Vista unattended Guide

[kentk]

Really great guide Martin ! (http://firegeier.unattended-sponsor.de/en/sitemap.html)

I have tried the section "Install drivers from USB or DVD" and have some questions:

1. Step2, why image 2 and not image 1 that are stated as PE ?

2. Step4 inside the file SetDriversRoot.cmd, why X:\setup ? (also a small miss spelling in the header "Creating the SetDirversRoot.cmd" )

3. In your german guide you mention FWDT.exe in "Schritt 5" but not in the english version ? why ?

4. Is this the place to present AHCI drivers for vista so it can be used during boot, PE is the first moment in installation so it should be..or?

5. You dont mention what to do with the Autounattend.xml file created/edited, I assume I have to save it and use it in install moment of vista as "always"..

I also tested the "Slipstream updates" part and have some comments here to

6. If you dont have a distribution share I guess its ok to just create a new answer file (as you say), and that way the pictures look different, the updates goes directly into the answerfile when using Insert, packages...

7. If I go directly to this part of guide I miss 2 folders at step 8 , Sandbox, Logs in my directory, if I dont create them the command line cant run !

/Kent

Edited September 18, 2007 by kentk

[Sgt_Strider]

I finally decided to try an unattended installation with Vista after giving up on it early in the summer. I got some questions for FireGeier or anyone that is experienced at this.

oobeSystem \ Windows-International-Core

The setting above doesn't seem to exist even though I have followed the instructions carefully and I went back to double check it. Am I missing something here? It's odd that a similar menu to this exist for the Windows PE section.

Let's say that if this menu does exist and someone tell me how to add it, how can I enable Chinese (simplified and traditional characters) for Vista? I don't see the "language group" setting that exist in Windows XP. I'm not sure how to do it and I would appreciate if someone tells me how to add it. Thanks!

[Jazkal]

None of the links work in the first post. Anyone have a mirror link for this?

EDIT:

Found this thread that is supposed to have all this info, in it.

http://www.msfn.org/board/Vista_Guide_Inte...fix_t95950.html

Edited October 1, 2007 by Jazkal

[seabird]

First of all, great guide!!!!

but, I am stuck at the Install Drivers from DVD part. I copied all the drivers originally shipped with my computer into my Drivers Folder

-If I put the %DriversRoot%Drivers in WindowsPE, my setup won't run saying there are critical boot drivers missing. They are not missing if I don't implement drivers.

I cannot get my drivers loaded into the setup for some reason. I can only get them in there by injecting them (via vLite) which means I cannot update if newer versions come out.

Can you please help me with this one. I cannot continue untill this is fixed.

Thank you for a quick responds

[Dobby]

BTW firegeier's website is back up so the links in the first post are valid again.

@seabird check what your setting %DriversRoot% to. If there is no trailing slash you'll need it between %DriversRoot% and Drivers. If you followed Firegeier's tutorial on Installing drivers from Media then your SetDriversRoot.cmd should contain an echo which will tell you what %DriversRoot% was set to.

I remember getting that error and if I remember correctly it was down to a bad/incorrect drivers path.

[seabird]

@seabird check what your setting %DriversRoot% to. If there is no trailing slash you'll need it between %DriversRoot% and Drivers. If you followed Firegeier's tutorial on Installing drivers from Media then your SetDriversRoot.cmd should contain an echo which will tell you what %DriversRoot% was set to.

I remember getting that error and if I remember correctly it was down to a bad/incorrect drivers path.

I just copy pasted the code of fire's website, so I ssume it is correct....

@ECHO OFF
SET DriversRoot=NULL

:SearchDriversRoot
FOR %%i IN (C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) DO IF EXIST %%i:\DriversRoot.txt SET DriversRoot=%%i:\
IF NOT "%DriversRoot%"=="NULL" GOTO StartSetup
GOTO SearchDriversRoot

:StartSetup
ECHO DriversRoot=%DriversRoot%
X:\setup.exe

Driversroot seems to have a backslash, and my answerfile is %DriversRoot%Drivers

I just can't figure this one out :'(

[razormoon]

@ECHO OFF
SET DriversRoot=NULL

:SearchDriversRoot
FOR %%i IN (C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) DO IF EXIST %%i:\DriversRoot.txt SET DriversRoot=%%i:\
IF NOT "%DriversRoot%"=="NULL" GOTO StartSetup
GOTO SearchDriversRoot

:StartSetup
ECHO DriversRoot=%DriversRoot%
X:\setup.exe

SET DriversRoot=%%i:\

Should NOT contain the trailing slash, otherwise DriversRoot = X:\\

SET DriversRoot=%%i: CORRECT

Where DriversRoot equals only the drive letter (and colon) where your drivers are stored. So...pointing to that directory should be:

%DriversRoot%\Drivers

Now what I don't understand is why the reason for the GOTO SearchDriversRoot loop. FOR %%i should take care of this and run through the letters by design, no?

