[pbhhs]

We have 3000 workstations running Windows XP. We provide them an image using Norton Ghost 7.5. I've made some script that do hardware recognition under MS-Dos. After a specific type of hardware has been detected my scripts uses ghost to connect to the correct Ghost multicast session. After Ghosting the script continues and gets some firmware/BIOS information and secures the BIOS and sets some BIOS other settings to our default.
It all worked very nice the last few years. The only downside is that you have to leave the USB stick inside the machine while the process goes. That's a pitty because the process itself doesn't need any human actions. After the script exits the machine reboots and joins itself to the right domain and starts installing the correct software for that machine.

Now I'm experimenting with a ramdisk. Boot from USB -> Copy the script and the related stuff to a ramdisk -> Run the command.com from the ramdisk with the /p option. -> start the script from ramdisk. I was hoping to be able to pull out the stick and leave. Too bad....it still tries to reach the USB stick somewhere lowlevel. Symantec Ghost isn't happy about it.

Did you guys did this before?

[wimb]

pbhhs, on Feb 21 2008, 12:46 PM, said:

We have 3000 workstations running Windows XP. We provide them an image using Norton Ghost 7.5. I've made some script that do hardware recognition under MS-Dos. After a specific type of hardware has been detected my scripts uses ghost to connect to the correct Ghost multicast session. After Ghosting the script continues and gets some firmware/BIOS information and secures the BIOS and sets some BIOS other settings to our default.
It all worked very nice the last few years. The only downside is that you have to leave the USB stick inside the machine while the process goes. That's a pitty because the process itself doesn't need any human actions. After the script exits the machine reboots and joins itself to the right domain and starts installing the correct software for that machine.

Now I'm experimenting with a ramdisk. Boot from USB -> Copy the script and the related stuff to a ramdisk -> Run the command.com from the ramdisk with the /p option. -> start the script from ramdisk. I was hoping to be able to pull out the stick and leave. Too bad....it still tries to reach the USB stick somewhere lowlevel. Symantec Ghost isn't happy about it.

Did you guys did this before?

Allthough quite different in approach, the result I have may be interesting to you.
I am booting from USB-stick direct into MS-DOS and launched Norton Ghost 2003 (quite different from your version).
After starting the process of Imaging or Restore, I can remove the USB-stick without trouble,
but when the process has finished it just requires Reboot with [Ctrl][Alt][Delete].
The Ghost 2003 Imaging Process itself does not seem to have a problem with removal of the stick.

Your case is different and requires more study.

wimb

[pbhhs]

wimb, on Feb 21 2008, 03:26 PM, said:

Allthough quite different in approach, the result I have may be interesting to you.
I am booting from USB-stick direct into MS-DOS and launched Norton Ghost 2003 (quite different from your version).
After starting the process of Imaging or Restore, I can remove the USB-stick without trouble,
but when the process has finished it just requires Reboot with [Ctrl][Alt][Delete].
The Ghost 2003 Imaging Process itself does not seem to have a problem with removal of the stick.

Your case is different and requires more study.

wimb

That counts also for me: When ghost has started I'm fine. Ghost finishes its process and the script continues fine with the BIOS without the USB stick inserted. But Ghost wont start without the stick. But it is on the ramdisk and started from it. Maybe it's only a Ghost issue.

This post has been edited by pbhhs: 21 February 2008 - 08:35 AM

[wimb]

pbhhs, on Feb 21 2008, 03:34 PM, said:

That counts also for me: When ghost has started I'm fine. Ghost finishes its process and the script continues fine with the BIOS without the USB stick inserted. But Ghost wont start without the stick. But it is on the ramdisk and started from it. Maybe it's only a Ghost issue.

Before the imaging process is running, Ghost tries to read the stick directory, which is not there anymore,
when USB-stick has been removed. That is may be where the trouble begins. For Ghost it was still an existing drive.

wimb

This post has been edited by wimb: 21 February 2008 - 08:56 AM