ASMS Parameter Incorrect - Rare problem needs cure

[truromeo4juliet]

Hey gang, I created an unattended Windows XP Pro CD using N-Lite (no stripping, just slipstreaming SP2). It worked like a charm (much to my delight) so I continued my quest to create the perfect XP disc for myself by using the guide at http://unattended.msfn.org/ . 13 revisions later, I had an unattended WinXPPro DVD with all my anti-spyware programs, MS Office 2003, my benchmarking tools, Adobe Acrobat reader, Windows Media 10, tons of drivers (courtesy of Bashrat the Sneaky), Winamp 5.10, AIM, YIM, Google Toolbar, MS Virtual Machine 2004, Aquadock, etc... this thing was loaded like nuclear submarine. And Revision 13 worked flawlessly, my applications installing after the windows installation using Windows Post Installer (My Machine, the virtual machine on my machine, and my old scrap machine)

However, it was time to update the DVD with new anti-spyware defenitions (Spybot S&D and Ad-Aware SE) as well as update the Java setup, Firefox setup(1.04 to 1.07), update the Google toolbar setup, etc... So I'm cruising along doing my updates, updated the WPI configuration, and suddenly it's time to create the ISO.

So I'm using CDImage GUI like I always do, go through setup, about to create an ISO, then I realize that my data-storage drive only has 2 GB left, and no room for the 3.2 GB ISO I'm about to create. So I do what comes naturally: I erase the ISO for revision 13. CDImage - Click - Click - Click - Creating - Done! Hooray it's time to burn.

Launch up Nero 6, same program I used on all my other revisions... Burn Image - click - click - click - burning - burn successfully created (same media [Liquid Video DVD-R+ burn speeds up to 4x]) hooray time to test!!

I pop it into my scrap machine, format using NTFS quick.. install goes and eventually it can't read the file imapi.exe... (yes, I know what it does, read on and I'll get to that), Retry*30... no dice, so I skip the file to see what other errors I'll run into... it finishes the Windows files then it copies Bashrat's drivers to the harddrive, then it restarts as usual. Windows XP and the little blue bar (no Home or Professional words since it's SP2) and then it begins the setup. T-39, and I get this fat window up on my screen:

===========================================

System Setup Log - (C:\WINDOWS\setuperr.log)

===========================================

Error:

Installation Failed: D:\I386\asms. Error Message : The parameter is incorrect.

***

Fatal Error:

One of the components that Windows needs to continue setup could not be installed.

The parameter is incorrect.

***

===========================================

So I'm thinking "well darn... i skipped imapi.exe after 30 retries, and now it can't read the cd-rom drive" So I restart the setup, and it doesn't ask for imapi.exe this time ... "Hooray, no more errors" I go watch the Live premier of Will and Grace's last season (which was great )and I come back to find that fat window on my screen again... I'm thinking "ok dude... not funny... work this time"... I restart the installation again, format using NTFS normal, doesn't ask me for any files, la-la-la a few minutes later it's back at the fat window talking about ASMS and junk...

Now I'm thinking "ok, must be the DVD drive..." So I load up my computer, start a virtual machine, load the DVD into my drive, use my physical dvd-drive as the source (instead of a virtual drive with alcohol/daemon tools), and do the install to my virtual drive. Same error... T-39, ASMS Parameter Incorrect... I try it again... same thing...

"it's gotta be a bad disc" I'm thinking now... so I reburn the image into a new DVD (same media as all the other revisions)... I try it on the virtual machine (since even though it only has 256 MB allocated RAM, it's a ton faster than my scrapper with 512 MB ram... go figure, must be the DVD drive) yada yada, same error... "dude man crap," I say... "it's gotta be a poor ISO"

But before I make a new ISO, I mount the existing Revision 14 in a virtual drive, and restart the installation on my virtual machine... format ntfs quick, it starts copying and I go watch CSI... some pals come over and we shoot the wind for a while and I go back inside to check on my progress, and I'm staring a virtual desktop with all my programs installed... "dude man what the..." so I do the installation again using the image, and I watch it the whole time (whilst helping my lady-friend with some homework) and again, it goes through the entire process with no error...

