W2k Runonceex Reg Command Doen't Work

[enaitee]

Hi...RunOnceEx.cmd does not run on my Windows 2000 VMware Control Panel install from ISO. A post on msfn forum gave me the way to detect what the problem was.

After each entry is an error notice:

REG is not recognized as an internal or external command

This I should have realized because I ran into the same thing when I first started testing each RunOnceEx entry and had to install the Windows 2000 Support Tools CD package. Searching the forums as to how to do the same thing for an unattended CD located this post: http://www.msfn.org/lofiversion/index.php/t39896.html on the very subject. It stated:

Windows 2000 users need to simply place reg.exe in winnt (or in $OEM\$$ on the CD).

I've done this and it didn't work. Yes, reg.exe was there in the VMware OS winnt but it never served any purpose other than take up space. I suspect very strongly it takes more than just placiing reg.exe in winnt. Isn't their some kind of file association that a registry entry arranges say, in this case, between RunOnceEx.cmd and reg.exe so when the REG command is encountered, reg.exe can do it's number correctly? Or do I have to include the entire 10MB Support Tools package in my ISO build and run the setup.exe in a batch file that will install all the support tools before RunOnceEx.cmd is run?

After some 15 ISO builds and VMware installs I'm out of other ideas and this is the first solid lead I've come up with. Unfortunagely a search for just reg.exe turns up nothing and including "Windows 2000" or "install" turns up a zillion anwer pages. Any help in getting reg.exe active in Windows 2000 would be appreciated.

Regards, Nick

[Incroyable HULK]

1- Put reg.exe (take the one from your CD) in

$OEM$\$$\System32

2- Put cmdlines.txt in the $OEM$ folder

[COMMANDS]
"RunOnceEx.cmd"

3- Put RunOnceEx.cmd in the $OEM$ folder

SET KEY=HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

REG ADD %KEY% /V TITLE /D "TITLE" /f

REG ADD %KEY%\001 /VE /D "MSN© Messenger© 6.2" /f
REG ADD %KEY%\001 /V 1 /D "%Systemdrive%\Applications\Messenger\MsnMsgs.msi /qn" /f

If all of theses condition are meet and still not working, you should look elsewere like Winnt.sif parameter (make sure the %OEM% folder get copied), etc...

[Dahi]

Copy Reg.exe to $OEM$\$$\System32

$OEM$, not %OEM%

[Incroyable HULK]

Omfg... I edited my post... %OEM%

[enaitee]

SUCCESS AT LAST!!! It sure looked good to see at long last that "operation successfully carried out" or words to that effect when RunOnceEx.cmd did each of my entries. I've got some tidying up to do with the expected glitches for maybe a third of my entries like "can't find file...." etc. but such a relief after so much searching and trying. Of the suggestions given, the only thing different was using the reg.exe from my CD: I had previously been using a download from one of the many posts I read. Also, I had previously tried placing that reg.exe by making folders under $1 like $OEM$\$1\Winnt\System32\reg.exe. Obviously one or both of these were at fault. I had learned from reading posts that the $Progs doesn't work for copying files to C:\ Program Files in Windows 2000 but works fine in XP and that $$ similarly is just for XP. Looks like the latter was wrong. My sincere thanks for the quick and helpful advice! It sort of made up for my faithful NEC 17" CRT finally failing after five years of service. Watching RunOnceEx work looks good even on my dusted off first !4" monitor!!!