[ZaForD]

@eDOC,

In another 2 years I may have increased my intellect enough to have thoughts like yours.

In the meantime, I'll just have to put up with actually achieving the things I set out to do.
Whether that be creating my own Unattended / Recovery Disks in XP and Vista, Thanking / Making Friends of the people that having taken the time to help and advice me, Improving my basic communication skills, and getting myself a life.

Yours Most Sincerely
ZaForD

[Kiki Burgh]

hi! perhaps this topic: Trouble with slipstream Dell OEM Win XP could have a thing or 2 to share in this ... specifically, to

Squeeto, on Feb 26 2007, 09:50 AM, said:

Anyone try UWin Installer?
This is from the readme:

Quote

Do You Want To Install Or Upgrade Micosoft Windows Operating System On Your
Computer With Setup Files On Your Hard Disk.

Then UWin Installer (UWI) is what you NEED!

UWI Is A Tool For Quick & Easy Install Or Upgrade Of Microsoft Windows O.S.
By End User From Setup Files On Hard Disk Without End User Attention.

UWI works for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003 Operating System Installation.

What Can UWI do:

- Makes Windows Operating System Installation Quicker By 30%
...

[eDOC]

@ZaForD

Happy learning.

Take care.

Regards!

[guptasuneet]

Hi,

I have an Compaq laptop with a Windows XP Pro installed on it by my office (apparently a volume license). Can I use any of the methods listed above to create a CD for reinstalling Windows after format, and which does not require reactivation.

Thanks in adance for your help.
guptasuneet

This post has been edited by guptasuneet: 31 March 2007 - 05:50 AM

[severach]

To verify that you have a corporate edition go to System Properties and look at your PID.

#####-640- Corporate (these tools will not produce what you want)
#####-OEM-0011903-##### Compaq (these tools will produce what you want)

If you have a corporate key then these tools will not help you because you already have the corporate key and a corporate install CD. The tools were meant to be used on your Compaq before your company overwrote the OS with their corporate edition.

If you have factory restore CD's then restore them and these tools will produce the key and OEMBIOS files you need. Without those, use this tool to detect what OEMBIOS files you need and download them from here. The key can be obtained from any Compaq or HP running the same Windows you are: Home, Pro, TabletPC, or MCE. Unfortunately we can't trade it here though it is quite easy to find in Google if you know what to look for.

[Rebeldawg]

Bezalel, on Dec 19 2005, 11:37 PM, said:

I've put together two files that can be used to make a pre-activated CD if all you got with your computer is a restore CD you will also need access to an OEM hologram CD for the rest of the files. Put the following files in the same folder

getfiles.bat

attrib -s %SystemRoot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\OEMBIOS.CAT
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\OEMBIOS.CAT
attrib +s %SystemRoot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\OEMBIOS.CAT
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\OEMBIOS.BIN
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\OEMBIOS.DAT
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\OEMBIOS.SIG
cscript //nologo getkey.vbs > winnt.sif

getkey.vbs

Dim objFS, objShell
Dim strXPKey

Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

strXPKey = objShell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProductName")
If Len(strXPKey) > 0 Then
  WScript.Echo "[UserData]"
  WScript.Echo "ProductKey=" & chr(34) & GetKey(objShell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId")) & chr(34)
  WScript.Echo "[Data]"
  WScript.Echo "MSDosInitiated=0"
  WScript.Echo "UnattendedInstall=Yes"
End If

Function GetKey(rpk)
  Const rpkOffset=52:i=28
  szPossibleChars="BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
  Do
	dwAccumulator=0 : j=14
	Do
	  dwAccumulator=dwAccumulator*256
	  dwAccumulator=rpk(j+rpkOffset)+dwAccumulator
	  rpk(j+rpkOffset)=(dwAccumulator\24) and 255
	  dwAccumulator=dwAccumulator Mod 24
	  j=j-1
	Loop While j>=0
	i=i-1 : szProductKey=mid(szPossibleChars,dwAccumulator+1,1)&szProductKey
	if (((29-i) Mod 6)=0) and (i<>-1) then
	  i=i-1 : szProductKey="-"&szProductKey
	End If
  Loop While i>=0
  GetKey=szProductKey
End Function

Getfiles.bat will generate 5 files to be placed in the i386 directory of your CD. the files are:
OEMBIOS.BI_
OEMBIOS.CA_
OEMBIOS.DA_
OEMBIOS.SI_
winnt.sif

What if you don't have a OEM hologram cd but a recovery cd made with recovery cd software
that was installed on the pc when it was bought?

[ZaForD]

Rebeldawg, on Apr 22 2007, 09:35 PM, said:

What if you don't have a OEM hologram cd but a recovery cd made with recovery cd software that was installed on the pc when it was bought?

Most of the time the disk you end up with fails.

