Windows XP VLK CD & $OEM$ folder

[NicholasH]

I am bumping into a rather strange problem that I haven't been able to figure out yet.

I've put together an automated build for our company's workstations using the WINNT.SIF file on a bootable, fully updated Windows XP CD in conjunction with a custom VBScript that gets launched at the first logon of the administrator account.

Everything works perfectly with either the Dell OEM or Retail versions of Windows XP, but when I try to use the same WINNT.SIF (ProductID altered accordingly) file and create the \i386\$OEM$\$$\system32 folder structure on a VLK CD, the contents never get copied to the target machine.

Here's the WINNT.SIF file I am using (minus incriminating evidence).

I have tried using both the RTM and an SP2 integrated ISO of the VLK CD in VMWare and get the same results everytime: The OS installation goes off perfectly but the VBScript to install the standard applications package is missing from %WINDIR%\system32.

It seems that the VLK media is completely ignoring the OemPreinstall=Yes value or it's looking in some other place instead of within the i386 folder for the $OEM$ folder.

Thank you.

[Components]

accessopt=on

autoupdate=on

calc=on

charmap=off

chat=off

clipbook=off

deskpaper=off

dialer=off

freecell=off

hearts=off

hypertrm=on

mediaclips=off

media_utopia=off

minesweeper=off

mousepoint=off

mplay=off

msmsgs=off

msnexplr=off

mswordpad=on

objectpkg=off

OEAccess=off

paint=on

pinball=off

rec=off

rootautoupdate=on

solitaire=off

spider=off

templates=off

vol=on

zonegames=off

[Data]

AutoPartition=1

AutomaticUpdates=Yes

MsDosInitiated=0

UnattendedInstall=Yes

[Display]

AutoConfirm=1

[GuiRunOnce]

"%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\cscript.exe %SYSTEMROOT%\system32\Installer.vbs"

[GuiUnattended]

AdminPassword=

EncryptedAdminPassword=NO

OEMSkipRegional=1

OemSkipWelcome=1

TimeZone=20

AutoLogon=Yes

AutoLogonCount=2

[identification]

JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP

[Networking]

InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[PCHealth]

ER_Enable_Reporting=0

RA_AllowToGetHelp=0

ER_Display_UI=0

[RegionalSettings]

LanguageGroup=1

SystemLocale=00000409

UserLocale=00000409

InputLocale=0409:00000409

[shell]

DefaultStartPanelOff=Yes

DefaultThemesOff=Yes

[TapiLocation]

CountryCode=1

Dialing=Tone

AreaCode=507

[TerminalServices]

AllowConnections=1

[unattended]

CrashDumpSetting=2

FileSystem=*

Hibernation=No

OemSkipEula=Yes

OemPreinstall=Yes

TargetPath=\WINDOWS

Repartition=Yes

UnattendMode=FullUnattended

UnattendSwitch=Yes

WaitForReboot=No

[userData]

ComputerName=*

FullName="DEG"

OrgName="DEG"

ProductID=""

[WindowsFirewall]

Profiles=WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall

[WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall]

Mode=0

[Yzöwl]

This should probably have been posted in the unattended forum, however since you are installing from CD, then the $OEM$ directory should be on the same level as the I386, not within it.

[NicholasH]

Thank you. That did the trick.

I could've sworn that I'd already tried placing the $OEM$ folder at the root of the VLK CD (same as the OEM CD), but I must've had something wrong with it.