• djkc
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Topic: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

Hello, just registered to ask for help on an issue I've noticed with DP Base 8.05.

I work at a computer shop and make Windows discs with via RVM and drivers from DP integrated to use with Windows installs and often with repair installs.  What I've encountered since 8.05 was released is that any disc I make after using DP Base 8.05 on it doesn't see the current Windows install as a valid target for a repair install and only offers to install fresh along side it.  If I use a vanilla SP3 disc or only integrate updates it works as normal, but as soon as I add driver packs to a vanilla disc or one with updates integrated it breaks the repair ability.  I have yet to test with text-mode driver support disabled, that was going to be my next step, but without that feature the disc won't be usable anyway...

Note that with SP2 and the previous 7.x DP repair installs worked fine.  It also works with sp3 + 7.x DP but that seems to have other issues with the DP fake setup not going off right.

  • Jaak
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

hi
look up presetup.cmd in a DriverPacks BASE 7502 streamed source.

add this line at the top of the file

DEL /F %systemroot%\system32\setupold.exe
The answer was 42?
Kind regards, Jaak.
  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

this normally happens when the machine was previously installed with the packs?

If i have guessed correctly;

copy setup.org to setup.ex_ on the target machine
and its fixed
we have trouble restoring it because it is in use wink

also;

it may be some additional lines that were added to the unattended section.
the [Unattended] section of winnt.sif must be Deleted completely to do a repair
I am pretty sure you are doing this already, or it wouldn't offer you repair as an option...

otherwise we need more detail about the process...

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  • Frants
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

Hm, this looks like my problem.
Starting out today with this DriverPack thing, and I ran into troubles.
Spec:
VirtualBox 1.6.0
Windows XP SP3 installed without any DriverPacks - nothing more.

When I slipstream MassStorage 8.04 onto a vanilla SP3 XP Pro/vanilla SP2 XP Pro disc through DP Base 8.05, the XP installation starts behaving differently. I make a bootable .iso through nLite and boots up.

I should be prompted:
1. Press any keys...
2. Do you want to install or repair? [enter] Install.
3. Eula [F8]
4. C:\Windows detected. Repair? [Esc] Do not repair.
5. Finds harddrive and asks me where to install. [enter] C:\
6. Found Windows on harddrive. [C] Continue.
7. Format harddrive? [NTFS]
8. Starts to format, and copy files.

I get prompted:
1. Press any keys...
5. Finds harddrive and asks me where to install. [enter] C:\
8.5. Starts copying files.

Where are all the questions and the repair ability and so on? If a change .iso to XPSP2 or XPSP3 without DriverPacks everything works as it should.

I removed the 2 lines which where under [Unattended] and made a new iso, but same thing still.

Any ideas? Have I ran into a known problem with a simple solution? hmm

  • djkc
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

Jaak: thanks for your suggestion.

OverFlow: "it may be some additional lines that were added to the unattended section. the [Unattended] section of winnt.sif must be empty to do a repair"  <-- This, thank you.  8.05 is adding:
[Unattended]
    DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
    NonDriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
to there.  I checked my sp2 discs made with 7.05.2, they didn't have that.  Removing that whole section (all 3 lines, not just the two under it) from the 8.05 disc made it work.  I hadn't been being offered the option to repair at all, sorry for not making that clear.  The machines hadn't been previously used with packs, they were mostly customer machines that were having issues booting into Windows that a repair install would fix - stuff like bad hard drives with lots of bad sectors in Windows system files that were cloned to new drives.

Tried the disc on an SP3 machine that had been clean installed with one of the previously non-working discs, saw it fine as a reinstall candidate (didn't actually try doing a reinstall.)  Currently doing a repair install with it of an SP1 or SP2 machine that never had DriverPacks used on it, seems to be going fine.

Thanks for your help and support, I really appreciate it.

  • Frants
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

Confirming that last thing mentioned. Now the installation process is working as it should do. smile

Why are those lines there in the first place? Is there any more clean way to get the "DriverSigningPolicy" etc without having those 3 lines written in winnt.sif ?

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

not without hacking a windows file - we don't hack files here...

if you must do a repair then you give up certain functionality that is specific to unattended setup.
(but you gain the repair option)

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  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

I guessed correctly, on the second try wink

Thanks for the feedback  it makes driverpacks better for everybody.

I updated your title to be more descriptive (see read before you post in my sig)
and have stickied this as i belive it will be a FAQ -

I believe these lines make for a smoother Unattended install so I would like to keep them.
They are simple enough to remove to create a repair disk so i think this can work for everyone as long as everyone is aware of it.

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  • From: Victorville, California
  • Registered: 2007-12-07
  • Posts: 278

Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

So let me get this straight - as I do not do unattended installs.

After I run RyanVM to integrate whatever; including WMP11 slipstreamer and then DriverPacks and before I create an ISO to burn my 'new' CD I must edit WINNT.SIF to REMOVE items so that sometime in the future I can boot from this CD and do a repair install?

If that's true then, to me, that would seem to be the opposite of what people expect to do when using the Driver Packs.

I have created a CD for XP w/SP3 plus RyanVM Integrateds to include WMP11 slipstreamer and Driver Packs (using 8.05). I expected it to be ready for a repair install, if necessary, but you're telling me here that that would not have worked and I would have spent any number of hours troubleshooting trying to determine why, as the previous Driver Packs 7.05.2 did work and I would have had no reason to expect the newer version to now have a major glitch.

Seems to me this is the wrong way around to do things.