Lots of recovery disks use images of the hard drive, so they don't have the Windows install files.

[Rebeldawg]

ZaForD, on Apr 22 2007, 07:49 PM, said:

Rebeldawg, on Apr 22 2007, 09:35 PM, said:

What if you don't have a OEM hologram cd but a recovery cd made with recovery cd software that was installed on the pc when it was bought?

Most of the time the disk you end up with fails.

Lots of recovery disks use images of the hard drive, so they don't have the Windows install files.

I have a different question now since I was able to get a hold of a oem hologram xp cd... Is it possible to take files
from the i386 folder on my recovery cd and copy them over the files in the i386 directory of my XP work folder and
have it work as being pre-activated?

This post has been edited by Rebeldawg: 24 April 2007 - 02:04 PM

[JoeGons]

Bezalel, on Dec 19 2005, 11:37 PM, said:

I've put together two files that can be used to make a pre-activated CD if all you got with your computer is a restore CD you will also need access to an OEM hologram CD for the rest of the files. Put the following files in the same folder

getfiles.bat

attrib -s %SystemRoot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\OEMBIOS.CAT
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\OEMBIOS.CAT
attrib +s %SystemRoot%\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}\OEMBIOS.CAT
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\OEMBIOS.BIN
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\OEMBIOS.DAT
makecab %SystemRoot%\system32\OEMBIOS.SIG
cscript //nologo getkey.vbs > winnt.sif

getkey.vbs

Dim objFS, objShell
Dim strXPKey

Set objShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

strXPKey = objShell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProductName")
If Len(strXPKey) > 0 Then
  WScript.Echo "[UserData]"
  WScript.Echo "ProductKey=" & chr(34) & GetKey(objShell.RegRead("HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\DigitalProductId")) & chr(34)
  WScript.Echo "[Data]"
  WScript.Echo "MSDosInitiated=0"
  WScript.Echo "UnattendedInstall=Yes"
End If

Function GetKey(rpk)
  Const rpkOffset=52:i=28
  szPossibleChars="BCDFGHJKMPQRTVWXY2346789"
  Do
	dwAccumulator=0 : j=14
	Do
	  dwAccumulator=dwAccumulator*256
	  dwAccumulator=rpk(j+rpkOffset)+dwAccumulator
	  rpk(j+rpkOffset)=(dwAccumulator\24) and 255
	  dwAccumulator=dwAccumulator Mod 24
	  j=j-1
	Loop While j>=0
	i=i-1 : szProductKey=mid(szPossibleChars,dwAccumulator+1,1)&szProductKey
	if (((29-i) Mod 6)=0) and (i<>-1) then
	  i=i-1 : szProductKey="-"&szProductKey
	End If
  Loop While i>=0
  GetKey=szProductKey
End Function

Getfiles.bat will generate 5 files to be placed in the i386 directory of your CD. the files are:
OEMBIOS.BI_
OEMBIOS.CA_
OEMBIOS.DA_
OEMBIOS.SI_
winnt.sif

OK. Pardon the ignorance.
I have tried to read through this thread.
I still don’t know if this is what I need.
I have used your script and have the Files.
I have an OEM XP Pro CD.
If I copy the Files (OEMBIOS.BIN etc.) into the I386 folder, then burn it, will that work to reinstall XP to the system and avoid Activation?

I have an Acer laptop with no XP CD.
XP pro is installed.
I do not need an Unattended Install. I just need a XP CD so I can do a Clean Install.
I see in the “winnt.sif� it says “UnattendedInstall=Yes�
I do not understand what that means.
I need to be able to “Partition� and “Format� manually and then install XP.
Thanks.
Joe
PS.
If I want to use an XP Pro SP2 CD to build CD that might work to reinstall on a Computer with XP Home, Will that work?
I do not nee Pro but that’s what I have.
My Desktop is XP Home SP1 and I need to have an XP SP2 CD.

This post has been edited by JoeGons: 21 May 2007 - 04:30 PM

[Bezalel]

JoeGons, on May 21 2007, 06:19 PM, said:

I do not need an Unattended Install. I just need a XP CD so I can do a Clean Install.
I see in the winnt.sif it says UnattendedInstall=Yes
I do not understand what that means.
I need to be able to Partition and Format manually and then install XP.

The winnt.sif exists only to provide the product key so it technically is a partially unattended install. It is possible to create the CD without the winnt.sif but you will have to manually enter the correct key (not the key on the sticker).

[JoeGons]

Thanks Bezalel,


I understand now.

Can you also get the “LicenceInfo” the same way?
It is also a Binary in the same location.

Also, I have a Gateway OS CD that has this in the winnt.sif.

[Data]
AutoPartition=1
MsDosInitiated="0"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"

The trouble with this is that I want more than One Partition.
On those occasions when I used the Gateway disk to Re-install, it wiped out the Partitions I had

created.
How can I get it to make more partitions and maybe partitions of a particular size?


