Simple procedure that's failing constantly

[Frederf]

First off, I'd like to say this this forum is a very helpful respository of advice. Unfortunately it has yet to hold my hand enough to get my through this initial phase. I'm interested in fabricating low cost MCE machines of a narrow hardware type. I will go through the steps I took step by step and hopefully people will be able to point out where I made a mistake.

The problem with using the MSDN ISOs bare is I have a SATA drive only without floppy, F6 isn't an option.

1. Download MSDN Media Center ISOs from http://msdn.microsoft.com/

2. Download and install the latest version of nLite

3. Mount CD1 on a virtual drive.

4. Use nLite on the image to save a copy onto G:\MCE

5. Select only Slipstream driver and Make bootable ISO.

7. Add in the Silicon 3112 driver, NT/XP textmode

8. Make the ISO, then close nLite

9. Burn said ISO using Nero's image burn feature to a CD.

10. Boot CD via restart and watch as the Sillicon SATA controller flys by in the textmode windows setup (Yay!)

11. Quick format the disk and windows installer copies the files to the hard drive (11.5 wonder why it never asked for CD2)

12. Frown as, upon reboot, booting off the newly copied onto harddrive displays an error has occured with the install.

Can anyone help? I've tried numerous methods, coastering about 12 CDs DVDs, tried merging the contents of both CDs together onto a CD, a DVD, tried using ISObuster+Nero to burn a bootable CD, tried nLite's bootable image, everyone gains a bit fat error upon getting to the "pretty" mode of the installer.

[DigeratiPrime]

easy just slipstream bashrats mass_storage driverpacks

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=111

[Frederf]

Despite clearly not reading my post, I decided to attempt your suggestion.

My first step was to follow your link to what is a forum with between 50 and 100 threads. I read the stickies and eventually got to the site which hosted the BASE and massstorage driver packs.

Inside the useful Installation_Instructions.htm file provided the refreshingly simple steps of:

"Step-by-step

0. DOWNLOAD all DriverPacks you'd like to use and put them in the DriverPacks folder.

1. EXECUTE BTS_DPs_Slipstreamer.cmd (1).

2. COPY the CONTENTS ONLY of the folder UWXPCD_ROOT to the root of your Unattended Windows XP CD (2).

OR

EDIT the batch file BTS_DPs_autocopy.example.cmd with your settings, AFTER RENAMING it to BTS_DPs_autocopy.cmd.

3. EXECUTE RUN_ME.cmd (3)."

Except #1 references a file which does not exist, I used a .cmd with as close to that filename as I could find. #2 specifies moving files between a source and a destination, NEITHER of which make any sense. And in between steps 1 and 2 there was a non-documented choice of methods 1 2 and 3 that had no labels on their methods besides literally... 1 2 and 3.

After succumbing to curiosity/defeat I yanked a floppy drive out of another machine and attempted to install MCE off the unadulterated burned ISOs using F6-method. Now I know the ISOs I have are perfectly fine as the install went off without a hitch.

I was just continually baffled at the insistence that nLite (a fine program, based on my experiences) is compatible with MCE, when every attempt at using it to simply slip in one SI312 driver and reiso-burn, continually yeilded a corrupt install.

Since nLite is obviously compatible with MCE (people have done it) I would appreciate a very basic procedure of nLite-opening a MCE-CD1 disk to add in one SATA driver, reburning and installing poiting out any pitfals and chances for corruption that I may have missed. I would like to stress that nLite was certainly successful in slipping in the SATA drivers, the SATA controller was found by the windows installer, the SATA drive was detected, formatted, copied onto, it's just the remaining installation failed to run smoothly beyond this point. Presumably because the files copied to the drive by the format were just plain wrong in some way.

[DigeratiPrime]

you probably removed something you were not supposed to. nlite is completely compatible with mce, be sure to not delete the Media Center and Framework files though. It would be helpful if you posted the Last Session.ini from nLite.

Also i did read your first post, i suggested you try out Bashrat's Driver Packs (DriverPacks.net) you can slipstream every known SATA driver and more if you want to. This would eliminate the need for a floppy drive, and installing drivers.

Its very easy you download DriverPacks Base, double click to extract to folder.

Add your mass_storage drivers into the subfolder 'DriverPacks'.

run BTS_DPs_Slipstreamer_V5113.cmd (latest version) it will create a new folder 'UWXPCD_ROOT'.

Copy UWXPCD_ROOT to your root xpcd folder (extract your isos ), and double click RUN_ME.cmd.

I reccomend Method2 and not to keep the drivers.

[Frederf]

Hmm, I really didn't delete anything.

As for UWXPCD_ROOT, I did a search for it, I guess it hadn't been created yet. Method 2 huh? Of course, it's always 2. So I extract CD1 to say X:\Whatever run the Slipstreamer and put the UWXPCD_ROOT folder in X:\Whatever\UWXPCD_ROOT. Then run RUN_ME.cmd? And after that? I guess burn the directory back to a CD using Nero and the .img from the original ISO (to make it burnable)?

I will try nLite again and post the last session. I'm quite seriously doing about 6 clicks in the interface, just extract, add driver, make ISO, burn, boot.

[rikgale]

Silly Question, but did you run the Base first? If not:

Run the Base. This will then extract itself to the current folder with a folder for the driverpacks, a folder which houses all the files that the BTS_DPs_Slipstreamer_V5113.cmd needs. The BTS_DPs_Slipstreamer_V5113.cmd will also be created where the base extracted. Run BTS_DPs_Slipstreamer_V5113.cmd and UWXPCD_ROOT will be created. Follow the instrction on the screen and bingo, it should work