Edited October 10, 2007 by razormoon

[razormoon]

The problem is the Disk configuration screen never appears.

<InstallToAvailablePartition>false</InstallToAvailablePartition>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

Remove <InstallToAvailablePartition>

Change <WillShowUI> to Always

Thanks. No change though. Disk configuration screen still doesn't appear. Strangely when I try running it on my physical system rather than vmware the Disk configuration screen does appear. Disk configuration screen shows up in VMware on non unattended iso though, just not if AUTOUNATTEND.XML is present.

Remove InstallToAvailablePartition as this is incorrect.

Insert in "Microsoft-Windows-Setup" @ WindowsPE

            <DiskConfiguration>
                <WillShowUI>Always</WillShowUI>
            </DiskConfiguration>

G'Luck!

[kentk]

Fixed, was a typo in autounattend.xml

Edited October 11, 2007 by kentk

[kentk]

I think I found a error in the guide, Advanced, Copy profile

In step 1 it is instructed to write:

%WINDIR%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /quiet /oobe /reboot

But in the picture below there is no generalize !?

Should I use generalize for this task ??

If I follow the guide to install applications, there is no "generalize" in the line in Synchronous Command ,Pass 4 specialize, why ?

Edited October 12, 2007 by kentk

[xenon2050]

WOW! That guide is absolutely, totally, awesome! I downloaded WAIK and was trying to figure out how to use it then I remembered having run across your guide... And it saved me a lot of time and errors, at least so far. At the very least it will point me in the right direction. Thanks!

[rick456]

Thanks Martin, for your well explained and helpful guide(s)/site, please keep it up.

And, not to be too off-topic but, I tried to use your "http://firegeier.unattended-sponsor.de/en/inject_drivers_into_image.html" but my problem seemed to be rooted in the "boot.wim".

I had that annoying "...CD/DVD required device drivers is missing..." very early on in the Phase1 install ?

But this led me to look a little deeper and I found

http://apcmag.com/5436/customise_windows_pe_2_0, which with a bit of your guide fixed my initial unattended driver-injection booting problem.

ok, bear with me here, but a lot of people have had this kinda problem too, and I've posted this tip elswhere, maybe you could brush it up and add it to your guide collection as "inject drivers into boot.wim using PETools"?

Also, If I followed something wrong in your guide/site, believe me -I RTFM'd it, then just yell at me, - its ok,

but in the meantime I'd like to share my "boot.wim" FIX with

ya'll. maybe it could be of use to some users who need to apply this before they can get into the fully-unattended tips in your guide(s). ?

...

*********************************************************************

for that "...CD/DVD required device drivers are missing..." on my Vista 64 new install.

-the web-links mentioned here provide a very good understanding, for me anyway, for

dealing with any automated Vista installs.-and many thanks to those Authors.

I went into some over-detail here, but hey, step-by-step feedback is good,

especially when it includes corrections.

I think, during the very early install phases of a PASS1, the "boot.wim" a mini-Vista boot image

is loaded with a bare skeloton of drivers into a virtual-memory-CD-Drive,

(very similar to "md" Memory Devices used in unix).

This however, is just enough to begin installing the big PASS2(nonWinPE) "install.wim" Vista image

onto your HD via your DVD-drive.

-But, if for instance, the virtual mini-Vista image(boot.wim) can't load the

"...required CD/DVD device drivers..."

for example, the newer SATA DVD-Drive/controller(s), then it needs to find them via

a loadable floppy, USB-flash drive,...which is where You come in -compliments of Microsoft.

So, to permanently fix this you basically "mount" your copied ...\sources\boot.wim,

inject the required drivers (.inf files), unmount it, and then "re-image" your

new (OEM) DVD master on a blank DVD.

-and here's the "General" HowTo driver-injection article I found (for Vista 32), and early Workstation deployments,

which worked for me.

http://apcmag.com/5436/customise_windows_pe_2_0

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

Here's my Hardware/OS:

-Microsoft Vista Ultimate 64-bit OS(purchased separately (brand new & legit), so as to Install "fresh" on my:

-Asus P5B-Premium Vista Edition motherbard; (no its not a joke, the board is actually called Vista Edition)

(with the onboard Intel ICH8R SATA controllers,.. and a Jmicron JMB363 PATA/SATA controller)

-Intel Quad-core CPU

-(2) Raptors striped across the ICH8R Sata controllers

-(1) Pioneer "SATA" DVR-212D DVD/CD on the Jmb363 sata controller(AHCI mode in BIOS).

