[dabone]

Ok, reading more the use of multpile sku per wims does make sense to me (Sorry, to much ghost on the brain).

But I'm still confused about imaging xp.
I see that there are problems doing a xp image because of the way diskpart formats the drive.

How does gimagex know that the image is a xp image and partition and format the drive correctly?
How does it know to lay down the correct mbr and bootsector?


Thanks.
Mark

[geezery]

Hello,

there is no currently any check for the image type. You just have to know what image is the appropriate for the current computer. You can i.e. save Vista images to separate wim file and Xp images to another.

I think it would be possible to add correct bootsector by using the WinPe builtin bootsect.exe.

I think I could include it in my next version. I'm also going to get rid of that browse.exe since the browseforfolder issue has been resolved in another post in this forum.

I could also make a script that could apply image unattendly to the computer by checking some values from the WMI. Of course there would have to be some kind of settings file i.e. xml file that says witch image to use on certain computer. If there is interest I could make one easily.

[dabone]

Ok, I've gotten some more experience with your program.
A few questions and feature requests.

I'd like to be able to define a variable in the file for a default diskpart action. i.e. set kill=1 to always run the custom diskpart.txt file without any prompts.
Also I'd like to be able to define a default apply path (c:) without prompting.


I see you are getting rid of browse.exe, would that get rid of when you select browse that it defaults to the c: (My wims are located on z:\wims, and that is the default set in the hta file.)

I'm getting around the xp deployment problem by hitting alt-f4 and running bootsect /nt52 c: after image deployment.

I'm going to try storing all os load for each motherboard in 1 wim for 32bit and 1 for 64bit.

Very nice tool and thank you for your hard work.
(I didn't look but do you have a paypal for donations?)

Later,
Mark

[geezery]

I'll think I could make a list of the requested changes and if you have some more please put them here:

- Remove the Browse.exe dependancy
- Support for ini file where users could make all the needed settings
- Support for the OS recognization to apply the correct boot sector
- Support for VNC connection to the HTA. (I need suggestions how I could implement this)
* I have already tested this feature and it works ok
* I'll think I could write an admin console with vb.net to support applying wims remotely
* What VNCserver I should use??

- I would also like to have the progress indicator working in WinPE environment, but I have no clue how to get it working.

[Tripredacus]

geezery, on May 10 2008, 06:31 AM, said:

- I would also like to have the progress indicator working in WinPE environment, but I have no clue how to get it working.

Well we already know that imagex reports a percentage of the drive being completed when you do a capture or apply. You hide the cmd and show a progress bar instead. Either there is some way to get that info being reported by imagex or allow the cmdbox to appear but not as the active (ie open behind the HTA) window. If your script can read the %, you could apply the correct graphics for the progress bar.

Just a thought. Haven't a clue on how to implement but maybe it gives you an idea.

[dabone]

I had to remove the com objWIM.ApplyImage command and go with the command based imagex.exe because in a networked enviroment the objWIM.ApplyImage is locking the wim file. I needed to be able to deploy to multiple machines at once so the file being locked is a REAL show stopper.
I've send a message to the author of the GImageX_COM.dll to ask how to apply a image without locking the file.

The upside is I have a status indicator now.
(I'm showing the cmd window.)



Later,
Mark

[Tripredacus]

I did also run into a problem with the capture ability. Truthfully, this won't be a big issue for our uses of it, however. We may end up removing some of the options when we switch to using WDS altogether because the regular software techs won't need to use the capture or any other advanced commands. Special projects or image creation would be handled by myself or management only, a task we wouldn't delegate to the the regular software people. So in other words, I always use the command prompt to capture images.

[dabone]

on my customized version you can run ghost32 reboot or shutdown.
All other options have been removed, also the tech has NO control over drive partitioning.
I've got it parsing the Image Description for any occurance of xp and if it finds that then it automatically runs the correct bootsect command.

Now all I need to do is add custom labeling of the destination drive (i.e. imagename) and get a real progress bar and then this program is perfect for my usage.
(I know how to do the custom label, I'm just taking a few days break from modifying the source)

Anyone know any examples on how to display the output of imagex to a popup window as a progress bar?

And after I'm done I'll be sure to upload it.

Later,
dabone

[sinecure]

Hoping someone can help. I've taken the ghost image pe disk as the base, and want to add just the functionality of being able to apply imagex images or calling a batch file that already has the imagex switches and file name pre-populated.

What's the easiest way to do this with the least amount of code?

