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How to make an all-hardware image to restore?


kazzi

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Hi all, I wonder to know how to make an "all-hardware" image to restore. That means you only need an image, and use that image to deploy on different machines. When the restoration finished, the OS will automatically find and install hardware devices.

I've search the forum, but it came nothing. Can some one help me or at least tell me what's the name of this technique?

P/S: This forum is great, but I'm too shy to post. This is my first post. Happy to see you all :D

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I don't think there is any method that will work on all hardware configs. An unattended installation is your best bet...that's what this site/forum is focused on mainly. Gives you the most hardware compatibility in the end...check out the guide:

http://unattended.msfn.org/

If you must stick to imaging, then something like Sysprep is what you are looking for. It's a tool that M$ offers to help configure a system for imaging. It resets most of the hardware info, removes the user info, and also removes the CDKey. But don't worry, with a little extra work you can configure those items to your desire. There is an issue of HAL's when using this, or any, imaging. I gave up on trying to make a universal image a long time ago. Different chipset, CPU, or disk controllers can cause a real headache.

I've seen some software that says it can make a universal image, but then you gotta pay $$$ so that's no fun :)

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Ya, I have my own unattended CDs, that's also a great method. But I did see a guy using a ghost image to deploy on machines, and then all the hardware are automatically configured.

Thanks for the sysprep info, I'll try this one.

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You may want to play around with Bashrat's DriverPacks. It is a bunch of packs of drivers. Like all LAN drivers, Graphics, Sound, etc...

It let's you integrate them into the Windows Setup disk. Also it has an option to Keep the drivers on the system after they have been installed. You may be able to use a DriverPack integrated system as your image. But you will have to run some tests... because I haven't played much with using one image on multiple systems. Let me know if you find anything. ;)

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That's a very nice site...lots of info.

But it doesn't seem to address the issue of different hardware. All the machines he uses are Intel based Gateways. It's safe to assume they all use an Intel chipset, which means they aren't very different in the end.

The problem mainly comes when you clone an Intel system onto an AMD system. It's not necessarily an issue of the CPU's, but more their sub compononents. You'll have different chipsets, different HD controllers, etc...these are the things that get in the way when making a universal image.

But I'm bookmarking that link none the less :thumbup

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A master image made from a clean install on a machine with generic components, remove all hardware, change HAL to Standard PC, and driver packs, Sysprep and Ghost will in some way meet your needs but by no means will work on all the computers. Someone has written a small util to detect the type of HAL when Mini-Setup runs in the new machines (search for acpi Fudan Lucian, but all the websites are in Chinese).

See also MS KB 314082.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Problem we had is that the vendor we use changes hardware configuration quite often plus different departments use different vendors. We used that procedure and had about a 96 percent success rate given the drivers where available when the primary image was created. only true problem i have encountered is with drivers not on image when imaged. the 4 percent that did not work at all where due to HAL though :( and we never could figure out why.

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A master image made from a clean install on a machine with generic components, remove all hardware, change HAL to Standard PC, and driver packs, Sysprep and Ghost will in some way meet your needs but by no means will work on all the computers. Someone has written a small util to detect the type of HAL when Mini-Setup runs in the new machines (search for acpi Fudan Lucian, but all the websites are in Chinese).

See also MS KB 314082.

Translated from soft.netnest.com.cn (no, not by me - babelfish reads simp. chinese quite well :-) :

--- cut begin ---

Acpi power source management tool final version

Software size:179 KB

Software language:English

Software category:High-quality goods software/free/system enhancement

Movement environment:Win9x, NT,2000, XP,

Increase time:2004-5-28 7:39:08

Renewal time:2004-5-28 7:39:08

Software increase:Boom2004

Software rating:

Member rank:Anonymous user

Downloading statistics:Today: 3 weeks: 62 this months: 130 grand total: 10,567

Software synopsis:

Final versionacpi(fudan lucian)

Very small oh

Support completely from definition function

Installment attention:

1. The above rar decompression will shrink puts in the c:\sysprep table of contents, will be supposed to have

C:\sysprep\acapi.exe

C:\sysprep\acapi.reg

C:\sysprep\acapi table of contents

Readme.txt (installation procedure lower part to explain document)

Notice.txt (installation procedure crown transfer document)