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

Note:

(my steps below are all for an "Ultimate Vista 64-bit" unattended driver injection,

Vista 32 will be slightly different $PATHS, however the info-link mentioned in

http://apcmag.com/5436/customise_windows_pe_2_0 is for Vista 32, and is a good quick-reference guide

for modifying Vista "boot.wim" image files)

Important! -> You will need your (OEM) DVD, and the Windows "WAIK" installed from:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;DisplayLang=en

-its a 998 Meg (mini)Vista DVD image file download, which you'll burn on a blank DVD and install it.

-Included with it though, is both the:

"Windows System Image Manager"-WSIM app- (which is primarily used for modifying ...\sources\install.wim image files).

and,

"Windows PE Tools Command Prompt" -PETools app- (which is primarily used for modifying ...\sources\boot.wim image files).

You'll only needed the PETools part of WAIK for this scenario.

Here's the steps I used:

1./ copy entire (OEM) DVD to D:\DVD, and make a couple sub-folders under D:\DVD

named "Drivers" and "Mount".

2./ In my case, I copied just the required (Intel and Jmicron)SATA contoller driver files to D:\DVD\Drivers

(*.inf/cat/sys files - but no exe's) any not-needed-for-booting drivers can may have go into "install.wim" later.

3./ Share D:\DVD with "full-control" permissions for yourself/Admin.

4./ if you have Vista 32 -skip to step 5./, otherwise, open an Administrator command shell

from "Start" -> "run" type cmd but instead of hitting "Enter"-key, hit the "Ctrl-Shift-Enter"

SETX Imgx "%Programfiles%\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64" -m

5./ from your "Start" -> Programs" -> "Microsoft Windows AIK" -Run as Admin the

"Windows PE Tools Command Prompt" shell.

6./

(cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64)

imagex /mountrw D:\DVD\sources\boot.wim 2 D:\DVD\Mount

(cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools)

peimg /inf=D:\DVD\Drivers\*.inf /image=D:\DVD\Mount

(cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\amd64)

imagex /unmount /commit D:\DVD\Mount

(cd C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools)

oscdimg -n -m -b"%Programfiles%\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\amd64\boot\etfsboot.com" D:\DVD D:\Vista64.iso

7./ thats it, burn that .iso onto a DVD blank with your favourite 3rd-party app.

note1: (the cd ... in brackets are there for brevity, although the PETools command shell actually

adds those $PATHS to your environment automatically, depending if you've got x86(32-bit), or amd64(64-bit)

-also since I just don't fully trust Microsoft automatically anymore, I prefer to "cd" around.

note2: in Step 6./ the "-m" switch in the oscdimg command seems to be an undocumented switch, however

it is required to create the DVD image size properly.

also see

http://firegeier.unattended-sponsor.de/en/create_iso.html

-very well explained site on unattended Vista installs in general

cheers.

[Dobby]

@razormoon - The reason for the goto is so it loops round and keeps checking all drives until it finds the DriversRoot file. WinPE starts up before the drives get mapped so if you just did one check through the drives you might not find the DriversRoot file.

@seabird - Your config looks correct. So is the console window coming up with the drive that DriversRoot has been set to?

Edited October 13, 2007 by Dobby

[Sgt_Strider]

I finally decided to try an unattended installation with Vista after giving up on it early in the summer. I got some questions for FireGeier or anyone that is experienced at this.

oobeSystem \ Windows-International-Core

The setting above doesn't seem to exist even though I have followed the instructions carefully and I went back to double check it. Am I missing something here? It's odd that a similar menu to this exist for the Windows PE section.

Let's say that if this menu does exist and someone tell me how to add it, how can I enable Chinese (simplified and traditional characters) for Vista? I don't see the "language group" setting that exist in Windows XP. I'm not sure how to do it and I would appreciate if someone tells me how to add it. Thanks!

Can someone please answer my questions above? I've been waiting for almost one month for a response!

[Dobby]

There are two components. One called Windows-International-Core and one called Windows-International-Core-WinPE. The WinPE one only applies to the PE pass and the other applies to specialize and oobeSystem passes.

I'm not sure about the languages as I only use English and Russian (for the wife) but I noticed something about Language Packs so maybe you need one of these Packs to be able to select the appropriate language. Sorry I can't be anymore help.