I decide to remake the ISO with CDImage, just in case... burned with nero, installed to a virtual machine using the physically burned disc and NOPE... ASMS Parameter Incorrect... install using the ISO in a virtual drive... HOORAY HOORAY...

"Maybe it's Nero" I said to myself as I loaded up Alcohol 120%... I burned the ISO using Alcohol this time.. "Burning successful" or whatever it says "ya ya" I'm thinking "just work this time" Install to virtual machine FAIL... T-39 ASMS Parameter Incorrect...

So I get online at my office this morning (since I have no net at home at the moment) and search the forums for ASMS errors... same problem with same solutions... T-39 ASMS Parameter Incorrect... the solutions they provided were "try reburning the image" "try reading from a different drive" "try burning from a different drive" "try using a different media disc" "try burning with different software" "try making the iso with different software" ...

my thoughts are "reburned the image 3 times" "tried my drive, my scrap drive, my virtual drive" "can't burn from a different drive, I only have 1 DVD burner, and why should I if it worked before? (everybody else had this problem on the first try)" "why try a different media? it's always worked before" "I did try different burning software"....

So now I ask you all for help... please help me, and every other person on the 'net with this problem... it's a rare plague that needs a cure... let's do this o_O

Thanks a lot - TruRomeo4Juliet

[Joe User 99]

Last time I saw this, it was the media I was using to burn.

I was re-using the same CDRW to test my changes on various systems.

I just re-erased it, using the FULL erase, rather than the quick erase, then re-burned my image again, and it worked normally.

MS actually has a KB article about it too, which is what led me to think it was the media in the first place:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;EN-US;Q311755

This issue may occur if the Setup program cannot communicate with the CD-ROM drive

[truromeo4juliet]

I can't quote for some reason... arg... repost:

Edited September 30, 2005 by truromeo4juliet

[truromeo4juliet]

Last time I saw this, it was the media I was using to burn.

I was re-using the same CDRW to test my changes on various systems.

I just re-erased it, using the FULL erase, rather than the quick erase, then re-burned my image again, and it worked normally.

I'm using DVD+R's as my media... I have a DVD+RW somewhere, (sarcasm)but finding it will be like looking for a specific bug in the windows o/s (/sarcasm) I guess i'll just have to find it to test your theory

MS actually has a KB article about it too, which is what led me to think it was the media in the first place:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?...b;EN-US;Q311755

This issue may occur if the Setup program cannot communicate with the CD-ROM drive

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I saw the article but it's more of a temporary fix... using this method will basically render a completely unattended o/s install useless, since you'd have to go through all that rubbish to get anything done...

I appreciate the suggestion of using a DVD+RW, I'll have to find it though... any other things you can think of? the last thing I can think of is to copy Revision 13 back to my harddrive, iso it, burn it, and see if I get the error with it... I'll try that later as well... Cheers

[truromeo4juliet]

I tried a different media (still DVD+R, different manufacturer... HyperMedia) the thing is crap... it has read errors coming out the yin-yang... it only burned at 2.4x, so I'm thouroughly disappointed that I wasted so much time burning it... I have some memorex DVD+RW's somewhere... I'll try one of them when I find it... but so far, I really don't think it's the media... why would the media work for revisions 1-13 but not 14? But then again, why would the ISO work and not the DVD itself? c'mon guys! cure this rubbish and you could be famous ^_^

[truromeo4juliet]

It hates me

I tried installating using revision 13 on my scrapper, and it came up with the same error... I tried revision 12, same error... I tried them in my VM, same error...

So I dig through my pile of revisions until I get back to CD format (without programs, only slipstreamed SP2 and BTS DP's) it worked...

What could be the problem?

