mdolan

While this isn't actually a Windows 7 question, it's a migration question with regards Windows 7 supplied tools :-) I hope someone might be able to help with this. I'm doing some work with USMT4 and I have an app that stores data in a folder. This folder is per user specific and to get the information I need to: a) Read the user registry to get the INI location B) Open the INI file and read the entry that contains the data folder c) Backup the data folder Now I've done some reading of the USMT reference guide and in theory this is possible. In practice I'm failing miserably, so I'm hoping someone can point out the error of my ways :-). Unfortunately the reference/examples for INI reading is very sparse. Here is my USMT XML: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <migration urlid="http://www.microsoft.com/migration/1.0/migxmlext/test"> <!-- Multi-User migrate setup --> <component context="User" type="Documents"> <environment> <variable name="testINIPath"> <script>MigXmlHelper.GetStringContent("Registry","HKCU\Software\Mike [testINI]")</script> </variable> <variable name="testDataPath"> <script>MigXmlHelper.GetStringContent("INI","%testINIPath%|Notes[Directory]")</script> </variable> </environment> <displayName>Multiuser app</displayName> <role role="Data"> <rules> <include> <objectSet> <pattern type="File">%TestDataPath%\* [*]</pattern> </objectSet> </include> </rules> </role> </component> </migration> So the theory is: a) The variable "testINIPath" gets populated from the registry HKCU\Software\Mike [testINI] B) Using the fully named INI (in the testINIPath variable), the INI is opened and then entry "Directory" (from the "Notes" section) is retrieved into "testDataPath" c) The contents of "testDataPath" is backed up. But as I've stated it does nothing :-( Pointers welcomed - and if this is the wrong forum, if someone could point me to the correct place it would be appreciated. Cheers, Mike

Hi all, I have done quite a bit of searching but cannot find a "real" solution so I'm hoping someone here has seen the same and can help solve the problem. Symptoms Installing any Office 2003 FullFile Hotfix takes an *excessive* amount of time - as much as 10 minutes on some machines. During this period multiple warnings are shown in the application log: Source:MSI Installer, Event 1015, Description: Failed to connect to server. Error: 0x800401F0 Analysis I have run process monitor and noticed that the MSI installer seems to sit and continually spin its wheels opening and closing msimsg.dll. After approx 30 seconds of doing this it would appear to "timeout", post to the application log and then start again. Eventually it gives up and starts the actual patch installation. My Workaround Installing MSI 4.5 drastically reduces the time, but still leaves a lot of warnings in the eventlog. I have read http://support.microsoft.com/kb/907341 but this just seems to indicate "hey, don't worry". I do worry when I have about 8 patches to install thus adding nearly an hour to install/patch cycles :-) Upgrading 80,000+ clients with MSI 4.5 is possible but will require extensive testing etc. Has anyone got a proper solution for XPSP2/XPSP3 with MSI 3.x clients? Cheers, Mike

Or you could achieve this with a quick and dirty hack: Add the following lines to WIN.INI [Mail] MAPI=1 MAPIX=1 Cheers, Mike

There is a GUI method (using MMC & then adding the Security Configuration and Analysis snap-in) and then finding the inf and then... etc etc etc. It's much easier just to run the command :-) Cheers, Mike

I take it this is running under W2K/XP? If so, this is because the security permissions are locked down which prevents word from using these features correctly. It's been a long time since I fixed this :-) Use the attached template with secedit: %SystemRoot%\system32\secedit.exe /configure /db %SystemRoot%\security\database\office97.sdb /cfg off97.inf Obviously I recommend that you read the template first before blindly applying it.... Cheers, Mike off97.inf

Hi all, Maybe someone can answer this... Is there a method to install IE7+Patches without rebooting inbetween? I have an IEAK built IE7. I have MS07-004 & MS07-033 that I also want to deploy - but when I try to install the patches, they complain that IE7 isn't installed.... Anyone got any ideas? Cheers, Mike

Hi all, Not sure what section this should be in, but this has been a huge issue for me and I suspect for others. When installing patches/scanning via Windows/MS update, sometimes the svchost usage would jump to 100% and lock for a looooooong time. There have been various patches to this problem but none which really solved the issue. Until now. MS have finally admitted that it's not just an MSI issue, but that it is actually related to the WU code. And there is a new agent to (theoretically) compensate for it. All the details can be found here and provisionally it looks good. http://blogs.technet.com/wsus/archive/2007.../update-on.aspx Cheers, Mike

Another factor which people seem to forget is installing/updating/changing/REMOVING applications from images. With an image you usually start accumulating a fair amount of cruft (and in an enterprise that can be real problem). Having an unattended install routine (if done correctly) means that software can be removed/changed easily *from the install* and then an image can be recaptured for deployment. Just my 2p worth. Cheers, Mike

Hi David, Yeah, I'm selfish ;) No sign of junior yet so I can pencil a quick reply! You can save the XML file as whatever you like. For sysprep, you call it with: %systemroot%\system32\sysprep\sysprep.exe /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:somepath\MyFile.xml If you want to use it as part of a scripted build: setup /tempdrive:c: /unattend:c:\myfile.xml /noreboot Note that sysprep/setup will copy and rename the xml file into the correct area to save you any trouble. Cheers, Mike