Devcon.exe (Microsoft provides test hardware actuates procedure)

XXXXXXXXXXX.bat (one kind ofacpiinstallation procedure)

XXXXXXXXXXX.txt (to this procedure explanation, filename must identically oh)

If in XXXXXX.bat contains character default, then this tacitly approves the achievement the installment, ha-ha

Reminder: In xxxxxxxxx do not have to contain () such character, the special details I not too am clear

Generally deferred to tacitly approves well, if you had to change other languages to be allowed to revise the txt document

2. Moves c:\sysprep\acapi.exe, chooses Stand pc, the installment, withdraws from this procedure (hand regulation also to be possible)

3. Driver stripping

(1) revises IDE in the ATA/ATAPI controller first "xxx Controller" is the "standard double channel actuates"

(2) under cmd inputs devcon the remove * carriage return, can see all actuates completely to delete

(3) this time mouse should be invalid, but the keyboard also could use, therefore you had to meet the keyboard operation oh

(4) devcon.exe may find inside mine compression package, this deletes the speed is absolutely quick, ha-ha

4. Will register shows the c:\sysprep\acapi.reg movement, will induct the registration table

5. Carries out sysprep.exe and the wrapped gift, closing machine, reopens uses Ghost to make a picture

Note: (1) Ghost uses newest 8.0 edition

(2) utilizes orders Ghost -Z9 to start Ghost to be allowed to obtain the highest compression ratio

6. The customer installs when carries on the registration sets up when can disposable move c:\sysprep\acapi.exe, if a minute act automatically installs tacitly approves the option (A.C.P.I<你可以指定的>)

The installment finished also has a minute to be allowed to consider the time, may withdraw from this procedure as necessary in this consideration time or other installsa acpiactuation, but also has is installs the prompt is English, installs successfully should see any any successful

Climbing reorganizes as follows:

Hyne providesinthe acpi solution the biggest progress is no longer through replaces hal.dll to realize revisesthe acpitype, but is uses a devcon procedure directly to revise in hal.inf Hardware ID, then renews corresponding hal.dll again according to Hardware ID, this is the renewal operation which automatically carries on by the system, absolutely cannot appear beats hal.dll by mistake the situation. It can be said that, the devcon order is a key, did not know which master's pioneering work the devcon order is, or Microsoft product?

Theoretically, is may be suitable with this method for all 2000/xp/2003 system, because these systems actuation renewal ways should be inherit.

The newest 2000/xp/2003 multi-purpose clone makes the method to be supposed to be this step:

1st, the revision computer type is Standard PC.

2nd, revises IDE is the standard double channel.

3rd, execution "devcon remove *" in order deletion system current all hardware.

4th, double-clicksacpireg, joins in runonce carries out acip.exe.

5th, installs the acpi rar routine package according to the hyne explanationwhichhe makes, then moves the sysprep seal system, pays attention to under C:\sysprep the table of contents structure to have to be correct.

6th, uses some kind of clone software to carry on the clone for the system, certainly I or recommend use ghost 8.0.

Multi-purpose clone restoration step:

1st, please act according to the orphaned nebula crane to write "Windows2000, XP, 2,003 systems multi-purpose Ghost all captures" (sets goes against in card to have) the center method to have custom-made your sysprep.inf document.

2nd, casually looks for the clone which a machine restores you to make.

3rd, in front of start clone system please front according to sysprep.inf which will need to have custom-made duplicates under the C:\sysprep table of contents, will realize the clone system reto start after the automated installment. Certainly, you also may beforehand have custom-made good sysprep.inf in to make before the clone to put in the C:\sysprep table of contents, after but such system installs also needs to revise information and so on computer name and work team.

4th, in restores the system in the installation process, chooses correctacpi.

5th, the great merit creates, hits Kiss!

Moreover, must support the scsi hard disk and so on, so long as before seal, finally joins the following 4 lines of contents in sysprep.ini:

[ Sysprep ]

BuildMassStorageSection=Yes

[ SysprepMassStorage ]

Again in sysprep\i386\$oem$ folder newly built text documents cmdlines.txt, content as follows:

[ Commands ]

"c:\sysprep\sysprep.exe -clean"

In deploy.chm is such says, also did not know is good, ha ha...

--- cut end ---

\Fraefel :D:D

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