[Tripredacus]

Kingskawn, on Mar 2 2009, 01:24 PM, said:

Super interesting this tool! Can you please tell me how it works if you want to install xp on a new machine. How can you push the wim file on it? With 'how' I mean, what information do you use to deploy it, MAC, GUID,...? Or is it only on one machine at the time?

I could use such a tool if I can install xp on a distant machine (LAN) if I only know the MAC address. (I already have a running WDS so machines can boot on PXE and of course a DHCP server )

This program is run from the client and is not automated to the point that it doesn't require interaction. Its more of a GET instead of a PUSH with this, it is just an app that runs in the PE.

[Kingskawn]

No plans to do this from a central machine that can deploy xp on the same lan? Or is there another HTA from someone else that can do this

[Tripredacus]

I'm not sure I am getting what you are asking. So instead, I will just run down how I use it.

I took the original HTA (I'm using the older version but the same can be done with the current) and modified it. There are some things you need to modify, such as the Imagepath, which tells the HTA where to look for the images. I changed it to z:\. Then I edit my startnet.cmd file and have it map the Z: to the folder the WIMs are located in. Also need to add regsvr32 for the DLL included with the download, and lastly use mshta to launch the HTA itself. Rebuild the PE.wim and update it in WDS.

Then you have your client that you want to image. Presuming you have images already or you can make new images. You boot to the network. If your WDS is set up properly, it will load the WinPE up on a RAMDISK on the client. The PE loads, turns on networking, maps the network drive, registers the DLL and opens the HTA.

The HTA will then show you what images you have. If it can't find any images (or perhaps you don't have any yet) It will open a browse box. If you do have images, they will be listed. You select the WIM and image you want, and it will format the drive. After this it copies the image down. When it is done, you can reboot or shut down.

This method works best on a WDS running Server 2008, as it supports multicast. Server 2003 has issues with more than 4 clients (in my experience and my setup). So using this HTA I can image up to 40 clients at once. 40 happens to be the number of interfaces I have on the same subnet as the WDS.

See IcemanND's Win PE guide which is stickied to learn how to make your Win PE media (or boot image) and how to capture images.

[Kingskawn]

I'm using SCCM to deploy machines now. What I thought this hta was, was a frontend where you can deploy xp from a central machine (can be a server or normal desktop machine) where resides the wim files and all the stuff that is needed in order to stage machines remotely.
But this hta doesn't allow remote installations, it's all on individual machines that the hta page must be loaded and execute.
In SCCM I deploy a wim files that contains the xp OS but after that it gets a whole bunch of software programs installed on it.

[Tripredacus]

Its not that it doesn't allow it, but that isn't its function. It is meant for the clients, not for the server.

[Tripredacus]

Geezery! I got another feature idea!

I do most of my image administration from within the PE and not the server. It would be handy if, in the main display of the images within the wim, that the image index number is also displayed. Currently, all images are arranged alphebetically by their image description. This means that the images are not in order based upon their index (the order they were captured/appended) value. It is easier to perform image maintenance with the image index, especially if there are long image descriptions. Also, if you have a lot of images, it would be easier to acquire the image index value, otherwise I have to use the following:

imagex /info z:\xp_intel.wim > c:\wim_info.xml

This has to be done because sometimes the XML information is more than be fit into the PE Command Prompt window.

[geezery]

Hello,

I removed the GImageX dll dependancy from the HTA, but I haven't tested it yet. I think it should work without it. It uses only imagex.exe for image handling now.

I also added the Index number to the description if that was your wish Tripredacus. Can you try the new HTA, you can download it from

geezery

This post has been edited by geezery: 31 March 2009 - 04:00 AM

[ducati31]

hello all. im new to MSFN.

How do i get a copy of Geezery files? The link has been removed and there is nothing on the homepage?

Cheers

[Tripredacus]

The original author has abandoned this project, so I am taking over its sponsorship. I cannot take any requests for adding or updating new features to the software.

UPDATE
Working on v9.1 update.

Last available versions
Version 7.1 :: download
Version 9.0 :: download
Cleaned up Version 2.0 by Fredledingue :: download

Custom PE backgrounds
Embedded by Tripredacus :: download
Vista by Tripredacus :: download

This post has been edited by Tripredacus: 30 September 2009 - 08:54 AM

[Turge]

After spending quite a few hours trying to get an HTA to receive the progress event from GimageX and display a progress bar, I can finally say that I achieved everything I was targetting. Since I still have to clean up the code before posting it, I'll just post a screenshot of my app for now to see what kind of interest it generates.

