible. My idea is:

Prior to sysprep, automatically reset to a standard HAL.

Take your image

Load the image on a machine.

During RunOnceEx, use WMI to determine the machine type, reference an INI file with the details of HAL types for different machine models, and swap back to the optimum HAL (would use CMDLINES stage but WMI isnt available then).

From what I understand, the HAL is 1 DLL file and it's always HAL.DLL. So an ACPI uniprocessor system copies HALACPI.DL_ to HAL.DLL, an ACPI multiprocessor system copies HALMACPI.DL_ to HAL.DLL.

Am I totally wrong, or should this be fairly easy to do?

Thoughts/comments etc.

Thanks, Dan.

[Risla]

Dan,

This sounds quite interesting, You could if you are going to do this just do a RIPREP image, replacing the HAL with a script in CMDLINES.TXT, right?

Im not into unattended installs too heavily but i do have 3000 machines with about 10 being all the same!

Ive looked at resetting the HAL but didnt think it was possible....

[sintaxasn]

Hey Risla,

I actually use Ghost and standalone DVDs to create my image(s), but yes, same idea.

If you look at C:\Windows\Inf\HAL.INF, you'll see what I mean about the HAL copy.

I've read somewhere (possibly JSI Inc?) that there IS a common HAL for all machines which are post 1999 (all ACPI compliant I think), but it's not optimum, as it doesnt account for Uni/Multi processor etc.

Is it just me, or does anyone wonder *WHY* XP wont replace the HAL itself? It this theory works, then there's absolutely no reason why it cant be done as part of Sysprep, a la Mass Storage.

If anyone has some decent info on the HAL, please let me know. All the info I've seen so far is vague at best.

Also, have looked at that Universal Imaging Utility, but I'm loathe to add another 250MB onto my build (which is already 5 GB), and fork out 10 - 20 $ per seat.

Cheers, Dan

[Risla]

Dan,

My names dan BTW....

Im a bit confused by the HAL.INF! It looks like there are s***loads of hardware vendor motherboard details in one big INF.

A 5gb image is slighty big! what the hell you got on it! Are you in a big company over in ireland?

Dan

[sintaxasn]

Hmmm.... My HAL contains Generic entries, and one Compaq entry. In total, around 6 different possibilities.

Off checking around in WMI to see if I can find anything to do with HAL....

[EMKAY]

I use the check WMI & update HAL post sysprep method for hyperthreading machines,

I have found the best way is with devcon, see example 44 at msdn -

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default....41d1c74.xml.asp

[sintaxasn]

Thanks for that.

Found this - http://www.jnux.net/community/hal/

ok - so it seems pretty possible.

Now, it's possible to pull hardware information from WMI and match, say a PC model number with the correct HAL info. but, this means maintenance of an INI file with HW models. It'd be nicer to not have to do this.

Since Windows seems to be able to identify the HAL type itself during a full Windows install, my question is, how? Is the same info available through WMI or using a util to read BIOS info?

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers, Dan.