I find it odd that I used revision 13 to install windows on my computer, but when I try it in the VM on my computer, it fails now... maybe it's my DVD's... I hope so... I'm heading home right now to get my Memorex DVD+RW... hopefully that'll tell me once and for all...

another thing though... I used Nero's CD Check utility thing that writes data to a CD/DVD to test the capabilities of your drive... it wrote to my DVD then verified the data and it had no errors, while burning at full speed... so I'm doubting the drive, and suspecting the media...

however, when I checked the ASMS folder, I found a bunch of folders within it (1 ... 60 ... 70... to name the ones I can remember) and the last 4 or 6 had folders in it that when navigated through were empty (ie: "C:\XPDVD\I386\asms\6010\msts\profile\" where the other one was like "C:\XPDVD\I306\asms\10\msts\profile\stuff.cat" or whatever... can someone verify that this is supposed to happen?

Thanks for the help!! Cheers - TruRomeo4Juliet

[truromeo4juliet]

bump... anyone else running into this problem lately?

[Kalps]

Yup I m too facig the same prob as u r.....

Wen I was testing my ISO on Virtual Pc it gave me the Error of Missig ASMS folder and restarted. So for fixing this problem I simply reloaded my ISO in Daemons Tools and I restarted my Setup and was Happy to find I was having no more that Cracppy Error

So after installing the XP fully and testing it I burned that ISO on a Blank CD and searched for a Freind's PC to test it again.(Yup I always Test CD's on any of my Friend's PC).While installing the XP on his PC I again faced the same prob of miising Asms folder.

Please someone find a 100% working solution to this prob.

[Yurek3]

I get this problemmane tines only whot you need copy from your Windows CD forder asms too ypur

instalasion folder in your HD.

Some hotfixes in itegrate fase can do damege and explolits too.

Copy goodone asms folder in i386 this is all wot you can do.

For me alweys dose work.

[druiddk]

I must say I have run into this same problem before...

The solution:

Take a fresh clean XP cd and start slipstreaming etc ALL OVER!

Worked everytime.

I have no idea why the folder suddenly goes "corrupt" or whatever but it does after a certain amount of fiddling.

[jgrtmp]

This happens often & several things can influence it.There are several work arounds,but the best advice when installing is not trying to do everything at once.In your case your trying to come up with the optimal setup so you can just have the computer pull its britches up.There is one not so common element in this installation that everyone forgets & that is extra peripherals.If your not going to do a complete install the afore mentioned copy the XPCD to a directory is the best option.If your doing multiboot options you should have directories for every WINinstallCD OS you intend to have available in a seperate partition(remember your file system is important here).WIN3.1/95/98 can't read NTFS.

Now back to the source of the problem.This error is a stickler to complete installs with the Format option.When you boot the WINinstallCD its going to establish the periperal & assign the alpha character for that volume.If its an external peripheral thats not recognized by the CABs the problem is set.As the installation moves on it finds the info for the establishment for the peripheral & mounts it.All the sudden the install devices letter designation goes up however many devices it now sees.The CD still functions,its just changed from F: to G: or whatever.To prevent this unplug all extra devices either before the install starts,& you avoid the problem entirely.Also helps to always examine your BIOS for boot order of devices & prempt the C: drive with you CD drive prior to installation.

If you've entered into the install & have hit this cunundrum there is still a work around(your still 3/4s of the way through the install).Hit shift F10.This brings up the DOS shell which is now available at this point in the install.If the error says it cant find F:\ASMS do a dir F:.This will show you what device userped your install CD drive.Do a dir for the next higher device.Write down each device until you find the install CD volume."exit" the shell.Now in the error dialog box change the device letter designator to the one you found for your install CD drive ie... G: H: whatever.Hit return & it should find it.Now you get a "Error can't find F:\NT5.CAB" dialog box.Now that you know the devices userping it you can pull the external devices & do a warm boot.The install disk comes up with the black screen asking "Install from CD?".Do nothing.After a minute install knows to resume an install that was inplace.Game over Hurdle passed over.If its an internal device you'll have to do a shutdown.Remove the device connector & cold boot.The resumption should be the same as predescribed & you should have no problems.

As to having an optimized DOSinstaller image you now have better inste to the problems that arise!Good Luck...

Edited February 17, 2006 by jgrtmp