If I want to use an XP Pro SP2 CD to build CD that might work to reinstall on a Computer with XP

Home, Will that work?
I do not nee Pro but that is what I have.
My Desktop is XP Home SP1 and I need to have an XP SP2 CD.


Thanks,
Joe

P.S.
Please direct me to where I can solve this. I am trying to Slipstream (Intergrate) SP2 onto my

Gateway OS install CD. I can do a clean XP SP1 install with it now.
BUT,
I get this error:

This Service Pack cannot be integrated into a destination that also has integrated Software Updates.

Consult the Service Pack documentation for more details about supported integration scenarios.


Microsoft says (but no solution):

You receive an error message when you try to integrate Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) files into an

existing Windows XP distribution share
View products that this article applies to.



This Service Pack cannot be integrated into a destination that also has integrated Software Updates.

Consult the Service Pack documentation for more details about supported integration scenarios.

[severach]

This guide should be easy to follow. You can skip Steps 2 & 3 for the SP2 upgrade if your media is already SP2. You can use any other slipstream tools like copying OEMBIOS and WINNT.SIF files, RyanVM, or DriverPacks before step 4.

Slipstreaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)

>http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

Install from the Gateway CD one last time and make a new Gateway install CD from the OEMBIOS files and key. You can have SP2 integrated, Driverpacks that are superior to the crap drivers that Gateway included, and integrate some windows updates just for fun. The Gateway disk was only good until you found out how to make a better one. Alternately you could remake the Gateway CD after chopping out some stuff in WINNT.SIF until it looks more like the simple one that the scripts make.

A Pro CD can't install Home and the Pro key in your registry or on the case will not be accepted by Home. Pro is better so if that is the license your laptop carries then use it. If you need Home then you start with an XP Home OEM SP2 CD, overwrite the OEMBIOS files, and include a key in WINNT.SIF from a Royalty OEM system running Home.

>This Service Pack cannot be integrated into a destination that also has integrated Software Updates.

Those can be hacked out by hand. I did it once but I didn't use the result because it wasn't obvious why there would be such a message when it was so easy to remove them. Your solution is the same as what Gateway would do. Start with an unmodified XP OEM, slipstream it to the latest service pack, and apply updates.

[JoeGons]

Thanks for the reply.
I got as far as integrating the SP2 I am using the Gateway XP Hone CD.
I removed the SVCPACK Folder and I am trying to make a new SVCPACK.IN_ file.
Now I notice that some Fixes that were on the Original Gateway version were not included in the new SVCPACK.IN_ file.
(I have removed the SP1 “Q” and “K” Fixes in the original INF file for simplicity).

DX9Ntopk.exe etc. etc.

SVCPACK.INF
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[Version]
Signature="$Windows NT$"
BuildNumber=2600
MajorVersion=5
MinorVersion=1

[SetupData]
CatalogSubDir="i386\svcpack"

[ProductCatalogsToInstall]


[SetupHotfixesToRun]

DX9NTopk.exe
js56nen.exe /q:a
vbs56nen.exe /q:a
dotnetfx.exe /q:a /c:”install /q”
WMP9_MM2.exe
SunJava.exe
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Should I put these back or are they included in SP2.
Are they obsolete?
SunJava for instance, I am not sure exactly what that is, but will I need that.

The last problem is making the new SVCPACK.IN_ file a CAT compressed file.
Thanks,

[sgufa]

Is it possible (even in PM) to get public installation keys for XP HOME and XP MCE? on M$ link i found only XP PRO and TABLET... Many Thanks

EDIT: @Forum Admins - Please delete double post...Sorry

This post has been edited by sgufa: 17 July 2007 - 06:22 PM

[sgufa]

Is it possible (even in PM) to get public installation keys for XP HOME, XP MCE and SBS 2003 (R2)? on M$ link i found only XP PRO and TABLET... Many Thanks

This post has been edited by sgufa: 17 July 2007 - 06:49 PM

[Bezalel]

sgufa, on Jul 17 2007, 08:20 PM, said:

Is it possible (even in PM) to get public installation keys for XP HOME, XP MCE and SBS 2003 (R2)? on M$ link i found only XP PRO and TABLET... Many Thanks

There are no publicly released keys for the other OSs. Microsoft expects IT department to be constantly installing Windows XP Pro so thay have released those keys. They don't expect home users to constantly be installing home OSs or businesses to be constantly installing server OSs.

You will need to extract these keys from a working system or learn how to use Google.

[sgufa]

I know but i'm finding slp key and oembios for sbs2003. Please help me in any way...

[visa tapani]

I tried this yesterday and couldn't get it to work, I'd really appreciate some help here.

