Ok folks...

I've just finished coding Beta4 and as promised... I've added support for the new DriverPacks Base.

*Note... in order for the DP to work you must first install the new DP_Base.exe and create a mysettings.ini file through the DP Base. Once you have made your settings file you just select that settings file in the DP section of PowerPacker.

Also a major change you will quickly notice is the new "Advanced" tab. A new advanced feature is the "Run file upon completion" area. This feature is allready built into the RVMIntegrator and now is available in PowerPacker as well. It is very usefult to chain link multiple packaging processes of powerpacker together... or even chain linking powerpacker and the RVMIntegrator together. It is made to help simplify the unattended disc creation. Once you have all of your settings files made for all of the programs... you just start the process and the rest is unattended.

There will be more "Advanced" features added... but this new beta should hold you guys/gals for a bit before Beta5.

Please report any bugs you may find.

Download @ Siginet Software

Enjoy!

So am I to assume there are no bugs? Come on guys... I need some Beta testing.

We're getting there...I just encountered this today .

Will test and report. Hopefully, the Extra Pack File function was fixed .

Actually I don't remember if I fixed it or not.

Let me know if it doesn't. But I think I fixed it a while back when I first started coding Beta4.

Well, I can't test it now, but just started once to check out what the advanced tab was about. I found 2 glitches:

File => properties: still there, I think it's unneeded when you have the advanced tab. (now it just does nothing when you click on it)

Info => help isn't working

When I select my source path, will the powerpacker automaticly see if I have a corporate or a retail version? I don't have to activate my windows, but I don't know if it's a corporate version. We bought it via MS-KIS (my mom is a teacher)

Looks like a cool program! Keep up the good work!

(btw: I think you made the RyanVM slipstreamer too, is this integrated in Powerpacker? I can't find it. Should I just first use the slipstreamer and then the XP Powerpacker?)

Help doesn't work because the actual help file doesn't exist. Siginet hasn't updated it in a while (last update I guess was for 1.0 RC5 or something). It will undoubtedly be packaged into the final RC8, but for now, the actual executable file contains only the program and does not extract anything (except writing a powpack.ini settings file).


Sorry, I know I'm not Siginet, but I can still answer your questions. PowerPacker doesn't have the ability to detect the type of source you have, but in your case, you should select 'corporate'. It doesn't really matter for the actual packaging, but the options are there so that PowerPacker activates the correct sections in the boot menu files (it also tells the program what to name the folders).

The RyanVM Integrator is maintained by RyanVM (big surprise !). It is not packaged into WXPP though, so yes, you need to download it separately. WXPP can in some way communicate with the RyanVM Integrator, but you need to wait for Siginet to explain this because I am not familiar with that portion of the program.

Hope this helps !

You were almost correct about everything... except the RyanVM Integrator. I am the creator of the RyanVM Integrator... and I do manage it. I made the integrator for Ryan because I enjoyed his UpdatePacks so much. A lot of the integrator was made by Ryan telling me what he wanted it to do and I coded it to do it. Then I added my ideas to it as well. A lot of the addon capabilities were designed by me.

What I do is I use the RVMIntegrator first... but in the advanced tab I select Run External File, Browse to PowerPacker, then in the parameters box I put:


This will utalize both programs. First integrating everything with the integrator then calling powerpacker unattendedly and packaging everything. Then you can use the Run External File feature in powerpacker as well to call the integrator in the same way:

Select the integrator file, Then in the parameters put this:


This is a cool way to chain link the programs together so everything is unattended.

As for PowerPacker detecting the different types of OSes... It will in a later version. The next integrator allready detects the different OSes for you... and I will be implementing that code into powerpacker as well.

Thanks for the answers, Super-Magician and Siginet!

I'll test it probably by next week.

does it have multi-boot for DP driver packs?

Whoops! So sorry about my ignorance! Guess I should have done some research first !

i have no idea if it does detect the type but it shouldnt be too hard to implement

anything that doesn't require activation is a corporate version.

99% of all software provided to teachers through their work is corporate, well it is here in australia anyway.

The next integrator... v1.3 will detect all versions of windows Pro Corp, Pro Retail, Pro OEM, Home Corp, Home Retail, Home OEM, Media Center, and so on.

Eventually I will implement the code into powerpacker as well. But we are still in beta. So there is still a lot to be added. But since v1.0 RC8 has so many changes in it I decided to release a bunch of Betas so that users can still use the new features and not have to wait so long for the final RC8.

