[barnold]

Hi,

I'm having a heck of a time with my Win7 x64 unattended install and am under A LOT of pressure to get this thing created. I want a basic automated installation with the first (and only) hard disk completely wiped making it the C drive. So your typical setup.

If you could upload a working Win7 x64 AutoUnattend.xml that I might be able to tweak and use it would save me a lot of time.

Let me repeat though. This needs to be for Windows 7 x64

(a copy of you x32 autounattend file is apprecated too but it is more work to integrate that into the waik)


Thanks!
brian

[Tripredacus]

What types of problems are you experiencing?

[cluberti]

There are a few right here in this section, you might want to search for them. But back to the question, what's the need? I ask because you might want to consider something like MDT 2010 if you have automation requirements.

[Jeff C]

here is a working "basic" one. It is exactly what the basic walkthrough will allow you to create. You will need to provide your own product key for it though.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
	<settings pass="oobeSystem">
		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
			<Reseal>
				<Mode>Audit</Mode>
			</Reseal>
		</component>
		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
			<OOBE>
				<NetworkLocation>Home</NetworkLocation>
				<ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
			</OOBE>
		</component>
	</settings>
	<settings pass="windowsPE">
		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" 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>
			<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
		</component>
		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" 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 wcm:action="add">
					<CreatePartitions>
						<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
							<Order>1</Order>
							<Size>200</Size>
							<Type>Primary</Type>
						</CreatePartition>
						<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
							<Extend>true</Extend>
							<Order>2</Order>
							<Type>Primary</Type>
						</CreatePartition>
					</CreatePartitions>
					<ModifyPartitions>
						<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
							<Active>true</Active>
							<Format>NTFS</Format>
							<Label>System</Label>
							<Order>1</Order>
							<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
						</ModifyPartition>
						<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
							<Format>NTFS</Format>
							<Label>Windows</Label>
							<Order>2</Order>
							<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
						</ModifyPartition>
					</ModifyPartitions>
					<DiskID>0</DiskID>
					<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
				</Disk>
				<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
			</DiskConfiguration>
			<ImageInstall>
				<OSImage>
					<InstallTo>
						<DiskID>0</DiskID>
						<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
					</InstallTo>
					<InstallToAvailablePartition>false</InstallToAvailablePartition>
					<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
				</OSImage>
			</ImageInstall>
			<UserData>
				<ProductKey>
					<Key>PRODUCT KEY GOES HERE</Key>
					<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
				</ProductKey>
				<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
			</UserData>
		</component>
	</settings>
	<settings pass="specialize">
		<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
			<OEMInformation>
				<Manufacturer></Manufacturer>
				<SupportHours></SupportHours>
				<SupportPhone</SupportPhone>
			</OEMInformation>
		</component>
	</settings>
	<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:c:/documents%20and%20settings/jc/desktop/opk/install.wim#Windows 7 PROFESSIONAL" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>

[barnold]

Thank you for this, Jeff.

Cluberti and Tripredacus, I really apologize for not even addressing your responses to my request for help. That was very rude of me. I've been busy but this is no excuse and I apologize.

My goal is to create to create a basic unattended install of Win7 x64 that will wipe the disk and create single partition C drive. My company is going to start migration to Win7 x64 in 4 months. I am NOT part of the corporate team that will perform this migration (hundreds of IT personel in my company) however, I will be supporting Win7 in my division. The corporate team does use MDT 2010 and in retrospect I probably should have started with that instead of messing around with the WAIK. I build unattended installations because in our division we do a lot of clean installs for users that do not want the corporate image. This is why I need to create this unattened install.

I've made some progress since my original post. I have an x64 unattended that does exactly what I want (wipes disk creating single partition C drive) on older hardware, however on our current hardware it is not working so I'm still dead on the water. But it sure was noce to see that install go all the way through :-)

The problem seems to be hardware specific . (isn't that strange for an unattended install?) - Here's the issue. When I run it on our standard workstation, the HP xw6600, the process stops at Expanding Windows Files (76%). (See attached Pic) This also occurs on the xw6400 and on xw4600. However it loaded fine on a dc7800, dc7700, and some other hardware (I can't remember the models off hand). So, the unattended seems to work fine.

Clearly I need to do some more testing. Do you have any comments?

Thanks for your help!

Brian

Attached File(s)

•  ExpandingWindowsFiles76_2.jpg (105.3K)
  Number of downloads: 8

[cluberti]

I personally use an xw6600 and have no such issues, and have a dc7800 model here as well that also works properly. Have you injected any drivers or packages into your Win7 media at all before you attempt this? My testing has never gotten a problem on any of the xw6xxx or dc7xxx models I've used here in my testing of Win7 unattend, which you've found. Perhaps it has to do with the ICH controller? I know I have mine in RAID, although I've had no trouble in AHCI either...

[barnold]

I have never had such issues either. This is why I am confused. My other unattendeds work fine on the xw series workstations and no, I haven't injected any drivers. I don't want to mess with adding drivers at this point. Win7 has all the drivers I need.

Can you think of any reason why it would freeze at that point in setup?

