Search options (Page 160 of 213)

Many times our users are in a situation
where SysPrep has been in use and change is difficult,
or was put in use by thier superiors and are stuck,
or is something they have a lot of experience with personaly and is in their comfort zone.
i have every intention of supporting the SysPrep platform for these hard working and dedicated guys...
but given a choice - don't take the path to the dark side young Luke Skywalker.
on the other hand it has legit uses and you should at least be aware of it as an option.

--------
UWXPCD is Unattended Windows XP Compact Disk ...
UWXPCD is a commonly used abbreviation and is Google food.
---------

More details on a good methodology. In this case mine. There are certainly other valid ones!

Rule ONE and Rule TWO
NEVER work on your original files and folders. A Simple rule that is always overlooked - even if it is listed twice
IE copy your OEM CD to C:\51HomOEM\

Assumtion one
  You are useing the apps in the approved order 

STEP ONE - Slipstream Service pack to Windows 5.1 (XP)
   this may mean SP2 or more likely SP3.
   (please refer to rule one here)
      if you are useing RVM it will automaticaly copy the files to a new folder for you
      if you are useing nLite then you must first copy your 51HomOEM\ to C:\51HomSP3\ manually
    Your new C:\51HomSP3\ will not be modified anymore it is a backup... (see rule two)
Step TWO - post service pack updates
   (please refer to rule one here) and note that RVM will make a source to detination copy for you.
   If you do not use RVM to do the copy then you can manually copy C:\51HomSP3\ to C:\51HomRVM\
      Use RVM to install post SP2 updates and any addons you require (DotNet for example)
   Your new C:\51HomRVM\ will not be modified anymore it is a backup... (see rule two)
Step THREE
   Nlite with impunity on Your new C:\51HomNlt\ folder you just copied from C:\51HomRVM\
   (reference rule one) now if i make a bad choice with nLite I can just copy my RVM folder backup & try again.
Step four DriverPacks
(ideal)
   I am of course now working from the folder  C:\51HomDP\ created by copying C:\51HomNlt\
   Run DriverPacks as the last step in your process.
(my actual method)
   I run DriverPacks on the C:\51HomNlt\ folder while nLite is paused at the create ISO screen
--------------

Reducing the size of the ISO to less than 700 Mb has become quite difficult and M2 is the best way to get there.
This has become a nonissue as the price of DVD burners is less than $20
(think about this a tech who charges / costs $60 an hour could spend more time than money in 20 minutes.)
(if it doesnt have one it gets one - or if they really can't afford $10 for a reader i hang my usb2 external dvdRW.
and i get paid for them makeing a clearly stupid decision.

SysPrep will save you about  10-20 minutes on an install
(but since it is unnattended who cares, go to lunch, solve another issue, take a nap ;P )

it will take you weeks to get up to speed on sysprep
then your image will only work on a single HAL - so you will have to have multiple images or use some difficult tools
sysprep requires you manually add mass storage drivers.
Sysprep is very difficult to setup maintain and use.
If you are not already very familiar with it - don't even consider it.

if you really can't stand the idea of waiting an extra 20 minutes for your mahcine to get done use ghost.
you will still have to have an image for each hal type but it will take you minutes to get up and running instead of weeks.

to me this is a no brainer...
if i have to spend a couple of weeks to get done in 15 min per install
or spend a couple of hours so i can get done in 25 min
then the latter is my choice.
My time is valuable and i can't or wont spend 40 hours of non billable hours to save no time at all (over the long haul).
(since i dont have to be watching the install it takes none of my time)

now if you used the master to create a ghost image then
this method will take weeks less time than SysPrep to setup and still yeild a 15 minute install.

you are looking at a soulution that will take more of your time to maintain than it will ever save you.
and it will never do all of the things you want it to. (well not without spending days of your time messing with it)

then updates like servicepacks hot fixes and apps would require starting over on your sysprep images.
The UWXPCD is easier to setup and maintain more reliable and will install on any machine regardless of type.
Updateing a UWXPCD takes minutes instead of hours
(And sysprep would only take hours if you were skilled at it)

