Newbie Questions Here!

[Fyrespray]

Oh just in case its useful I have attached the XPCREATE.INI that i'm using. I figure it will be a lot quicker to look at that and see if I have made a stupid mistake than trawl through the other log.

XPCREATE.INI

[GreenMachine]

Thanks. Actually, LOGFILES.CAB is what I really like to see attached: it is simply XPCREATE.LOG compressed into a CAB file. I don't need XPCREATE.INI either: it is included in the XPCREATE.LOG , which is in turn in the LOGFILES.CAB. This is not a reprimand, more a note for future users! I also wish they didn't make me download 6 Mbs on my dial up connection for those RAID drivers: they should really make the F6 diskette available (again, not your fault!).

So, now that I've got that off my chest, the problem is that I have not added support for those drivers, other than that you did fine! Please PM me an email address that I can mail you a modified XPCREATE.LOG file.

Waiting on you ...

[xiaodown]

I'm posting here because I have a total n00b question.

My delima is this:

I work at a computer repair shop, and we wipe and reload machines 20 a day. Slipstreaming SP2 into the WinXP cds we have would save us a lot of time and bandwidth. So: I've asked my friend, who has done this many times, and he says XPCREATE is tops. But, anyway, the CDs we use at the store to wipe and reload are just burned copies of Windows XP Home or Pro OEM. We use the user's product key (usually afixed to their case) when we W/R, so everyone's copy is unique.

So I'm trying to slipstream SP2, and I can't get my XPCREATE to find this boot/xpctboot.bin - there's no boot directory on my CD. So, I poke around the forums, and GM suggests using a real CD, not a fake burn whatever (i.e. don't use a pirated CD). So, I actually go and borrow the store's master copy (which is just a winxp home oem CD, but it is real with the holographics and stuff), and XPCREATE still isn't finding it. There's no boot directory, and no file called *boot* on the CD. Yet, it is bootable.

I'm confused. I'm sure this is a n00b question, and I'm going to get pwned by everyone for not digging deeper into the forum, but... there you have it. I'm sure it's something simple, and any help would be wonderful.

Thanks in advance.

~wx

[jimmytop]

I'm posting here because I have a total n00b question.

My delima is this: 

I work at a computer repair shop, and we wipe and reload machines 20 a day.  Slipstreaming SP2 into the WinXP cds we have would save us a lot of time and bandwidth.  So: I've asked my friend, who has done this many times, and he says XPCREATE is tops.  But, anyway, the CDs we use at the store to wipe and reload are just burned copies of Windows XP Home or Pro OEM.  We use the user's product key (usually afixed to their case) when we W/R, so everyone's copy is unique. 

So I'm trying to slipstream SP2, and I can't get my XPCREATE to find this boot/xpctboot.bin - there's no boot directory on my CD.  So, I poke around the forums, and GM suggests using a real CD, not a fake burn whatever (i.e. don't use a pirated CD).  So, I actually go and borrow the store's master copy (which is just a winxp home oem CD, but it is real with the holographics and stuff), and XPCREATE still isn't finding it.  There's no boot directory, and no file called *boot* on the CD.  Yet, it is bootable. 

I'm confused.  I'm sure this is a n00b question, and I'm going to get pwned by everyone for not digging deeper into the forum, but... there you have it.  I'm sure it's something simple, and any help would be wonderful.

Thanks in advance.

~wx

Make sure in the ini file, that you use the drive letter without the colon:

XPSOURCE=F

-NOT-

XPSOURCE=F:

Substitute whatever your actual drive letter is. Otherwise it won't find it....

[GreenMachine]

Actually, it is simple. There is not boot.bin file, or boot directory on the CD: XPCREATE extracts the (invisible) boot image, and stores it in the BOOT directory where you run XPCREATE.

The reason for the original CDs is that there you are sure of a good copy, and I can be sure that noting has gotten screwed up in the process used to copy the original CD.

Here is what you should do: Install XPCREATE to an empty directory, do not modify the XPCREATE.INI file, and run it a first time to create the directory structure, and a second time to make your first ISO/CD. After this run, XPCREATE will have extracted your boot image, copied your XP CD to the hard drive, and done it's thing. Work from there adding your user specific files. Please PM me, and I will give your further suggestions.

And ... Welcome to MSFN!

[GreenMachine]

...

Make sure in the ini file, that you use the drive letter without the colon:

XPSOURCE=F

-NOT-

XPSOURCE=F:

Substitute whatever your actual drive letter is.  Otherwise it won't find it....

