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mrbeatnik

Oct 27 2009, 06:10 AM

Hi all,

I think this might be the right area... I can't see a specific WDS area.
I have a problem where a captured image is seen as UP, even though it is done on a MP machine.

I install Windows XP SP3 on a PC.
The PC is a Core2Duo.

I sysprep the machine.
I boot up to WDS PXE and choose the Capture Image WIM.
I successfully capture the Sysprepped image and add it to a group on the WDS server.

When I go to the WDS server console to check the properties for that image, it says ACPIPIC_UP.
Ok... maybe something is disabled in my capture PC when I did sysprep and it thinks its a UP PC.
(Note this shouldn't be the case as Core Multiplexing in the BIOS is enabled)

So, using the same capture PC, I boot to WDS PXE to the BOOT.WIM so that I can image the PC with the captured WIM I just took.

I cannot see the captured WIM.
The BOOT image is obviously seeing the PC as a MP machine.... so why did sysprep decide that it's a UP machine?

Any advice?
Thanks

mrbeatnik

Oct 27 2009, 07:20 AM

Hmmn, OK...

Only one processor shows in taskmanager for my XP install.
Both cores are showing in device manager.
The COMPUTER info in Device Manager does not say Multiprocessor (it doesn't say Uniprocessor either, just ACPI (but hardware IDs show UP info).

So, BDD installed this machine as UP instead of MP.
This has become a different problem all of a sudden! (Time for topic change?)

Anyone know why my unattended BDD deploy of SP3 is installing UP on a MP then?
I've picked BDD deployment setup from someone who has left the team, but never seen this problem before (we didn't use WDS before).

Thanks

mrbeatnik

Oct 27 2009, 07:44 AM

Don't you love when you answer your own quesitons?
Of course, if I had not have posted here, I wouldn't have gone on the route to find the answer probably!

OK, so my deployment from BDD has an unattend.txt.
In here I have:

CODE

[Unattended]
ComputerType = "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC", Retail

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/155197

QUOTE

This key indicates the type of Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) to be loaded by the Setup Loader, and installed by text-mode Setup. If this key is not present, Setup attempts to detect the type of computer and install the appropriate retail HAL. It is only valid when OemPreinstall = Yes. The <hal description> string identifies the HAL to be installed. It must match one of the strings in the [Computer] section of the Txtsetup.sif file (for a retail HAL), or the Txtsetup.oem file (for an OEM HAL).

So quick look at Txtsetup.sif in my deployment:

CODE

[Computer]
acpiapic_mp = "ACPI Multiprocessor PC",files.none
acpiapic_up = "ACPI Uniprocessor PC",files.none
acpipic_up  = "Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) PC",files.none
syspro_mp   = "Compaq SystemPro Multiprocessor or 100% Compatible",files.none
mps_up      = "MPS Uniprocessor PC",files.none
mps_mp      = "MPS Multiprocessor PC",files.none
e_isa_up    = "Standard PC",files.none
486c_up     = "Standard PC with C-Step i486",files.none

So the line means it is forcing the install as acpipic_up - uniprocessor (this type of PC allows changing the hal pre-minisetup after sysprep, but will force UP hence WDS sees the sysprep capture as UP - this was great in our older environment where we would do just that - point to UP or MP in minisetup).

I am about to comment the line out of unattend.txt which should force the XP setup to detect the HAL, which should see it as MP. Hopefully that will resolve the issue - I will post back later to confirm (this will take a little time).

Hoe my ramblings help someone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Yep, this fixed the issue of course.
Cheers for reading!

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