Creating a Master Ghost image for Optiplex computers

[ipodtrip]

I have the same project to create a Master Ghost image for Optiplex computers.

My image worked on a Dell Optiplex SX 280, Optiplex 620, Optiplex 755.

But when I used the image on the Optiplex 760 it would get to the Windows XP Pro screen and keeps on rebooting non stop.

Here is what I did I made a base Windows XP image on a Optiplex 755 without any drivers. Then I created a drivers folder on the root of the C:\driver with subfolders with the model numbers and sub folders NIC,Chipset,Audio,Video for each model. I downloaed and extracted the drivers. In my drivers folder I had DOS,Win98,Win2000 and Vista driver folders for each hardware device. I removed the DOS,Win98,Win2000 and Vista and left the Windows XP drivers only using the spdrvscn.exe program. Wonder if I could of just left all the drivers folder if that made a difference.

Used the spdrvscn.exe http://www.vernalex.com/tools/spdrvscn/index.shtml. Used the GUI interface to add the drivers to the registery. Then used sysprep and sealed the image with Ghost 2.5 suite.

Here is my sysprep.inf file

;SetupMgrTag

[GuiUnattended]

AdminPassword="win885"

EncryptedAdminPassword=NO

OEMSkipRegional=1

TimeZone=4

OemSkipWelcome=1

[userData]

ProductID=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXX8-XXX99-RWPBH

FullName="Information Systems"

OrgName="ESA"

ComputerName=*

[identification]

JoinDomain=sea_quest.com

DomainAdmin=administrator

DomainAdminPassword=XXXXX

[Networking]

InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[unattended]

TargetPath=\WINDOWS

OemSkipEula=Yes

[branding]

BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes

[Proxy]

Proxy_Enable=0

Use_Same_Proxy=0

[TapiLocation]

AreaCode=415

[sysprepcleanup]

Anyone have any suggestion to how would I make my image of Windows XP to work with different Dell Optiplex systems.

[bj-kaiser]

i dont see a mass-storage driver section. if the system that reboots does use a different hdd controller, you need the controller drivers. vernalex driver scan tool only adds Plug and Play drivers, hdd controllers are a different story! The docs in the deployment toolkit should explain the settings you need. (SysprepMassStorage section)

Another tip: turn off the "reboot on bluescreen" 'feature' in your image, at least until it works! They do contain helpful information, and personally i'd rather see a BSOD than a restart where I cant make out the reason.

HTH

[ipodtrip]

where do I get the mass-storage driver for each dell Optiplex computer system I'm ghosting to.

Is it part of the intel chipsets?

[bj-kaiser]

yep, that should be the right place to search. usually it is some "iahci.inf" or something like that.

[IcemanND]

One of two things is happening, and without the BSOD you are not seeing do to the reboot it is hard to say which it is, usually this behavior is due to the mass storage controller as stated earlier, or by an incompatible HAL. When you boot to safe mode what happens?

[kingsc]

One of two things is happening, and without the BSOD you are not seeing do to the reboot it is hard to say which it is, usually this behavior is due to the mass storage controller as stated earlier, or by an incompatible HAL. When you boot to safe mode what happens?

You can also download a mass storage driver pack for intel... I forgot where I got it though, sorry.

[ipodtrip]

In the vernalex driver scan tool I forgot to add the line C:\windows\inf

after I added that line to the regestriy through the vernalex driver scan tool my ghost image booted up fine on the Dell Optiplex 760.

My sysprep didn't have the Sysprep MassStorage section. Can anyone tell me if there is a negeative impact if I leave it out?

[bj-kaiser]

you only need the MassStorage section when it comes to different hdd controllers windows doesnt know out of the box or had installed before imaging. Everything IDE should work under all circumstances (also sata in "compatible" IDE emulation mode). But if you have a different SATA controller in native mode before the hdd on which the system partition is, it will bluescreen without it.

[Ubor]

If you are having problems with an image giving a blue screen of death when imaging to Dells (especially the "nicer" versions of each range) then you may find that in the BIOS it is set to ACHI not ATA.

755s (the normal slims) do not have this set by default.

760s do I believe, as do the bigger 755s with the seperate GFX cards.

Putting an ATA image on an ACHI machine or visa versa will give you a BSOD during boot.

The section I am referring to (location right on the chunky 755s) is:

BIOS

Drives -> Sata Operation

Set it to "Raid Autodetect / ATA" not "Raid Autodetect ACHI"

PS - I appreciate that many will not see this as a fix but rather a work around. But for most people it will probably work fine and fulfil their needs. Guess it depends on the amount of work you want to do! We did it this way - so only ATA images - so that it is still a single image with no pnp or such slow down on roll outs to users. But each to their own and all

Edited March 31, 2009 by Ubor