[cluberti]

No, but does Shift+F10 give you a command prompt at that point? If so, get the Panther directory copied off to a USB key and we can take a look to see what's happened/happening. Everything about setup is logged to files in the Panther folder, both on the PE virtual volume and the installation volume.

[barnold]

I'll give that a shot. Thanks!

[cluberti]

Note this is documented in KB 927521, in case you need reference to where the files and folders are.

[barnold]

Hi,

The setup stopped at 76% again and I have the Panther Files. I'm not sure how to get them to you. I need to leave for the day but advise how you want me to proceed and I will do so in the morning. Thanks!

[cluberti]

PM sent.

[cluberti]

Looks like it's either failing due to accessing the hard disk, or there is a problem with the media itself. Assuming the media works properly on other machine types as you've stated, that would indeed come down to some issue with the disk controller configuration, or the underlying hardware - it's one or the other, and you really should get with HP on this one. See the following:

From setupact.log, showing the "ERROR_IO_DEVICE" error being thrown:

2009-10-27 15:35:08, Info	   [0x06009e] IBS	DeployWIMImage:Calling IDepWIMImageResolved::Apply...
2009-10-27 15:35:08, Info	   [0x0606cc] IBS	Calling WIMApplyImage (flags = 0x184)...
2009-10-27 16:31:54, Info	   [0x0600ae] IBS	ApplyWIMCallback: Retrying on file [C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\winRE.wim] GLE is [1117]
2009-10-27 17:12:37, Error	  [0x0600af] IBS	ApplyWIMCallback: Error applying C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\winRE.wim. GLE [1117][gle=0x0000045d]
2009-10-27 17:12:37, Error	  [0x0606cc] IBS	WIMApplyImage failed; hr = 0x8007045D[gle=0x0000045d]
2009-10-27 17:12:37, Error	  [0x0600a1] IBS	DeployImage:Image application failed; hr = 0x8007045D[gle=0x0000045d]

From earlier in setupact.log and the corresponding lines in diagwrn.xml, showing that setup couldn't find the processor stepping information:

2009-10-27 15:34:50, Warning	[0x070026] DIAG   Win32_Processor : Unable to retrieve Stepping, vtType = 8. Error code = 0x0
2009-10-27 15:34:50, Info	   [0x07005e] DIAG   HARDWARE CONFIG=Ram in KB: Total phys=8371580 avail phys=7706092 Procs=2 Arch=9 Family=178 Width=64 Speed=3166 MHz 
2009-10-27 15:34:50, Info	   [0x07002d] DIAG   Logging MachineHardWare to BB

<rs:data>
<z:row Cls="D" Sev="50331648" Maj="diagnostic" Min="Def" LN="93" Fil="" Fun="CAccessWMI::LogErrorMessage" Uid="50790438" Msg="Win32_Processor : Unable to retrieve Stepping, vtType = 8. Error code = 0x0" PID="744" TID="748" Con="" Exe="X:\Sources\setup.exe" Mod="diagnostic.dll" Err="0" MD="" DT="2009-10-27T15:34:50"/>
<z:row Cls="D" Sev="50331648" Maj="diagnostic" Min="Def" LN="93" Fil="" Fun="CAccessWMI::LogErrorMessage" Uid="50790438" Msg="Win32_Processor : Unable to retrieve Stepping, vtType = 8. Error code = 0x0" PID="744" TID="748" Con="" Exe="X:\Sources\setup.exe" Mod="diagnostic.dll" Err="0" MD="" DT="2009-10-27T15:34:51"/>
</rs:data>

The second error in diagwrn.xml isn't critical, I don't think, but it certainly isn't normal. I'd strongly suggest you contact HP, otherwise you're going to have to run setup with a checked Windows build and hope it catches it. Since those models are fairly standard HP models, they should be able to repro this as well and tell you what's wrong with their drivers or hardware that's causing the I/O and/or processor errors.

[barnold]

Frustrating. I have a different autounattend.xml file that does not have this problem with HP hardware. It installs Win7 cleanly on all hardware but isn't completely automated or meet some of my other requirements, which is why I originally made this post. One of my major goals is to have the drive to be wiped and for a single partition (C:) to be layed down. The install stops at the drive-selection screen where you have to schoose where you want to install windows/format the drive, etc. It also prompts for the architecture type and some other things. It is actually a miracle that it actually works because I choose all x86 components instead of AMD64 components when bulding the answer file.

Given that your installs work fine on the xw series and that my other disk worked fine I don't know if a call to HP support is justified. Sigh.

Thanks for your help.

[cluberti]

I'd say it's likely an issue with a controller firmware or the BIOS, honestly - the install isn't doing anything drastic or different than what you're doing manually, although it is doing it faster. I had an issue with my xw6600s when the Intel Matrix was set to RAID before a BIOS update during the Win7 beta timeframe, so it's still possible.

[Jeff C]

I just wanted to post a followup regarding the autounattend file I posted.


It was created for windows 7 professional and is working for me on Intel x64 processors.

Just thought I'd throw that out incase there are any differences in what you are using it with.