Wpi and Network Drive

[srgsng25]

How do i tell wpi to install a file located on a local file server i would like to hard encode the \\server\share\ or z:\share\file.exe any help would be great i am jsut a beginner at this so i am still doing lots of reading

[pmshah]

If you are going to use the wpi cd on the specific network ONLY you simply have to map the network resource to a specific letter like Z or N before starting WPI.

I believe you could then hardcode the drive letter in your wpi scripts to install anything you want.

[ZcWorld]

yep i would preset a network drive letter for the WPI

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Try using this batch file to enable a network WPI installation:

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL ENABLEEXTENSIONS ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION

SET SHARE=\\SERVER\SHARE

TITLE Running WPI from "!SHARE!"...

PUSHD "!SHARE!"
ECHO.Mounting "!SHARE!" to "!CD!"...

PUSHD WPI
ECHO.Starting WPI...
START /wait wpi.hta
POPD

ECHO.Unmounting network-drive...
POPD

[lawrenca]

In addition to Kel's comments on getting the network drive letter mounted and launching wpi.hta with the listed .bat file...you should still be able to use relative paths in your command lines for applications as they get initiated/resolved once wpi.hta gets launched, no need to hard code the paths! Well, unless you have them seperated from your WPI folder structure. I use the same folder structure for testing on my desktop, burning CD/DVDs, and my network shares.

If your share is mapped to users when logged on (like many IT departments do), you would only have to point to the location of wpi.hta. Our departments actually include a link on Start Menu to wpi.hta for quick access to our server share.

[arabianhorse]

Try using this batch file to enable a network WPI installation:

@ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL ENABLEEXTENSIONS ENABLEDELAYEDEXPANSION

SET SHARE=\\SERVER\SHARE

TITLE Running WPI from "!SHARE!"...

PUSHD "!SHARE!"
ECHO.Mounting "!SHARE!" to "!CD!"...

PUSHD WPI
ECHO.Starting WPI...
START /wait wpi.hta
POPD

ECHO.Unmounting network-drive...
POPD

-----------

MR KEL

I LOVE THIS CMAND IT IS BETER THEN RUNING WPI.hta

ESPESHELY THROW AUTORUN

IT IS MUCH SMOTHER AND FASTER

I RUN IT LIKE THIS

[AutoRun]
open=RunHiddenConsole.exe /W RUN_WPI_ON_network_drive.cmd
ICON=WPI\WPI.ICO

SO THNKXXX BRO

[crezaee]

Where do I put this batch file so that it runs before WPI tries to run? Right now at first logon it's coming up and saying "can't find C:\WPI\wpi.hta" and it gives me the option to browse to the location......

How can I get it to already know the location is a mapped drive? Does this batch file do that? If so, where do I put this batch file so it runs before the launching of wpi.hta at first logon?

I hope I'm making sense

EDITED: Windows cannot find 'c:\wpi\WPI.hta'. Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again. To search for a file, click the Start button, and then click Search.

This is the exact error message I receive.

Edited October 27, 2006 by crezaee

[crezaee]

EDIT: This is in my opinion much easier than how you all do it... I've just got done testing and it works perfectly.

First make changes to your risstndrd.sif located in : ImageName\I386\Templates folder. Make sure to include these lines in the unattended section.

OemPreinstall = Yes

UnattendSwitch= "yes"

Next make sure you have your $oem$ folder located at same level as I386 folder.

Inside the $oem$ folder create a directory called $1

Inside the $1 directory create another directory called Drivers

Inside the Drivers directory COPY your WPI folder (the one that is located at same level as I386 Directory).

Modify the RunWPI.cmd file and add in this

for /f "delims=: tokens=1" %%i in ("%~dp0") do set drive=%%i:

set wpipath=%drive%\Drivers\wpi

SET KEY=HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnceEx

REG ADD %KEY%\999 /V 1 /D "%wpipath%\WPI.hta" /f

That's IT. Now your RIS Server will install the OS move the files for WPI to your C:\Drivers\WPI and bring up your WPI-Screen with install options at first logon. (THE CHANGE You need to make in RunWPI.cmd is shown in bold)

**IF you do have a lot of things that you install, this might not be ideal because it has to first transfer all thefiles remotely to the targeted machine (which is done at the time of install from RIS).... inthat case I might suggest using the other methods, or calling a map network drive function then pointing large installs to the specific location it is stored at.

Edited October 27, 2006 by crezaee