Laptops & RIS

[mcloum]

Hello,

We recentyl moved our RIS server to a windows 2003 server. I created a new image for our new PCs no problem. I then copied our old laptop image across from the old RIS server and restarted all the services. From a PC i can see this laptop image, if i boot to RIS from a laptop i cannot select an image, it just goes straight to asking if i want to format my drive, from what i can see its installing the base windows Xp image i created when installing RIS.

I thought it was because it was created on a windows 2000 RIS install so i created a fresh image and uploaded it to the new RIS server, the same thing happens.

Has anyone got any ideas?

Mike

[JimBobUK]

Hello,

We recentyl moved our RIS server to a windows 2003 server. I created a new image for our new PCs no problem. I then copied our old laptop image across from the old RIS server and restarted all the services. From a PC i can see this laptop image, if i boot to RIS from a laptop i cannot select an image, it just goes straight to asking if i want to format my drive, from what i can see its installing the base windows Xp image i created when installing RIS.

I thought it was because it was created on a windows 2000 RIS install so i created a fresh image and uploaded it to the new RIS server, the same thing happens.

Has anyone got any ideas?

Mike

Probably an issue with permissions on either the image folders or AD account, not sure but that may help!

[mcloum]

I use the same account to install all images. I checked permissions and they seem ok, Administrators and Authenticated users have read access at the minimum.

Anymore ideas?

[cluberti]

What HAL does it show in the answer file? If you don't get image selection prompts, it's either permissions or an incorrect HAL setting in the .sif file of the images.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/289638

[mcloum]

It shows

[OSChooser]
Description ="Complete image of CMZ"
Help =""
LaunchFile ="%INSTALLPATH%\%MACHINETYPE%\templates\startrom.com"
ImageType =SYSPREP
Version="5.1 (2600)"
SysPrepSystemRoot="Mirror1\UserData\WINDOWS"
HalName=halaacpi.dll
ProductType=0

I have even recreated this image by manually installing windows and installing software etc and re-imaging the laptop back up to the RIS Server, i still dont get asked to choose an image to install. Could it be something to do with the laptops BIOS??? maybe theres a issue with it now being a Windows 2003 RIS server instead of a Windows 2000

[chiners_68]

image type should be flat not sysprep.

[OSChooser]

Description ="XP Base Install - laptop (Auto Partiton)"

Help ="Automatically installs Microsoft Windows XP Professional without prompting the user for input."

LaunchFile = "%INSTALLPATH%\%MACHINETYPE%\templates\startrom.com"

ImageType =Flat

Version="5.1 (2600)"

[cluberti]

Actually, his probably are riprep images, which will show sysprep in the image type.

@mcloum: If you remove these copied riprep images, restart the binlsvc service, install from the base XP onto the laptop and image it back, can you see the new image? I've seen this before, where images moved from one server to another do not work once moved, because they were built against a different flat image (amongst other things), and the SCS service links in the images point to files that are different on the new server's flat file, causing the images to not be seen by all machines.

In short, you usually have to recreate the images.

[mcloum]

I have even recreated this image by manually installing windows and installing software etc and re-imaging the laptop back up to the RIS Server

Already tried that. Still the same.

@mcloum: If you remove these copied riprep images, restart the binlsvc service, install from the base XP onto the laptop and image it back, can you see the new image?

I cant even get to the OS selection screen. When i press F12 to network boot im asked to login to RIS, once i do it goes straight to the formatting of the HDD stage. It does not not ask me which image i want to install. Yes my images a riprep images

Edited December 15, 2006 by mcloum

[cluberti]

I hate to say this, but it sounds like a reinstall of RIS (format of the partition) will be necessary, and those images may be lost.

[mcloum]

Sod that! It took me a week to transfer it from W2k to W3k! I think i'll just leave it as is and re-install when i have nothing to do. Thanks for your help guys.

[cluberti]

That stinks - sorry there's not much more I can tell you. Moving RIS images is a royal PITA - one of the many reasons I no longer suggest riprep images, but automated risetup images (and now, with WDS, WIM images are the way to go).