I have an asus laptop with just recovery discs and I wanted to install clean without the bloat coming with them. So I got a Windows XP disc from a friend (a proper hologrammed retail version afaik), the same type (Pro) and language as the one shipping with the notebook. I copied the content to HD, overwrote the OEMBIOS.BI_, OEMBIOS.CA_, OEMBIOS.DA_, OEMBIOS.SI_ and winnt.sif in the I386 folder with the files gotten from the method described by Bezalel on page 1.

After this I ran the XP through some nLiting, incorporated SP2, removed some content, filled the right details in its unattended page, did other small adjustments and burned it to disc. However, after I had wiped my HD clean and started installing, everything went fine until to my surprise it asked for product key! Even worse, none of the keys I could think of worked. First I of course tried the real product key of my laptop facotry installation (the one that the Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder reports and which was written to the winnt.sif) but it didn't work. Then I tried the product key on the bottom of my laptop and the product key found on this webpage, neither of which worked.

What have I done wrong? Could it be that the nLiting broke the installation somehow? When entering the 'unattended' stage it reported that there is previous unattended information in the installation which might be lost. I figured that this only refers to the unattended configuration, and does not break it. Should it work if I skip the unattended stage of nLite or have I misunderstood something about the whole process?

[uid0]

After nlite has done its business, put your OEM key back in the winnt.sif, and all should be fine.
The key from the bottom of the laptop will not work - it has to be the original OEM one.

[visa tapani]

Thanks for the tip!

However, after nLite is finished, the proper OEM key *is* in the winnt.sif -but it still doesn't work.

This is how the winnt.sif looks after the whole thing is done:

Quote

; Generated by nLite 1.3.5

[Data]
AutomaticUpdates="No"
Autopartition=0
FloppyLess=1
MsDosInitiated=0
UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[Unattended]
UnattendMode=DefaultHide
UnattendSwitch="Yes"
OemPreinstall="Yes"
OemSkipEula="Yes"
FileSystem=*
WaitForReboot="No"
NoWaitAfterTextMode=1
NoWaitAfterGUIMode=1
DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
NonDriverSigningPolicy=Ignore

[SystemRestore]
DisableSR=1
CreateFirstRunRp=0

[GuiUnattended]
EncryptedAdminPassword="No"
AutoLogon="Yes"
OemSkipWelcome=1

[Shell]
DefaultThemesOff="Yes"

[Components]

[UserData]
ProductKey="Q9RV4-G448X-F4WJP-F69MX-XXXXX"
ComputerName=ASUS_NOTEBOOK

[RegionalSettings]
Language= "040b"

[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents="Yes"

This is how the winnt.sif looks like after generated by the getfiles.bat by Bezalel's method:

Quote

[UserData]
ProductKey="Q9RV4-G448X-F4WJP-F69MX-XXXXX"
[Data]
MSDosInitiated=0
UnattendedInstall=Yes

So it just seems nLite has added some extra parameters, but hasn't broken anything important. Also I just looked through the OEMBIOS.BI_, OEMBIOS.CA_, OEMBIOS.DA_ and OEMBIOS.SI_ filesizes of the finished nLited XP installation and they seem to be equal to those generated byt the getfiles.bat, suggesting that nLite hasn't modified them...

Could it be that I need to overwrite/modify more files of the FPP retail XP I386 folder than those aforementioned 5? In this thread jdboeck said that if you want to make a OEM preactivated XP cd from a FPP retail cd, you need to copy these 8 files from your recovery disc: "dpcdll.dll, oembios.bin, oembios.cat, oembios.sig, oembios.dat, setupp.ini, pidgen.dll, setupreg.hiv". So in addition to the files discussed here I'd need dpcdll.dll, setupp.ini, pidgen.dll and setupreg.hiv, is this true?

For example regarding the setupp.ini I found this in a guide once:
"So if you wanted a retail CD that took retail keys, the last line of your setupp.ini file would read:
Pid=51882335
And if you wanted a retail CD that took OEM keys, you'd use:
Pid=51882OEM"

Could this be the reason why my installation disc refused the OEM key I gave it - it is customed to only accept retail keys? This is how the setupp.ini of the final cd looked like:

[Pid]
ExtraData=7573666361697474646DC3545CBB62
Pid=55697270


In contrast, this is how the setupp.ini of my recovery disc looks like:

[Pid]
ExtraData=786F687170637175716954806365EF
Pid=76409OEM


I'm getting a bit confused by all this... If I'd just copy dpcdll.dll, setupp.ini, pidgen.dll and setupreg.hiv from the I386 folder of my recovery cd to the I386 folder of the retail XP I'm installing from (in addition to the OEMBIOS.BI_, OEMBIOS.CA_, OEMBIOS.DA_, OEMBIOS.SI_ and winnt.sif files gotten with Bezalel's getfiles.bat) would it just solve my problem?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

This post has been edited by visa tapani: 20 July 2007 - 08:01 AM