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WinPE 2.0 GimageX COM based HTA


geezery

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The current release is using that COM component and it works nicely, but the progress bar doesn't work. If you find bugs please report them here.

I actually found one and I will repair it in the next version. I wish that I could some how show the progressbar also. I actually have the progress indicator working in the HTA if you are using it from the Windows XP or Vista. You just have to define the com component a bit different.

Sorry haven't tried your HTA in a while. So nothing from this code works? Can you get time remaining? If so could you use that to calculate progress????

Set objWIM = WScript.CreateObject("GImageX.GImageXCtrl", "objWIM_")

objWIM.Source = "test.wim"
objWIM.Destination = "c:\test"
objWIM.ImageIndex = 1
objWIM.Check = TRUE
objWIM.Verify = TRUE
objWIM.ApplyImage

WScript.DisconnectObject objWIM
Set objWIM = Nothing


Sub objWIM_Progress(Percent, TimeRemaining)
WScript.Echo Percent & "% - " & TimeRemaining & " sec(s)"
' Abort the operation by using the line below
'objWim.Abort = TRUE
End Sub

Sub objWIM_ProgressInfo(Info)
WScript.Echo Info
End Sub

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Believe me I have tried almost everything what you can do with that COM component.

Set objWIM = WScript.CreateObject("GImageX.GImageXCtrl", "objWIM_")

You cant define an object like this in HTA. It doesn't support multithreaded objects. I actually find another solution that works in Windows XP andVista but not in WinPE:(

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Believe me I have tried almost everything what you can do with that COM component.

Set objWIM = WScript.CreateObject("GImageX.GImageXCtrl", "objWIM_")

You cant define an object like this in HTA. It doesn't support multithreaded objects. I actually find another solution that works in Windows XP andVista but not in WinPE:(

What if you open up a VBS script window to display the progress rather right in the HTA itself would that work?? Or run it behind the HTA and have it put the output into a text file then have the HTA read the text file? Maybe name the text file what ever the percentage is and just have HTA refresh that directory showing the percentage (taken from the name of the text file)???? Just throwing some ideas out.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I just tried out the GimageX (COM Based) HTA today and have encountered an error.

Line:222

Char:1

Object Required: 'objWIM'

Code:0

it is this line:

objWIM.Source = myFilepath + objSel1.options(objSel1.selectedindex).text

Everything seems to work: I can select images or deploy them, but the image names within the WIM are blank. In my case, there are 2 WIMs and each only has 1 image in them. It shows a radio button after I select the image, but there is no words next to it.

EDIT: sorry, I didn't read the part in the first post that said to register the DLL... :\

It works now just fine.

Edited by Tripredacus
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OK I got a new question. I noticed in the HTA itself that there was a "setres" option cfg for 1024x768x32bit. I tried to make it 800x600 but it didn't seem to make a difference. While I did manage to image the ASUS EEE PC 701 with your GUI, it did not support the default resolution and I had to cmd prompt it manually.

Is the only thing that is keeping the 800x600 setting at 1024 because of the background PNG?

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  • 1 month later...

If you ran the Setses function without arguments it should automaticly select the optimal screen resolution.

The only problem is that the HTA GUI is using absolut positioning of elements so all the buttons etc. won't show up correctly.

Edited by geezery
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If you ran the Setses function without arguments it should automaticly select the optimal screen resolution.

The only problem is that the HTA GUI is using absolut positioning of elements so all the buttons etc. won't show up correctly.

Yep I saw that. The only machine that we needed the lower resolution was the EEE PC 701. With the recent news that the new EEE PCs will support 1024x768, this becomes a non-issue.

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I've got a certain use for this program and wonder if it can do the job.

I'm a oem system builder that sells around 8 different models of systems at any given time.

For each system I do a preload of the following operating systems.

XP Home, XP Pro, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premimum, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, Vista Business X64, and Vista Ultimate X64.

All of these loads have the office 2k7 oem preload and the correct device drivers and updates for the system they are going on.

I'd like to keep each load in a seperate wim file and keep the wims in different directories for each motherboard.

Also I'd like the gimagex to see that the filename starts with xp and apply the mbr fix to the destination drive.