--------------

Update:
I've managed to get the two to coexist, but the default view seems too large for the screen. Loosing some of the icons on the bottom and right side, so suggestions on that front please help

This post has been edited by sinecure: 27 May 2008 - 03:18 PM

[Tripredacus]

sinecure, on May 23 2008, 06:42 PM, said:

Hoping someone can help. I've taken the ghost image pe disk as the base, and want to add just the functionality of being able to apply imagex images or calling a batch file that already has the imagex switches and file name pre-populated.

What's the easiest way to do this with the least amount of code?

--------------

Update:
I've managed to get the two to coexist, but the default view seems too large for the screen. Loosing some of the icons on the bottom and right side, so suggestions on that front please help

It seems like you seek information on GhostExplorer? I can't think of how you have changed the GimageX... if you could put paint in your WIM, I wonder if it will let you take a screenshot and save it to a USB drive?

[Tripredacus]

I'd like to make a note regarding all the talk about the progress bar.

I recently updated my PE image using the new servicing tools provided in the new OPK version. I am sure it made other changes, but one stood out. When you are upping or dropping an image now, instead of it updating the % and time remaining on a single line, it now draws a new line with the new % in 1% increments! This might make it easier to make the progress bar work? IDK but it sounds like a start.

If you were to use, say autoit, we know it can read stuff of the screen (like how people use it to make bots for games), but is this possible:

1. Press enter to start imaging drive C
2. gImageX does not suppress the cmd prompt it is running the command from, but puts it behind the HTA (window) layer.
3. The script read line info from the cmd prompt behind GImageX.
4. The progressbar determines how to display based on info received from script.

Obviously I am partly mixing up its screen reading functionality with its other features... I think, while I am on the subject, I will contact our rep to see if the PE puts that progress info into a memory location that can be read.

[Tripredacus]

I have been experiencing intermittant issues with the progress bar itself. I know it doesn't "work" but when it is on the screen, you get a long gray rectangle, which is helpful because you know when it is imaging, or when its waiting for you to start it. Here are the different things I have seen concerning it, and the last one is a problem.

1 - regular long rectangular bar covering 75 (or 80) % of the screen
2 - regular length but only a couple pixels in height
3 - regular length but 3-4x regular height
4 - not appearing at all

I am wondering what can cause this. Its not resolution, as I've had 1, 2 and 4 happen at the same time on a bunch of same model notebooks. #3 was experienced on one PC in a group of 12 with the same CFG.

[SoultakerPT]

Hello and greetings from Portugal,

I was trying to use this HTA but when I launch it: mshta imagex.hta no application is launched. When I see task manager mshta is running but I don't see anything.

Can someone please help me?


Best Regards,
Soultaker

[Tripredacus]

This is meant to be run from a WinPE environment, not your OS. This can be very dangerous to run from your OS! Unless you got Task Manager to appear in the WinPE.

[SoultakerPT]

Tripredacus, on Jan 15 2009, 10:05 AM, said:

This is meant to be run from a WinPE environment, not your OS. This can be very dangerous to run from your OS! Unless you got Task Manager to appear in the WinPE.

Hi Tripredacus:

I'm using WinPE and I've launched Task Manager through taskmgr command-line. But now everything is working. Don't know why but the problem is no longe happening. I'm launching without the mshta.exe before, and it's running!

Excelent job this HTA.

[Tripredacus]

I like it very much also.

I have made 2 different backgrounds for it also, if anyone wants to use them, feel free.

Attached File(s)

•  pe.jpg (20.07K)
  Number of downloads: 46
•  pe1.jpg (90.8K)
  Number of downloads: 37

[SoultakerPT]

Nice Tripredacus. Very nice indeed! I would like to do some new ones too.

[SoultakerPT]

Again...

Funtastic work this one!

Just a good add-on would be a progress bar!

[Tripredacus]

SoultakerPT, on Jan 19 2009, 05:12 AM, said:

Again...

Funtastic work this one!

Just a good add-on would be a progress bar!

There is a progress bar but it does not work properly. It usually appears as a gray box that varies in size. Not sure why it varies. Some time it does not appear at all. I tried to fix it on my test server, but it resulted in it not opening the HTA at all so I gave up on it.

[SoultakerPT]

strange thing...

I've notice that when clicking on Map Network Drive the dialog box gets on top of the HTA and I cannot move it down again. I've tested this on a VM so I don't know if that's a problem with the VM.

Again, Keep Up the Good Work!