Topic: OfflineSysPrep

A while ago I promised Overflow that I would post a topic about OfflineSysPrep.

OfflineSysPrep is basically a gui-frontend for Microsoft's sysprep.exe, which allows sysprepping from PE upon an offline XP\2k3 system. Various additional tasks can be performed such as stopping Intelppm service, injecting DP mass storage drivers, specifying HAL, etc.

More info here: http://www.911cd.net/forums//index.php?showtopic=22064

BartPE plugin and WinBuilder scripts exist. Of course, WinBuilder script is the more advanced and automatic option, and comes by default with LiveXP.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Thanks Galapo!

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Re: OfflineSysPrep

Thanks Galapo!  Your tool comes in really handy to me.

I have a question for you about the MassStorage builder that is included with the BartPE plugin.  I noticed that the latest RC of DriverPacks BASE has a little different of a setup now for the plugin where the "BASE.inf", "MassStorage.inf", and "MassStorage.sif" are no longer at the root of the DriverPacks plugin folder.  When I try to run the MassStorage builder, it can't find the DriverPacks plugin.  Is there any way that the MassStorage builder could be updated to look what the current official release of DriverPacks BASE does for setup of the MassStorage plugin as well as what the latest RC of the DriverPacks BASE does for the setup of the MassStorage plugin?

http://d1syubgj0w3cyv.cloudfront.net/cdn/farfuture/5ocSdUxUxrK5g8rfTm7_39bPWgBMWiteXNH4McROrNw/perpetual:forever/userbar/mainteam-1.png

Re: OfflineSysPrep

good eye Echo_Platoon

it made more sense to me to include the inf and sif files in each packs own folder
and it simplifies the base code and a users ability to manualy delete any packs plugin by simply deleteing its folder.

i would like to keep the new layout, but i don't have to... let me know if i can help.

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Re: OfflineSysPrep

Thanks for the report.

Sorry for the delay -- I've been on holidays and away from internet access. The latest BartPE plugin and WinBuilder scripts now contain an updated CreateMassStorageData.exe which should fix the issue (providing Overflow doesn't alter the location of MassStorage.inf again).

Also, I've updated the LiveXP mass storage driver script for the same issue in case a user supplies a newer BASE.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Thanks so much
and your timing is perfect

I just released the BASE with the updated layout!

I don't think there is a better place to keep those files...
Therefore I don't see any reason i might move them again,
at least not right at the moment... wink lol

Hope you had a great holiday!
And I wish you a happy new year

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Re: OfflineSysPrep

Congratulations on the new release! And Merry Christmas and happy New Year to you also. My holiday was great, we even had baby sitting at times since my parents also rented a unit in the same block as us! I hope you get a relaxing break some time too.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Galapo, do you have (or anyone else you may know of) an updated documentation for your tool? I'm a bit confused on a couple of things, specifically why, after going through the included guide, sysprep ended up running on my host machine and not the attached offline drive. Where should direct any questions? This thread?

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Generally developers do not like documenting and writing help files. And this is true of OfflineSysPrep. It assumes familarity with the processes it provides a "front-end" for. Development is done in my spare time, which is limited, and so help file stuff is limited because it is not fun to do. I'm sorry, I wish I had more time.

Generally, the error that you got is due to using some other program named "runscanner" rather than the one that should be used from here.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Do you have an official support thread somewhere? I still have a couple questions. And BTW thanks for your time on this project. It seems to make many people's lives easier when building universal images.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Read 1st post, carefully this time.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Hey Galapo, I saw in another forum that someone requested Windows 2000 support for OfflineSysPrep, you did some work to that end, and feedback never came back to you.  Did you rip out the Win2k support, or is it still in there lurking around?  I would be very interested in getting Win2k support, but I realize it is old and falling in to disuse.  Honestly, if I could just get ONE half-decent universal image out of an install I'd probably never mess with it again.......  smile

Oh well, just wondering if there was some buried code in OSP that would work w/ 2k, if not please don't bother on my account!  big_smile

Thanks bud

Ian

Re: OfflineSysPrep

The w2k code was unfortunately removed quite a while ago. It's still there in that older version, which I could revisit if there was a need and add support into the newer version. What would do it for me I guess would be if my w2k machine packed it in and I had to upgrade the motherboard ... but I hope that doesn't happen!

If I get some time later in the year I can revisit the issue though.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

I have had great success so far with OSP 1.10.0.3, but have had 2 Gateway laptops (coincedence or crap??  big_smile ) not like my image.  One is a Solo 9500, and after my image failed I did a manual installation (ugh, 900MHz w/ 256MB on a 4200RPM HDD...) and poked around, nothing unusual and the HAL was set to ACPI in Device Manager, same as my source image.  I do not yet have the second laptop in WIndows so can't give much more info than it is an MX3228.

The Solo 9500 did not make it through the first boot (HAL), the hard drive light flickered very briefly and then it sat there.  I dumped my image on fresh and increased the RAM to 512MB, same exact result.

The MX3228 did make it through the HAL boot and restarted normally, and even got so far as the Setup, asking me to click Next for the first time, and the system locked up.  I tried mouse and keyboard to move past that screen, and plugged in a USB mouse for kicks, still frozen.

