anyone using hardware independent images for nuke and paves?

parker.casey · Dec 9, 2010

Personally, I use FOG. It can image an XP machine in about 5 minutes, then I just have to put in the key for the customer and the user name, and I'm good. Vista and 7 both take about 15 minutes, due to utter bloat. But they all work flawlessly, on anything but the strangest hardware. For instance, a Vaio isn't easy.

fixitdaz · Dec 9, 2010

ATTech said:
Mainly in customization and flexibility. You can load drivers (such as driver packs) into MDT and create profiles to deploy to specific models. Granted, that's not as useful for a PC repair business versus a enterprise, but MDT allows for custom scripts, so you can handle drivers in a multitude of ways. You can also have it select from specific applications to install. So for example, if you know they had Chrome as their browser, Thunderbird as their email program and Avast as their Antivirus, you can select those in the walk-through.

I enjoyed MDT at first because it made it easy to deploy images, but lately I've found that just using the bare imageX and some scripting knowledge can provide some powerful, custom automated environments. For example, one of the PEs I've made it completly automated from start to finish which will create a full back-up that contains a text file of the inventory of software installed on the PC (Custom program), a USMT data back-up, an MBR back-up and a Full file-based WIM image. It will then shut the computer down. Eventually, I'll implement some sort of audio or textual notification. There is no framework for doing anything like this with any of the commercial software's available.

It does take quite a bit of time and knowledge to set-up and tweak, so if If you're not ready to commit a good deal of time to it, then the commercial software is a better bet. If you are up for it, then it's a very powerful and you're only limited by your imagination. (That sounded kindy of fruity, but meh)

I am looking at automating a pe disk would you consider sharing some scripts

Xander · Mar 25, 2011

Can one start from a clean Windows install (+updates+basic softwares, etc) and create an image with Acronis Universal Restore and then use that image as a hardware-independent version?

I'd like to have one for, say, XP Home (IDE), XP Home (SATA)....

Can that be done?

I've got an XP Home (IDE) on the workbench going through WSUS and, when done, I'd like to hear if anyone knows (rather than wasting time trying and failing).

dbdawn · Mar 25, 2011

eHousecalls.ca said:
Can one start from a clean Windows install (+updates+basic softwares, etc) and create an image with Acronis Universal Restore and then use that image as a hardware-independent version?

I'd like to have one for, say, XP Home (IDE), XP Home (SATA)....

Can that be done?

I've got an XP Home (IDE) on the workbench going through WSUS and, when done, I'd like to hear if anyone knows (rather than wasting time trying and failing).

Yes it is possible, just sysprep the system before imaging.

ATTech · Mar 25, 2011

dbdawn said:
Yes it is possible, just sysprep the system before imaging.

Sysprepping helps with identifying hardware and installing drivers, but unless it's set-up correctly, a sysprepped image isn't by nature, hardware independent. There are settings such as [SysprepMassStorage] and UpdateHAL that need to be set accordingly. For Vista and 7, then sysprepping does make it hardware independent because there is no HAL update issues that XP has.

Xander · Mar 25, 2011

Okay. Now, as a sysprep newb, if I prep the one that is still (omg!) updating on my bench will it affect the current installation? (Other than later deleting the added Sysprep folders, of course). The KB page I found looks like it will. For our Sysprep experts here, is there a recommended set of parameters for what I'm describing?

dbdawn · Mar 25, 2011

ATTech said:
Sysprepping helps with identifying hardware and installing drivers, but unless it's set-up correctly, a sysprepped image isn't by nature, hardware independent.

Correct, I should have clarified myself.

The reason I sysprep is I have come across some weird issues when I haven't run sysprep on a machine before making an image. Usually it happens when the computer will be joined to a domain though and not on a home machine.
What sysprep does is prepare the system to be duplicated. Once the image is created, you must then use a third party utility to deploy it like Ghost, Acronis or ImageX etc...
You can run the Windows Setup Manager Wizard to configure the answer file. You can create an answer file that will do a complete unattended installation or you can have Windows setup ask for computer name, users and license key, etc...

dbdawn · Mar 25, 2011

eHousecalls.ca said:
Okay. Now, as a sysprep newb, if I prep the one that is still (omg!) updating on my bench will it affect the current installation? (Other than later deleting the added Sysprep folders, of course). The KB page I found looks like it will. For our Sysprep experts here, is there a recommended set of parameters for what I'm describing?