Is this possible with the framework of this program? (I.e. stripping out the need to select which image from the wim and always default to image 1, filename checking for xp. etc.)

This will be used in a pxe booting enviroment so the only hd in each system will be the destination drive.

Thanks for any input.

Mark

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I've got a certain use for this program and wonder if it can do the job.

I'm a oem system builder that sells around 8 different models of systems at any given time.

For each system I do a preload of the following operating systems.

XP Home, XP Pro, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premimum, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, Vista Business X64, and Vista Ultimate X64.

All of these loads have the office 2k7 oem preload and the correct device drivers and updates for the system they are going on.

I'd like to keep each load in a seperate wim file and keep the wims in different directories for each motherboard.

Also I'd like the gimagex to see that the filename starts with xp and apply the mbr fix to the destination drive.

Is this possible with the framework of this program? (I.e. stripping out the need to select which image from the wim and always default to image 1, filename checking for xp. etc.)

This will be used in a pxe booting enviroment so the only hd in each system will be the destination drive.

Thanks for any input.

Mark

Using separate WIMs defeats the purpose of using WIMs altogether. You are best to use a separate WIM for each OS, so one for XP and one for Vista. This is decrease your storage requirements. Look into the command for appending images. The drop down menu shows images on the share in alphebetical order, although you could re-script it to show in another way. It also doesn't travel through directories, but you can have access to them via the browse button. I have not seen an SOP from Microsoft on WDS that says you should use subdirectories in your network share.

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Ok, reading more the use of multpile sku per wims does make sense to me (Sorry, to much ghost on the brain).

But I'm still confused about imaging xp.

I see that there are problems doing a xp image because of the way diskpart formats the drive.

How does gimagex know that the image is a xp image and partition and format the drive correctly?

How does it know to lay down the correct mbr and bootsector?

Thanks.

Mark

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Hello,

there is no currently any check for the image type. You just have to know what image is the appropriate for the current computer. You can i.e. save Vista images to separate wim file and Xp images to another.

I think it would be possible to add correct bootsector by using the WinPe builtin bootsect.exe.

I think I could include it in my next version. I'm also going to get rid of that browse.exe since the browseforfolder issue has been resolved in another post in this forum.

I could also make a script that could apply image unattendly to the computer by checking some values from the WMI. Of course there would have to be some kind of settings file i.e. xml file that says witch image to use on certain computer. If there is interest I could make one easily.

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Ok, I've gotten some more experience with your program.

A few questions and feature requests.

I'd like to be able to define a variable in the file for a default diskpart action. i.e. set kill=1 to always run the custom diskpart.txt file without any prompts.

Also I'd like to be able to define a default apply path (c:) without prompting.

I see you are getting rid of browse.exe, would that get rid of when you select browse that it defaults to the c: (My wims are located on z:\wims, and that is the default set in the hta file.)

I'm getting around the xp deployment problem by hitting alt-f4 and running bootsect /nt52 c: after image deployment.

I'm going to try storing all os load for each motherboard in 1 wim for 32bit and 1 for 64bit.

Very nice tool and thank you for your hard work.

(I didn't look but do you have a paypal for donations?)

Later,

Mark

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I'll think I could make a list of the requested changes and if you have some more please put them here:

- Remove the Browse.exe dependancy

- Support for ini file where users could make all the needed settings

- Support for the OS recognization to apply the correct boot sector

- Support for VNC connection to the HTA. (I need suggestions how I could implement this)

* I have already tested this feature and it works ok

* I'll think I could write an admin console with vb.net to support applying wims remotely

* What VNCserver I should use??

- I would also like to have the progress indicator working in WinPE environment, but I have no clue how to get it working.

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- I would also like to have the progress indicator working in WinPE environment, but I have no clue how to get it working.

Well we already know that imagex reports a percentage of the drive being completed when you do a capture or apply. You hide the cmd and show a progress bar instead. Either there is some way to get that info being reported by imagex or allow the cmdbox to appear but not as the active (ie open behind the HTA) window. If your script can read the %, you could apply the correct graphics for the progress bar.

Just a thought. Haven't a clue on how to implement but maybe it gives you an idea.

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