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Microsoft OPK eXtender Powertoy


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Available on the System Builder Website...

The OPK eXtender, Beta 1

The US PTS and Worldwide SBC teams are pleased to announce the first beta release of their newest project: the OPK eXtender (OPX). The OPX is an OPK powertoy that adds system builder-specific features to the OPK.

Technical Support for the OPX

The OPK eXtender powertoy is in English only. It is not part of the Windows OPK and is not supported by Microsoft. For this reason, Microsoft System Builder Technical Support (sbst@microsoft.com) is unable to answer questions about OPX. If you have any feedback or questions about OPX, please contact us at opx@microsoft.com.

Using the Beta 1 version of OPX, you can create the following:

A reinstall CD solution for your customers

This is a solution that restores the PC to the state that you sold it in. Use OPX to create a CD image (ISO) containing out-of-box drivers to burn to CD, as well as a Winnt.sif that adds your branding and runs Sysprep. With that CD and a floppy containing the Winnt.sif and OPX files, your customer can boot the PC with the hologram Windows CD and Winnt.sif. and the OPX files will automate the reinstallation of Windows with your customizations. The next release of OPX will add update support to the reinstall solution.

A repository of out-of-box drivers

As you build PCs, whenever you add hardware that uses an out-of-box driver, you can add those drivers to the OPX repository. When you have a repository, you can use OPX to scan a new PC to identify the missing drivers, and automatically update config sets to add those drivers from the repository. OPX modifies all answer files for you, including Txtsetup.oem for mass-storage drivers. Then, you run the network-based preinstall using the updated config set and Windows is installed with the OOB drivers.

Customized Windows PE builds and ISOs

OPX provides a GUI to the Windows PE build tools (Mkimg and Oscdimg) to make it simple for you to create custom Windows PE builds. You can also add OOB drivers from your repository to your Windows PE builds, including mass-storage drivers!

A driver enumeration file (DEF) for new PCs

The Scan command of the OPX tab will analyze the hardware of a new PC and identify any missing drivers. The results of the scan are listed in a driver enumeration file (.def) and displayed in the DEF tab. You can load that DEF in the OPX install on your technician computer and use it to add the missing drivers to your repository and then to one or more config sets.

System builder profiles

A profile is the set of information that you use to brand a new PC: your logos, a desktop background, your support info, IE home page, and so on. You can automatically update one or more config sets with a profile. If you build PCs for another system builder, you can add their profile to config sets to create PC branded with your partner’s branding.

A UFD that boots with Windows PE

The Server 2003 SP1 OPK added the ability to create bootable UFDs: USB flash devices that can boot Windows PE. If you have that OPK installed, you can use the OPX GUI to create the bootable UFD from your custom Windows PE build.

Enhanced CD-boot solution

For those of you that use the CD-boot method, OPX enables an enhanced version that customizes the PC with the information in your profile, and reseals the PC with Sysprep.

OPX Download

The OPX download is a zip file that contains the OPX executable and the user’s guide. Install OPX on your technician computer or any PC that contains an OPK installation. Without the OPK, only the DEF tab is functional.

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