I should also point out that it currently works on Windows XP/Vista/7 and Windows PE 1.5/2.0/3.0 using all versions of GimageX.

So let me know what you think..

Attached File(s)

•  HTA.jpg (56.43K)
  Number of downloads: 265

[Tripredacus]

The reason behind the progress bar reported has been answered here:
http://www.autoitscript.com/forum/index.ph...=winpe&st=0

However, the Win PE 3.x series has fixed this issue, but I have not done any testing on that platform yet.

If you post your code, use the codebox tag.

[Turge]

I looked at the thread and did not find a solution for receiving events via an HTA and updating a progress bar. Did I miss something?

[Tripredacus]

Quote

I get the callbacks while capturing, but for some reason the whole thing gets blocked when I apply the image. As soon as the image is completely applied I get the whole callbacks in one bunch. (not very useful I guess)

All I could gather from the MSDN forums was that it has something to do with MS enabling multithreading in the "apply" function. So the callbacks never reach my AutoIt instance.

and

Quote

They never call fflush() on the stream. The output builds up and is not flushed until the program closes. AutoIt shows you the output the instant it sees it, but during the entire run of the program, the ouput is buffered in imagex. By the way, you can confirm that it's not AutoIt's fault by using the command line and re-directing output to a file when using the /scroll argument. Even doing that will leave an empty file (IIRC, there is some output, but not the progress percentage). Then when the program is done, poof, magically all the data is there. Without using the /scroll argument, data is written directly to the screenbuffer and not to stdout."

On page 2, a poster confirms that the Windows 7 PE is able to report the progress.

[Alenat]

Hi guys,

I extracted zip file into system32 folder of my WinPe and started imagex.hta.
I tried both 7.1 and 9.0 versions and got the same error from HTA:

Object Required:'ObjWIM"

for version 7.1 in line 222
for 9.0 in line 205

Digging the thread I understood there is no DLL to register now.
If anybody already bumped to this?

Thanks!

[Tripredacus]

Alenat, on Sep 2 2009, 07:16 PM, said:

Hi guys,

I extracted zip file into system32 folder of my WinPe and started imagex.hta.
I tried both 7.1 and 9.0 versions and got the same error from HTA:

Object Required:'ObjWIM"

for version 7.1 in line 222
for 9.0 in line 205

Digging the thread I understood there is no DLL to register now.
If anybody already bumped to this?

Thanks!

You need to register the DLL in the 7.1 version. V9.0 and 9.1 never fully passed development stage and should be considered alpha or beta versions. I have never gotten 9.x to work properly and still use a 7.1. Make sure your PE is using the HTA, Scripting and XML packages at the minimum. Also this works with WinPE 2.x x86, I have not seen or tested it in WinPE 2.x x64, or either build of WinPE 3.0.

[greenfrognet]

Hi friends, may be i come a little late to this post but i still have the same problem with the error Object Required:'ObjWIM" for version 7.1 in line 222 i try to register the wimgapi.dll over my winpe but after the command regsvr32.exe wimgapi.dll i recive the following error :

"The Module e:\wimgapi.dll was loaded but the entry-post DllRegisterServer was no found."

"Make sure that wimgapi.dll is a valid dll or ocx file and try again"

What is my mistake?

thanks Guys

King Regards

[Tripredacus]

greenfrognet, on Oct 15 2009, 11:22 AM, said:

Hi friends, may be i come a little late to this post but i still have the same problem with the error Object Required:'ObjWIM" for version 7.1 in line 222 i try to register the wimgapi.dll over my winpe but after the command regsvr32.exe wimgapi.dll i recive the following error :

"The Module e:\wimgapi.dll was loaded but the entry-post DllRegisterServer was no found."

"Make sure that wimgapi.dll is a valid dll or ocx file and try again"

What is my mistake?

thanks Guys

King Regards

regsvr32 /s misc/gimagex_com.dll

[greenfrognet]

hoooo. fool of me, jejejejeje thanks

[greenfrognet]

Hi Guys, good day, i have another question, i hope all off you culd help me,

everithing is ok but i can´t see the description of the wim, i can chose a Wim but the hta dont display the list of the append image inside the wim. i got all packages of wimpe installed.

Some suggest

[Tripredacus]

What PE version do you have, and did you add the packages you need? Can you see the drives on the right side?

You need the following packages:
- HTA
- Scripting
- WMI
- XML