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  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

check the attitude at the door bub... you obviously are a noob...

get your facts straight before you start saying harsh things like bug or "now has a major glitch"...

well it would have worked with method 2 but it would not have worked with method 1 with previous base.
obviously something you were not familiar with (smart Alec)

method one has always used these settings
this glitch you describe has been a feature much longer than you have been a user.
i simply made the treatment of the winnt.sif uniform for both platforms.
(these entries have not always been ommitted by M2 either)
there are benefits to having these entries and removing them is simple if you must.

driverpacks is now and always has been intended for unattended installs
and our decisions will continue to be driven by that goal.

I would suggest to you - if you want something you ask nicely

and never attack from a position of weakness
(or in this case having no clue what the previous features of base are)
familiarizing yourself with one small aspect of base
and only having experience with one or two versions
does not magicaly entitle you to make any decisions for us about how we should do things.

-------------- steps down from soap box of 'we don't get paid for this sheet' ----------

i will however put two tallies in the against column for your passionate response wink

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  • Frants
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

But it's not just the repair function that is gone. I don't give a s**t about lost EULA but I like being prompted if I want to format the drive or keep filesystem as it it. Now it just starts copying files and happily installs XP even though there IS XP on the harddrive already.

Is there any possibility to make a checkbox or something in base if you want this feature or not, and make a tooltip to make people aware of pros and cons in this feature? Just as it is now with MassStorage Text Disable and M1,M2 and so on. I'm new to DriverPacks but I just want to make a XP installation which has got all Storage drivers included. Then it's strange when Base is so easy to use that features which I appreciate get lost without any warning?

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

the two entries listed will not cause your install to just start copying files...

there are several other entries that would need to be added to cause that to happen

you would need to populate most or all of these by some other program or manually.

[Data]
Autopartition=1
UnattendedInstall="Yes"
MsDosInitiated=No

[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
UnattendSwitch="Yes"
FileSystem=*
Repartition=yes
TargetPath=\WINDOWS

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  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

the point is if you dont want an unnatended install delete winnt.sif.

simple...

a gui option to not add a winnt.sif is a reasonable request...

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  • Frants
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

No 3 lines must be removed.

IF [Unattended] and the 2 other lines are there. My installation asks me Where to install, and starts to copy.

IF I remove [Unattendend] and the 2 other lines. I get EULA, Repair ability, question if I really want to install on harddrive where Windows already exist and after I selected harddrive, I get question if I want to format or keep it as it is. NOW it starts to copy files.

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

do you mean you would like it better if they were not added...

dont make the same mistake the last OP did... mad

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  • Frants
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

Alright. Oh now I see. The winnt.sif is made by DP Base! Well every day you learn something new.

But if I delete the 3 lines, will I get what I want? I want to be able to install XP on as many harddrives as possible. Will the slipstreamed drivers behave as if they would have been integrated by MS itself? smile "Just work" ?

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

yes, yes and yes...

woo hoo!

these entries address issues that will hang an unnattended install.
It is much harder to add them and 90 percent of users benefit

it is easier to remove them and affects only few hundred users instead of a few thousand.

i have had many requests for this to be added...
i expect there will be posts here from them too defending keeping them.

to me it seemed deleteing an unwanted section (or the whole file)
was easier that explaining how to add the section correctly.

Feedback is what ultimately decides my path -
but i like to be asked nicely when i am working for free.

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  • Frants
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

Cool. Now I just have to follow the threads going on about Intel AHCI (which is the main problem why I've started to use DP). A friend of mine has a laptop with Intel AHCI and XP can't install, no floppy exists etc etc wink


Yep. I understand. But please consider the checkbox and information in GUI. I'm sure I'm not the only one who just wants drivers, not change the installation process.

Last edited by Frants (2008-05-22 19:42:32)

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

go ahead and start a topic in feature requests.

we will see what kind of response it gets.

It's a good idea...
offering a possable solution is always better than a rant...

Thanks Frants your helping to make DriverPacks better.

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  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

feature request - add support for new platform - attended setup.

http://forum.driverpacks.net/viewtopic. … 913#p20913

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  • From: MI - U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-05-27
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

This is a great idea! I couldn't even begin to say how many times I've ran into a situation where I wanted to do a Repair install, but the "One Mindedness" of my custom disk that I make didn't allow. Just an idea to stick out there... is it possible to have 2 winnt.sif's to be able to do this job, without having to have a 3rd party boot manager to select the appropriate sif? if so, that would be my vote as we could retain full unattended as well as attended repair modes!

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

well this may not be an option anymore as much as it once was but here goes.

this option requires a floppy. windows setup will automaticaly investigate the a drive for UNATTEND.TXT

if this file exists it will be prefered to the winnt.sif on the CD/DVD.
(floppy version will be used, if it exists)

So you could have a primary winnt.sif on the ISO
and then floppys with alternate configs that you could insert at boot time.
I have read that this will work with usb devices too - but i have not done it myself.
the floppy method definately works  - if you can find a machine these days witha a floppy in it wink
this was the method we used in the config shop. just have a floppy for each of our larger clients. wink

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  • From: MI - U.S.A.
  • Registered: 2006-05-27
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

OverFlow wrote:

the floppy method definately works  - if you can find a machine these days witha a floppy in it wink

LOL, yeah I only have 1 system with a floppy... but that is my laptop and can't have the CD and Floppy in a the same time.

...What about a "fake" text-mode? that would allow us to choose a sif (just pullin things outta my head now)?

  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

well that brings us back to your boot manager...

That is not included in our current scope... i cant think of anything obvious at this point...

so as far as i can see it is an either / or type of choice. Attended / Unattended
If you choose attended you lose any unnattended specific features.
(the install may pause for input unexpectedly - well, yeah...)

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  • OverFlow
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Re: DP Base [all versions] and the XP 'Repair' Option

i am half temepted to see if it picks the unnattend file up off a thumb drive... i am curious now.

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