[kyor]

hi

I have problems to install Windows XP under WinPE 2.0 (Vista).

so here are the installation steps.
1. Boot into Winpe2 (Vista)
2. Prepare the harddisk with diskpart
3. format harddisk
4. Use bootsect /nt52 c:
5. install from commandline (winnt32 /syspart:c: /s:t:\winnt\i386
/makelocalsource /unattend:t:\winnt\i386\auto.txt)


Under Winpe 2005 (step 4 is not needed) it works fine.
Under Winpe 2.0 the folllowing happens:
- after exit from winpe 2.0 the system boots from hdd an recognized the
ntldr bootsector
- the textmode screen appears an copied the files
- when finished, the PC boots again to enter the GUI mode
- PC stopps immediately when it try to boot from hdd

Error message: A disk read error occured. Press
strl+alt+del key

How can i fix this issue ? I use the RTM Version

[Jazkal]

try: bootsect /nt52 c: /force

[Knockz]

I'm having a similar problem.

I'm using WinPE 2.0 and ImageX for imaging to deploy a windows XP image.

I'm preparing the drive the same way you did. Even with the bootsect command (with and without the /force) and after I restore the image (in vmware) it boots up, finishes the mini setup and blue screens the first time it tries to boot into windows with "unmountable boot volume".

Under WinPE 1.6 this works. But other things I need don't work, thats why I want to go with 2.0.

It seems like the diskpart command creats some kind of unsupported partition with windows xp. I've tried this on a Dell GX150 and vmware and they both fail.

However it did work on a Dell D420. So something is not compatible.

At this point I may have to go back to WinPE 1.6 and use ImageX but I really want to figure this out.

Anybody have any free tools for creating partitions that work under WinPE 2.0?

[kyor]

Knockz, on Dec 6 2006, 01:11 PM, said:

It seems like the diskpart command creats some kind of unsupported partition with windows xp. I've tried this on a Dell GX150 and vmware and they both fail.

However it did work on a Dell D420. So something is not compatible.

i try to figure the problem out. Can you give me Bios informations please


What Bios has the Dell D420 and what Bios has the Dell GX150. Have they both award bios ?

[Jazkal]

I have read that WinPE2 sometimes has issues on some BIOS's hard drive detection methods. If yours is set to "Auto" detect drives, set it to "Large" or disable LBA mode. See if that makes a difference.

[cluberti]

You know, you could make a WinXP WIM file and install it that way...

[kyor]

@cluberti
Thanks i know this method, but i want to automate windows via winnt32.

@Jazkal
Thanks for your great info. When i set it to "large mode" it works!!

It seems so that many non Intel Mainboards have this issue. On my tested Intel Mainboards
it works always fine. I have made up a service request to Microsoft.

Have a great weekend.


kyor

This post has been edited by kyor: 09 December 2006 - 07:38 AM

[Jazkal]

kyor,

What mother boards did you see this issue on? Do you know what chipset (north/south bridge) it is using?

I'm trying to narrow down the issue to what chipsets are effected, because I think Microsoft is going to say that it is the chipset makers problem.

Let us know what Microsoft says.

[kyor]

Hi Jazkal,


I've tried it on

MSI Mainboard with the new nvidia61 chipset
Gigabyte 945GZME (Intel 945)
Gigabyte 965P-DS3 (intel 965)
Foxconn 865G7.. (Intel 865)

They all fail with standard setting.

Intel Mainboard works fine:
Intel D945GTP and another Intel Mainboard with 945 Chipset
Intel DQ965GF

I will inform you what Microsoft says.

This post has been edited by kyor: 09 December 2006 - 03:21 PM

[Beta4Me]

cluberti, on Dec 8 2006, 10:08 AM, said:

You know, you could make a WinXP WIM file and install it that way...

How do you do that, i have searched high and low. Please Explain...

[Jazkal]

His method won't help in this instance. Even if you had a WIM with a captured WinXp install (syspreped), it would still see the same problem when you laid the image down. The problem is with WinPE v2's diskpart or bootsect.

Now to answer you question on how to to this:

You have a base install of WinXP, configured how you want it.
Then you configure your sysprep answer file for mini-setup.
Then you run sysprep to prepare the OS.
Then you bring the machine up into WinPE and run imagex to capture your new WIM.