What settings did you use when sysprepping? And whats the exact error message? Cheers, Mike

Sorry for the delay in replying - been a little busy preparing for the imminent arrival of my first baby :-) Ok, I *think* I have an XML that should help: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend"> <settings pass="windowsPE"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <DiskConfiguration> <Disk> <WillWipeDisk>false</WillWipeDisk> <DiskID>0</DiskID> </Disk> <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI> </DiskConfiguration> <ImageInstall> <OSImage> <InstallTo> <DiskID>0</DiskID> <PartitionID>1</PartitionID> </InstallTo> <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI> </OSImage> </ImageInstall> <UserData> <ProductKey> <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI> </ProductKey> <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula> </UserData> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <SetupUILanguage> <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage> </SetupUILanguage> <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale> <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale> <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage> <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback> <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale> </component> </settings> <settings pass="oobeSystem"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <RegisteredOwner>OwnerName</RegisteredOwner> <RegisteredOrganization>OrgName</RegisteredOrganization> <OOBE> <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage> <ProtectYourPC>3</ProtectYourPC> <SkipMachineOOBE>true</SkipMachineOOBE> <SkipUserOOBE>true</SkipUserOOBE> </OOBE> <UserAccounts> <AdministratorPassword> <Value>bob</Value> <PlainText>true</PlainText> </AdministratorPassword> </UserAccounts> <Display> <HorizontalResolution>1024</HorizontalResolution> <VerticalResolution>768</VerticalResolution> <ColorDepth>32</ColorDepth> <RefreshRate>75</RefreshRate> </Display> <TimeZone>AUS Eastern Standard Time</TimeZone> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <InputLocale>0c09:00000409</InputLocale> <UserLocale>en-AU</UserLocale> <UILanguage>en-AU</UILanguage> <SystemLocale>en-AU</SystemLocale> </component> </settings> <settings pass="specialize"> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <Identification> <JoinWorkgroup>Workgroup</JoinWorkgroup> </Identification> </component> <component name="Microsoft-Windows-TapiSetup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"> <TapiUnattendLocation> <CountryOrRegion>61</CountryOrRegion> <PulseOrToneDialing>1</PulseOrToneDialing> <AreaCode>02</AreaCode> </TapiUnattendLocation> </component> </settings> <cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/install.wim#Windows Vista ENTERPRISE" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" /> </unattend> Some notes: No product key is needed in the XML.. If this is a VL edition, it will setup fine without any key and you should then use either a KMS or MAK. I've set the admin password to "bob" I've possibly got some of the Australian settings wrong.... You may want to adjust some of the disk settings. General guidance: When converting from an unattend.txt, just enter the section/value name into the help file. At the bottom of the section it will normally tell you the are of WSIM to find the setting for inserting to the XML. Any further questions just yell! Cheers, Mike

Hi SydneyGuy, Don't despair! It takes time to get into the new way of doing things. Some of it's a nightmare but it can be done. Hope these steps are helpful - if not, then please respond. 1) The XML files can either be 1 big monolithic file which can be used with both unattended setup and sysprep, or you can split it into separate XML files (1 for unattended setups, 1 for syspreps). Different parts get processed in different phases. 2) Create your build as normal. If creating an unattended scripted build, concentrate on just those settings in the XML - ignore the sysprep settings at this time. At this time the XML is basically performing the settings of the old UNATTEND.TXT. Trying to find direct mappings can be difficult but usually can be done. If in doubt post your XML so far and state what you are trying to achieve - and keep the steps small and simple...! 3) Once you are happy with your build *then* concentrate on the sysprep settings. You can either add these to your existing XML or create a completely separate XML 4) sysprep :-). If you don't sysprep then you tend to have problems with imaging. 5) You *dont* need to use imagex. It's just an image maker/applyer. At this stage I believe you can use Ghost. I personally use imagex for my solution so I might be wrong ;-) Cheers, Mike

Glad your making progress! Its very good to know that the original/uninstalled WIM can have drivers injected - another bit of knowledge for the repository! The only thing I can suggest is looking at the sysprep routine. I can't remember if you have tried a build as follows: 1) Build machine from standard ISO (no injection) 2) DONT install any other drivers/apps etc (this removes them from the equation) 3) sysprep 4) inject 5) restore If that works ,you know it must be something else inside the install. If it doesn't work, then you have at least narrowed it down to the sysprep/xml. Cheers, Mike

Also, it might be worth posting your problems in the MS Technet forums: http://forums.microsoft.com/TechNet/ShowFo...1&SiteID=17 Cheers, Mike

Just re-read the first post at the top of the thread. I think step 1 is invalid (but as usual, default disclaimer - I'm usually wrong!) The default WIM must be "installed" before customizing - and I think that might include driver injections... So you would need to do your standard install/capture before injection. I feel your pain an frustration. Vista seems to have a much larger learning curve for unattended installs. Keep persisting and keep posting. We all learn from each others experiences! Cheers, Mike