Strange, I thought it was the other way around ...

Still, just let XPCREATE run a first time without any "user intervention": you will be better off.

[xiaodown]

Thanks, GM, I'm following your suggestion now.

(I have to download sp2, I'm at home now, and I first posted at work where we had the file on a shared drive, so... I'll try this is a bit).

If I can get this to work, I'll head over to unattend.msfn.org to see how to answer all the questions except for the product key one... that would save a little time too.

Thank you again for your help.

[GreenMachine]

Sounds good. I'll check in later tonight to see how you've done! There is probably something that can be done for the product keys.

[xiaodown]

Eh, don't really want anything to be done for the product keys. When we wipe and reload a user's machine, we need to put in the product key that they paid for. It might slow the process down a bit, but it's necessary to ensure we stay legal and that users can still register w/ microsoft. Usually it's not a big deal, as we can either find their sticker of auth or use magical jellybeans to find the key.

[xiaodown]

However, being able to put in the area code, time zone, and stuff like that would be cool...

But, I'll look into it before I bug anyone about it.

Again, thanks for the product and the help!

[GreenMachine]

As you wish ... but anything is possible!

Check your email / personal messages, please ...

[tarquel]

When we wipe and reload a user's machine, we need to put in the product key that they paid for

If you use sysprep and reseal the pc (as oem's should hehe ) by default, it will ask for the product key when the end user loads up the pc again for the first time

Trying to get the local retailer I help to understand this and....I think he does - finally uses sysprep (I should be on commission from microsoft methinks hehe)

I'm sure there are numerous details of sysprep elsewhere on the msfn forums about this - i dont want to go into detail here as GM might shout at me hehe

* at GM*

hehe

Regards,

N.

[xiaodown]

Hrm, now XPCREATE gets to the point where it's downloading:

-- 8:29:57 -- Downloading: SVC-X2M\mm20enu.EXE

-- 8:57:23 -- Downloading: SVC-X2M\mm20enu.EXE

And iOpus File Manager sits there, saying "Downloaded 0 bytes (total size unknown)"

I've done this 3 times now, and it always stops at the same spot. If you tell iOpus to cancel download, it will, and it will go on to download the next thing in the list just fine.

I've searched the forum, and one thing mentioned with download problems is to check your firewall, but A.) mine's off and B.) why would it download some files and not others?

~Wx

[xiaodown]

@ it_ybd:

We do have an install server that does that for us. For reasons that p*** me off and that I'm not going into, the install server is on a different subnet, which crosses a router that set us back the GNP of some third world countries and works less well than a linksys cable/dsl jobbie, so we don't use it when we wipe a user's machine - we just use CDs. I guess we could make an install server on the other subnet. But, anyway, we deal with so many computers that need so many obscure drivers and stuff that we have to be able to use them after installing the os. Plus, the EU may want us to install software for them, or whatever. Also, I am not sure that some of our customers would know a windows XP key sticker from a NASCAR promotional sticker.

But, yeah, our system builder uses sysprep and a drive blaster whenever he can.

What would be really nice is to have a local windows update server - something where you just point the browser at 10.0.0.254 or something, and it behaves just like windows update, and is able to update windows 95, 98, me, 2k, and XP depending on whatever that specific computer needs. This wasn't possible 8 months ago; i know microsoft is attempting to make something that can do this.

[tarquel]

xiaodown:

...the install server is on a different subnet, which crosses a router...so we don't use it when we wipe a user's machine - we just use CDs

hehe Dont blame you...lucky my app server at work is local hehe It seems a long winded way (for a install server - surely they/you can set one up locally ) so no wonder you dont use it.

Anyhow, as this is for newbies I dont think we should carry on talking about this here but by all means PM me if you want to carry on talking about this - for now, I'll simply say that some amazing things can be done with using just a cd (as I'm sure you know) and would save you less work - sysprep is very easily possible from a cd install....I'll stop there but as I said PM me if you want to "chat" more on it

What would be really nice is to have a local windows update server

I take it you havent used the Windows Update Server (SUS) which you can set up locally on a 2000 server and get it to download all or a custom set of updates for XP & 2003 (it may cover 2000 as well - I dont have one running at work myself but the county network which I access has one and, well, not sure if they know if its working yet hehe) which you can then use as a local windows update service.

I've set up some of our admin clients to point to it which is very easy - pm me if you need a few details on that.

again...a different discussion

Regards,

N.