From this point you can deploy this image to other boxes.

This post has been edited by Jazkal: 09 December 2006 - 04:45 PM

[Beta4Me]

Jazkal, on Dec 10 2006, 08:45 AM, said:

His method won't help in this instance. Even if you had a WIM with a captured WinXp install (syspreped), it would still see the same problem when you laid the image down. The problem is with WinPE v2's diskpart or bootsect.

Now to answer you question on how to to this:

You have a base install of WinXP, configured how you want it.
Then you configure your sysprep answer file for mini-setup.
Then you run sysprep to prepare the OS.
Then you bring the machine up into WinPE and run imagex to capture your new WIM.

From this point you can deploy this image to other boxes.

sorry if this is a stupid question but how do you use sysprep and what is mini-setup lol. I am a novice currently at this.

[Jazkal]

Get your WinXP CD, and look here:

%ROOTOFCD%\SUPPORT\TOOLS\

here you will find a deploy.cab file. extract this out and have a look at these two files:

deploy.chm
ref.chm

These two files will answer most of your questions.

[Innocent Devil]

what if i dont do a sysprep ??

i just capture my fully configured xp install on c: drive

and deploy it to my machine at later time

is sysprep is really nacessary ??

[Jazkal]

unless the hardware is an exact match, then yes, sysprep is needed.

[Innocent Devil]

i always install xp 2 C:\

so making xp wim without sysprep with all users setup and conf. made

re applying to c:\ willnot caus any probz
isn't ??

[kyor]

@Innocent Devil

sometimes i do it the same as you for pc's with the same hardware. But it isn't the microsoft preferred way.

The advantage when you use the sysprep.inf is, that you can customize your image and strip out information that is bundled with the pc.
Example:
- Random Computer name when the PC boots up the first time.
- Image is sometimes smaller. Not necessary files were stripped out. (pagefile.sys)
- you can add additional Driver that windows detects when you start the pc the first time after sysprep, etc.


Greetings
kyor

This post has been edited by kyor: 10 December 2006 - 01:57 PM

[Innocent Devil]

i didnt made a sysprep.inf

idid was

sysprep -factory
reboot
sysprep -audit
reboot
dont reset activation
generate new sid
sysprep -reseal
reboot

went to vista and open cmd

imagex /compress maximum /config myconf.ini /capture c: h:\xppro.wim "XP Pro" "customised XP"

myconf.ini excludes \boot dir and \bootmgr

bu on deployment i got
windows message: setup isnot complete

what does it mean ??
btw i didntcreated winbom.ini in c:\sysprep

[kyor]

@Jazkal


On some mainboards it does not work to install WinXP via winnt32 even
when i set the HDD access mode in the BIOS to 'Large'.
Diskpart freezes when it try's to format the Harddisk.


OK here is what Microsoft says:

The BIOSes on these motherboards is incorrectly reporting CHS Values (240 heads). The problem has to do with the algorithm used to calculate CHS settings and the difference in policy between drive partitioning between Diskpart 1.5 (which aligns partitions on cylinder boundaries) and Diskpart 2.0 (which aligns them on 1MB boundaries). When partition sector comes along, that has been created with diskpart 2.0, Windows XP tries to change the values for the logical end of partition and translate them into CHS values, which fails therefore booting the operating system also fails.


Your options are:

-An updated BIOS from the motherboard vendor to correct the invalid CHS values. Many vendors have already corrected this and that is why some motherboards fail and others do not. *This is the ideal and correct solution*

-A software change, if created, would be to Windows XP setup. This would then require you to update all of your Windows XP configuration sets to include the hotfix.

-Use the older version of WinPE when installing XP.


The chance is good that Microsoft release a Hotfix for that problem. The Hotfix must be slipstreamed into the source of the i386 directory.

... to be continued

kyor

This post has been edited by kyor: 12 December 2006 - 07:03 AM

[Jazkal]

kyor, on Dec 12 2006, 08:01 AM, said:

-A software change, if created, would be to Windows XP setup. This would then require you to update all of your Windows XP configuration sets to include the hotfix.

Do you know the hotfix number? That would help greatly for when I call in to ask for it.

Thanks.