It is of course your choice - but dont think that sysprep will save you time - because it won't, period...
I can show you, in every case, how sysprep takes more time than it saves.
The only situation i have found that sysprep rocks at is if i want to move a users HDD to a new platform
IE A user has data and settings that would be to difficult to duplicate and they need a new MB.
in this case it will still take you more time, but that time is now 'billable' time... 
you will pull your hair out again and again getting it to ever work and cost you more time than it will ever save.

ps think about this if you were to take the UWXPCD route you're already done!
Instead of just getting started.

i already had a "do you wish" button

I noticed you did away with the progress indicators
you are ok with the periods of no feedback you created?
I like to be aware of the progress - just my personal preference.

Anybody else think the script is too chatty?

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

I deliberately did not make this an executeable so it could be edited
that was / is the idea
(normaly i try to see how much code i can fit on one line but that is hard to read and edit...)

I dont see me adding the additional pauses in the released copy...
i deliberately wrote it to be automated and I tout it as a "One Click" solution
(you added 200% more clicking )
this is in keeping with our forums unattended theme and our primary goals.

But as you have discovered i wrote it to be easy to read by anyone. intentionaly

feel free to get as wild as you want with your version!!! and to post it as a reference for others.

not all submissions will be included - but your first edit made the cut anyway

I am open to making the script less chatty if it proves to be a popular suggestion.

A very nice post SamLab good details and code tags.

you are the man!

um... or i could just look...
Since i am on the development team there too
I already have the the source for integrator
Siginet is a very good friend of ours.

so it would seem silly to ask for what we already have
and even sillier for you to explain how it works to me...
or for you to expain it to any of the other people here who have used it religiously for years.
we are not new to this stuff yet you always talk to us as if we were.
and after having been doing this for forty years myself...
I have developed at least a basic working knowledge.
and all of our team members are seasoned veterans.
This is not noobyville

a simple "i like this idea too. maybe useing dates in the filename, like RVM?" 
is polite and well recieved and contains just as much info. plus it is respectful.
IE telling me I should ask to get help to backup a log file is not giving me much credit. (if any at all)

i guess i am misunderstanding i belived you were trying to run the recovery procedure

you said "but because of my SATA HD's I can't boot into it"

I naturally assumed your boot tracks were bad???

it now seems to me you are trying to create a recovery partition of your own?
is that correct?

i think that is probably my fault...

I belive i am supposed to populate each of them with english when i create a new gui item.
I belived english would be substituted if it was not found in a current lng file.
now i know better...

PS i just thought of a good reason to not add gui items there is like 20 language files... lol

("It's just one button - how hard can it be" grrr...)

Ps did you mean to post this elsewhere ??? it seems OT?

thanks to you... we have a driver to add...
the driver is tested and known good and we have a link, plus the HWIDS.

you have provided the help. to everyone...

Your the DriverPacks hero of the day!

our thanks to you sir!

Well Welcome to the neighborhood...

i like this lineup - 1... 2... 3...

Help and Support - everything you need to know start to finish
http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/  MSFN rocks

I do these in this order - and so do most of our users.

1) RyanVM integrator - updates windows including service packs  - result zero updates.
2) nLite - Automates installation - (customize install experience) - result reduced time to get windows setup for use.
3) Driverpacks - adds all drivers and textmode mass storage support. - result no unknown devices
DONE) Create and test ISO Image -NLite should still be open from step two and is now used to create our iso image that we will test in a Virtual Machine. In your VM mount ISO as a CD ROM and test. if VM works as desired then burn...

if you have programs that you need installed after windows setup then add WPI
Windows Post Installer - automates installation of other programs like acrobat reader or google tool bar ect...

start with that and the keyword UWXPCD and you will go far!

As i think about this more i belive i will create a new platform button "Create Drivers Only CD".

this would dump a M1 style folder structure (less the $OEM$\$1\)
to a selectable location with the DP_finisher files and DPInst (Identical to a M1 layout)

I belive this is better than modifying qsc because QSC is disigned to hold more than one version of each pack.
where as a destination folder will only contain the most current.

this will aslo tie in with possably supporting the attended install...

i dont know...

and your HWID's please?