N00b needs help!

[Acleacius]

Ok I know it's my disk because I can stick in my Retial WinXP disk and setup starts.

So I have done something to prevent setup starting and causing it not to be booting correctly

from my WinLite.iso, burned Cd.

I used Finalized Cd and burn it at 16x, i.e. slower speed of my 48x as recomended in NLite setup tips.

The main reason I am trying NLite was I am trying to get my "Documents and Setting", "Program Files" and "Common Files" off the System Drive.

This seems to be an amazing program, though many items and ablities are new to me but I have setup standard XP many times so I think (hope ) I can get the hang of this amazing tool.

I will try to show areas that are new to me, which I could have gotten wrong and could use help fixing, if someone more experienced could give me a nudge.

So trying Unattended, I added what I thought were correct command line entries, do any of these stand out as errors?

First I set it to ProvideDefault, so I could still oversee the install.

I added these lines to Run Once.

ProfilesDir = D:\Documents and Settings

CommonFilesDir = D:\Common Files

ProgramFilesDir = D:\Program Files

Another thing I could have done wrong was edited in, Options, under Folders by changing;

Profiles path to D:\Documents and Settings

I left Temporay folder to default, %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings\Temp, since I was changing the UserProfile I thought it would change based on the "Docs and Sett" folder.

I am not sure what other potienal problem areas I could have changed, as most of the other stuff was minor tweaks.

Thanks for any help or tips to point me in the right direction.

Edit

I see my line, CommonFilesDir = D:\Common Files, is wong and should be CommonFilesDir = D:\Program Files\Common Files.

I will change this, though I doubt this would effect Booting and it possibly would have worked but not been in the location I intended.

Edit

Also forgot to mention, I did do a search for key phrases like Bootable, without much luck.

Edited July 28, 2006 by Acleacius

[T D]

U added it to RunOnce?? How does that work?? I hope u mean winnt.sif??

Remember, think, the D: partition won't always be D:. the drive letter will chance. Use %SystemDrive%\ instead.

If u used nLite more than once on ur source, it will be corrupted.

And programfiles folder doesn't have to be called program files! You can change it to Apps or whatever! Same for the other stuff.

If u google for key phrases like bootable, that's not specific!! "Bootable problems nlite" will give u something.

Does ur bios support booting from a cd/dvd? Is it configured correctly?

[Acleacius]

Thanks for the relpy.

"How does that work??"

I am not sure that's why I am asking for help.

My intent is to relocate the folders I mentioned, I orginally was trying to learn how to do a Unattend/Answer file.

I was refered to try this product at Anand and never having used Unattend/Answer file or this product, I had to guess and it wasn't clear in any directions I found how to do it.

So the Run Once is not the place to set these, if I understand you.

"I hope u mean winnt.sif"

I have never heard of this file, but if it is the one I need could you please tell me where it's located in the NLite setup?

"Use %SystemDrive%\ instead."

"nLite more than once on ur source, it will be corrupted."

Clear on both accounts, thanks.

"that's not specific!!"

"cd/dvd? Is it configured correctly?"

Clear and yes.

Though I believe my D:\ would always be D:\, since I don't intend a dual boot.

It won't matter (afaik) if I boot this Hd as a Slave at some point, using the %SystemDrive% is fine.

I just want the folders relocated, all other tweaks are perks, in my case.

So if I understand, I need to start over and use %SystemDrive% and I need to find a file or setting in NLite called winnt.sif to change the folder locations.

I would still like to change the locations of the folders, would it be much trouble to tell me what I need to do or provide me with a link?

I am new to this but trying to read and search amap to get it correct.

Thanks for any help.

Btw your Sig links, specificly Unattend guide looks very intresting, though I think I need to focus on this one at a time, I look forward to reading it, thanks.

Edited July 30, 2006 by Acleacius

[T D]

Even if not a dual/multi boot, 2 partitions or more will swap drive letters.

And the UA guide and the 2003-XP Deployment tools( http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en ) will help. Open the cab in the deployment tools, open setupmgr.exe and it will run an Answer file creator.

So the Run Once is not the place to set these, if I understand you.

"I hope u mean winnt.sif"

I have never heard of this file, but if it is the one I need could you please tell me where it's located in the NLite setup?

Choose "unattended setup" in nLite. But the deployment tools are better and more thorough for any level.

[Acleacius]

Ok got, it was my source files extrated from the XP cd, thanks for the tip.

"Even if not a dual/multi boot, 2 partitions or more will swap drive letters."

Really? Could you give me an example, cause that baffles me.

Err, and gremlins don't count.

[T D]

Could you give me an example, cause that baffles me.

Me.

My partitions were

C:\ [labeled MY_DOCS]

D:\ [WVISTAB2]

E:\ [WXPH]

F:\ [WXPP]

Of course, wxph was winxp home and wxpp was windows xp pro. wvistab2 was windows vista and guess what my_docs were.

After formatting [WXPP] , directly formatting, not deleting and creating.

C:\ [WXPP] (yay, my most used boot partition is back to C:\ )

D:\ [WXPH]

E:\ [WVISTAB2]

F:\ [MY_DOCS]

[Acleacius]

Lol!

I really don't see that happening very often, that the general public needs to be concerned.

Me

C:\ [Main]

D:\ [Programs]

E:\ [GamesFat32]

E:\ [Games]

F:\ [Files]

Btw, thanks again for all the help.

[Shindo_Hikaru]

Regarding the lettering of the drive, how you have it partitioned makes the difference.

If you have 3 or 4 Primary partitions - A little fight will occur that you do not see, each of the partitions will try to be come the First (C:\) and so on. The best way to prevent this little battle is to create one Primary and the rest under an Extended partiton.

An Extended partiton can have many logical partitions (many drive allocations).

______________

|Primary Partition|

|C - Drive |

---------------------

________________

|Extended Partition|

|D - Docs Drive | - Note - Any one of these drives (partitions) can be

|E - Program Drive| be any Driver letter.

|F - Game Drive |

|G - Video Drive | - For an example, look below

-----------------------

|Extended Partition|

|G - Docs Drive |

|E - Program Drive|

|F - Game Drive |

|G - Video Drive |

-----------------------

-----------------------

|Extended Partition|

|F - Docs Drive |

|D - Program Drive|

|F - Game Drive |

|G - Video Drive |

-----------------------

-----------------------

|Extended Partition|

|F - Docs Drive |

|E - Program Drive|

|G - Game Drive |

|G - Video Drive |

-----------------------]

and so on.