Some $OEM$ files not copying!

[mjones]

Greetings again... THanks to your superb website I seem to be 99.9% of the way along with completing my unattended XP Build. I had posted on the XP forum about getting my OEM files to copy... and thanks to Ctrl-X I found that the problem was since my $OEM$ directory was in the default location ..\i386\$OEM$ that in fact to make the files copy I needed to remove the OEMFILEPATH entry from the answer file.

However... During the first step of the install, when the files are being copied.. I get the following error:

SETUP WAS UNABLE TO COPY THE FOLLOWING FILE: and this is followed by the filename...

I can use ESC to get out of this and end up holding it down for most... but a few times files to get copied!

There does not seem to be any rhyme or reason as to what is chosen and what is not, but it is the same result on each test install.. the sames files not copied and same files copied!

My DRIVERS folder and all it's contents copy fine and in fact the video and audio get setup just perfect! I have a folder with all of the MS Updates... from which I use the CMDLINES.txt file to install during the build... this works and all it's contents make it to the C drive... However I cannot get a single file copied to the SYSTEM32 directory... I need to copy a NOVELL client folder.. Every folder is copied just fine, the only problem is that there are no files...

Any know what might cause this? Permissions are set... the user I have logged on during the install has full admin, not to mention that the share has EVERYONE set to full rights...

Looking for any info anyone might have on something to try!

Thanks!

MJ

[amit_talkin]

1st tell us that which type of installation u r performing? RIS ( network ) installation or single PC installation?

as u described that your $OEM$ folder is in I386 dir. ( I386\$OEM$ ) it is for RIS installation....not for Single PC !

[PaulIA]

You might want to look at this as a reference for the OEM folders:

OEM Folder Reference

From what you are describing, I don't think you have your files in the correct location on your installation CD

[Ctrl-X]

1st tell us that which type of installation u r performing? RIS ( network ) installation or single PC installation?

as u described that your $OEM$ folder is in I386 dir. ( I386\$OEM$ ) it is for RIS installation....not for Single PC !

It's the other way round... For RIS installations, the $OEM$ folder should be at the same level as the i386 folder. For all other installation types, it should be a subfolder of i386. Check How to add OEM Plug an Play Drivers to Windows XP for details.

[PaulIA]

It's the other way round... For RIS installations, the $OEM$ folder should be at the same level as the i386 folder. For all other installation types, it should be a subfolder of i386. Check How to add OEM Plug an Play Drivers to Windows XP for details.

Now I'm confused Is the OEM Reference at the Unattended site for RIS or "all other installation types"? It shows the $OEM$ folder at the same level as the i386 folder.

[Ctrl-X]

It's the other way round... For RIS installations, the $OEM$ folder should be at the same level as the i386 folder. For all other installation types, it should be a subfolder of i386. Check How to add OEM Plug an Play Drivers to Windows XP for details.

Now I'm confused Is the OEM Reference at the Unattended site for RIS or "all other installation types"? It shows the $OEM$ folder at the same level as the i386 folder.

I know... Apparently the information in the OEM reference is correct, or it would have been corrected long ago. But according to Microsoft documentation this folder structure is for RIS installations only. We have been using RIS for over five years now and I know for a fact that the $OEM$ folder needs to be at the same level as i386

[PaulIA]

Well.... I'm not doing anything with RIS and putting the folder outside of the i386 folder has always been the way that I (and others in my shop) had done it for single PC setups.

In fact, when I first started doing this, I once put the $OEM$ folder inside the i386 directory and I know for a fact that it doesn't work for single PC setups. So what you are saying (that the folder needs to be inside the i386 directory) may be true for RIS setups, but it doesn't appear to be true for non RIS setups or we'd all have non-working UA discs

Just out of curiosity, where on the Microsoft site are you getting information that indicates that non RIS setups should be this way? I'm always willing to learn a thing or two

[Ctrl-X]

Well.... I'm not doing anything with RIS and putting the folder outside of the i386 folder has always been the way that I (and others in my shop) had done it for single PC setups.

In fact, when I first started doing this, I once put the $OEM$ folder inside the i386 directory and I know for a fact that it doesn't work for single PC setups. So what you are saying (that the folder needs to be inside the i386 directory) may be true for RIS setups, but it doesn't appear to be true for non RIS setups or we'd all have non-working UA discs

No, for RIS setups it definitely needs to be outside the i386 folder.

Just out of curiosity, where on the Microsoft site are you getting information that indicates that non RIS setups should be this way? I'm always willing to learn a thing or two

It's in the article I linked to earlier in this thread: How to Add OEM Plug and Play Drivers to Windows XP. I admit it's confusing...

[PaulIA]

I think we're bothing saying the same thing, just from different perspectives.

For RIS setups, I agree that the $OEM$ folder needs to be at the same level as the i386 directory. I've never disagreed with you on that. But, what I've been trying to get at is that for non RIS setups, it also needs to be at the same level as the i386 directory. Either that, or we're both right and it works from either place (Wouldn't that be a hoot)

I looked at the Mircosoft site and it's funny that I'd found that page before, but it was linked from a reference on RIS installations. Leave it to Microsoft to make things more confusing than they have to be

Cheers!

[Takeshi]

Network install doesn't always mean RIS.

It can be PC1 (Win98) connecting to PC2 (Win2k or XP distribution folder, not RIS image) to install, in which case

\i386\$OEM$

would be appropriate.