Both laptops were functional before my image, and both laptops had full RAM and hard drive scans run prior to me reporting this.

What other information could I give you that may be helpful?  I know the Solo 9500 is ancient, but other images have worked (not OSP though).  The MX3228 is new enough that it should have worked fine, and I don't suspect hardware issues with it.

Thanks

Ian

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Update, the MX3228 came to life after a reboot.  The first time through the setup the mouse and keyboard do not respond and plugging in a USB mouse will not detect it.  After a forced shutdown all peripherals are working and I can continue.

Ian

Oh, and "fix possible keybosrd/mouse unresponsiveness" WAS selected......can't BELIEVE I forgot to mention that the first time around!!  big_smile

Last edited by llewxam (2009-03-24 10:38:54)

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Likely the issue is to do with the HAL. OfflineSysPrep auto HAL detection on first boot only works with acpi uniprocessor and acpi multiprocessor machines.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Another system has come up with a problem, Dell Dimension 5150.  After putting the image on the system booted, XP splash screen preparing to show the blue "XP is preparing to start" screen, but the blue screen never came, just a nasty restart.  It then took me to a Boot Menu which I knew was a bad sign.  Reimaged and tried again, same result.  I reimaged, let the image install on another computer, then used OSP with no HAL switch (both machines are ACPI multi), did MS injection and SID generation.  Put the drive back in the Dell, another nasty restart.  I let it boot to Safe Mode, it got to a black screen with the mouse cursor, USB Mouse and keyboard (all that POS has) were frozen but did wake up, but Safe Mode never fully booted.  After a few minutes of no activity from the HDD I was considering shutting it down, but it then suddenly restarted itself, and was then able to boot normally.

Any other info that would be helpful, let me know.  I'll grab HWIDs while I can, this is a rush service job so I can't hold on to the machine...

Ian

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Difficult to know what was the glitch. Seems like it wasn't to do with the HAL injection, since the issue occurred without it.

I'd be curious to know if it also happens if you let sysprep run, reseal, and let the system boot through mini-setup.

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

I have put my image with OSP on many many machines by now, and am noticing that the HAL detection on first boot is a very common place to hang.  It mainly happens on older hardware but there have been some more modern systems that I really thought it should work on, but the amount of hangs I have had with OSP is more than I was expecting.  Even many 478 P4 systems are not taking my OSP image, and I don't want to have to have multiple images, that kinda defeats the point.  Of course, your HAL detect on next boot is a new feature, but I was wondering how many other reports of this you are getting?

My current method is use SysPrep to reseal with no MS integration, then OSP (I updated to 1.10.0.6, no improvement) in Windows with the target as slave, to integrate MS.  I am considering a switch back to MySysPrep for HAL detect, I had no issues whatsoever with it's HAL detection but just hated the flashing banner in the top right of mini-setup.  I'd still use OSP for MS integration.

So I guess my point, and question, is that the HAL detect seems a bit shaky as-is, and I was wondering if you have more tweaks you wanted to implement in to the HAL detection that may make it more reliable, or if it is working flawlessly for tons of other people and I have something else screwing it up........

BTW I can move my questions to 911CD or whichever other forum you want if you prefer......

Thanks!

Ian

Re: OfflineSysPrep

I wish I had hardware to test and then I could improve it. I would like to know of a way to detect whether a system supports acpi but not acpi uniprocessor. Probably this would then solve most of your issues. Then I would like a way to detect whether a system supports acpi and if not default to standard (I guess I don't care about the Compaqs).

I'm running fast out of time to do much. A work situation has arisen requiring my family to move house over 1,000kms away at short notice. That's in 9 days time -- and we only found out yesterday!

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

WOW, you better be getting well compensated for a situtation requiring you to go through a move like that!!!


I forgot to mention in my previous post, I Ghosted my original installation after SysPrep only, so it is very quick and easy for me to play around with OSP, and I did make a test image using ALL of the same settings as the problem image, except Do Nothing for HAL detect, and machines were able to boot with that change, so that is definately my issue....

I will try to help you as much as I can with the HAL issue.  What I will do from now on is on any machine that my HAL-switch OSP image bonks, I will write down the model number of the motherboard, and then put on my non-HAL-switch OSP image which has standard ACPI HAL, then try changing the HAL to uni and Standard PC, and see if I can narrow down HALs that don't work.  While I am not sure yet how to automate this or do any kind of detection, I do have access to a lot of different hardware so maybe something can come out of this....  Besides, I'd need to use the non-switch image anyway to get the machine running, might as well check...

Ian

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Those kind of tests would be very helpful indeed.

Thanks,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

Any chance we could see a "set HAL interactively on next boot" option?  I still want to try setting manually on a few systems, just a thought that came to me a moment ago....

Ian

Re: OfflineSysPrep

I could do that. But only in a couple of weeks after we've moved. My wife would kill me if she found out I was doing hobby programming instead of packing!

Regards,
Galapo.

Re: OfflineSysPrep

LOL ... yeah, wifes are good for that wink

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