I also plan on adding an advanced feature to allow a user to use multiple winnt.sif files for a pack... which I think will be an awsome new feature.

hi...

finally got around to testing it today...

found a problem, it may be just me...

slipstreamed driverpacks using the latest base and latest driver packs as of today into a fresh xp source and tested. all good.

but when i use the mysettings.ini with powerpacker the driverpacks api thing comes up but it finishes up a little to quickly and there is no driverpack files (the 7z ones) copied to my multi folder.

anyone else come accross this or something similar.

It shouldn't use the multipack feature of the DP Base. Just use the regular Disc feature.

multipack feature of dp base?.. i cant see an option for multiple or single

??? i dont quite understand what you are saying...

Sorry I must have mis understood your issue. Your best bet would be to get rid of any spaces in the paths to anything. Anyone else having an issue?

I know I ran many tests myself and fixed any bugs I could find. But it is possible I missed something. That's what I need everyone here to verify for me. I can't keep coding powerpacker if no one gives me feedback. I have no idea if people are successfully able to use it or not. All I know is it works for me.

Same problem here, the driverpacks themselve are not copied to the target folder... no spaces in the path :s

I have a strong feeling that this issue is caused by cmdow.exe being deleted by your antivirus program. Recently Symantec and a few other AV programs have been claiming cmdow.exe is a virus. Which we all know is a crock of sh!t. The DriverPacks use cmdow.exe. PowerPacker utalizes the DP Base unattendedly so that it does everything with no user interaction. What is happening is the DP Base is erroring out on not finding cmdow.exe and then quits before finishing it's job.

I may work on a fake cmdow.exe that will work just like the real one and see if it will work instead of the real cmdow.exe. If it works I will post it for others to use.

Another thing that could cause this is... check your mysettings.ini

Look in
[Settings]
driverpacks = "select"

if it says:
[Settings]
driverpacks = "all"

Change it to:
[Settings]
driverpacks = "select"

also...

[SelectDriverPacks] should list the DPs you are going to slipstream.

We found a small bug in the DP Base that is somehow triggered by API mode. Which is the mode used when another program utalizes the DP Base like powerpacker does.

I reported it to Bashrat and he is looking into it.

i too have no spaces in my paths...

cmdow.exe is still there so i'll assume that it wasnt deleted and nod32 hasnt had a whinge about it...

i'll doublecheck mysettings.ini

hi Siginet! i'm new to this part of the forum ... but i have once in a while seen Power Packer when i visit ryanvm's site as well as some parts here ... in fact i downloaded your app once but haven't had the chance to test it yet ... ... what rekindled the curiousity was seeing it in Super-Magician's sig ... i'm sorry i haven't done much reading about Power Packer yet ... but may i ask, how different is it (features & capabilities-wise) from nLite, Integrator & HFSLIP? thanks!

It is completley different from all of those apps. It is for making multiboot disks. Whereas the other utilities are for slipstreaming/integrating/modifying one disk. PowerPackers main purpose is to compile all of your xp disks onto one disk. So instead of carrying 5 disks (XP Pro Corp, XP Pro Retail, XP Pro, OEM, XP Home Retail and XP Home OEM) you have to only carry one disk with all of them. You'll also have options to use driverpacks for each load or even choose to have it unattended or not. In the next release you will be able to choose from multiple winnt.sif files so you can use different settings for each load.

alright sir ... thanks for the reply Siginet ... this clears it!

Hi SigiNet,

Just thought to drop in again....

Remember me ? I haven't been on this forum much lately, but about a year ago (or has it been longer) I was one of the first to test and support PowerPacker.
I see you've been busy with other projects too: the attention needed for RyanVM-integrator and other utils probably kept you from taking PowerPacker to the ambitions you explained to me then: to have PowerPacker be a multiboot-creation utility for not only XP, but also all other MS-OS'es.

I'm planning on reading up on all of the UA-MSFN-forums myself, since there seems to be a lot going on. I however do hope that you will continue to support and further develop PowerPacker, since it allready has great merit and still has great potential of being one of the main utils for creating the truly ultimate unattended install DVD (maybe in conjunction with other great programs as RyanVM (als integrator), BTS Driverpacks and Roguespears AutoImage).

Anyhow, my appreciation and thanks for the joy you bring us and best regards. Keep up the good work!

Moesasji (moesasjilive@gmail.com)