Here is a good reference guide from MSFN and here is another one from Vernalex

Sysprep is the last thing you run before making your image.

Here is a sample answer file that I have used in the past.

Code:

;SetupMgrTag
[Unattended]
    OemSkipEula=Yes
    UpdateServerProfileDirectory=1
    ExtendOemPartition=1
    KeepPageFile=0

[GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword="Coelo"
    EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
    OEMSkipRegional=1
    OemSkipWelcome=1	
    TimeZone=3
    AutoLogon="Yes"
    AutoLogonCount=1
    
[UserData]
    ProductKey=key goes here
    FullName=*
    OrgName=*
    ComputerName=*

[TapiLocation]
    CountryCode=1

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents=Yes1

Xander · Mar 25, 2011

If it gets imaged and you leave it to unattend except for the key, how/when does it ask for the key? Once the image has been made and copied to the target drive, does it ask as soon as it boots? (Which would be ideal).

Again, the sysprep page is a bit greek to me. Assuming one image for IDE vs SATA. Can you recommend which parameters/steps to follow?

EDIT: SIMULPOST!

dbdawn · Mar 25, 2011

eHousecalls.ca said:
If it gets imaged and you leave it to unattend except for the key, how/when does it ask for the key? Once the image has been made and copied to the target drive, does it ask as soon as it boots? (Which would be ideal).

Again, the sysprep page is a bit greek to me. Assuming one image for IDE vs SATA. Can you recommend which parameters/steps to follow?

EDIT: SIMULPOST!

Yes it will so a Windows mini setup and if you set it up to ask for a user and license key then it will do so.

ATTech · Mar 25, 2011

FYI, Windows Vista/7 makes the sysprep, imaging, and deploying of windows images SOOOOO much simpler. I should start pushing Windows 7 to my clients just for management purposes!

dbdawn · Mar 25, 2011

I agree Windows 7 is so nice in that respect.

Xander · Mar 27, 2011

Thanks, dbdawn, the Vernalex link was especially useful.

Here's what I did:
* clean XP Home install on a spare 20GB drive.
* WSUS updates and a couple more that downloaded (despite WSUS saying it was current :/ )
* Adobe Reader, Flash, Google Chrome, Open Office, MSE, Defraggler
* Added a Ninite installer of Flash & Reader to the $OEM command file
* Imaged, as recommended
* Changed it to 'fancy' ACPI to 'plain' ACPI, as per tutorial on Vernalex
* sysprepped
... * tried adding Driverpack folders but not sure if they got integrated but, on the original install, I did have to use Driverpacks to get the audio going. Did not need it after sysprep so it might have worked after all.
* During the sysprep, there was no option for Mini-setup
* During boot, got a "Missing C_10127.nls" message. Pointed it to sys32. Info online suggests puttingthe whole i386 install folder under the sysprep folder and then let "-clean" remove it later.
* Got the whole "Welcome" screens for EULA, to add a user and activate. I did have that information in the sysprep.inf. I expected the Key and activation but was hoping to skip the others.

Next up:
* Do it again. Added the CD's i386 folder under Sysprep. I understand I can get away with ~20 files but I don't care about a bigger image.
* Added a couple of INF lines that you've got above that I didn't after following the tutorial; see what difference that makes.
* If it all works, save the final image to my collection. I think I've got another box around here that I can experiment with a different set of hardware. Maybe a SATA drive for good measure.

16k_zx81 · Mar 27, 2011

Once you get a working model set up, tested and running, would you be interested in putting it in the Wiki?

Xander · Mar 27, 2011

16k_zx81 said:
Once you get a working model set up, tested and running, would you be interested in putting it in the Wiki?

Just re-tested it on XP Home. Copying the i386 folder over worked but, on the next version, I'll try just the minimum files.
Might add some more tweaks to the commandline file and got the Welcome screens but I was running it without a key in the INF.

So, to answer your question, sure. I think this has bumped itself up to being my main side project over the next couple of days.

I'm thinking of putting a valid Key into the INF to get a full Unattended out of it and then adding a Keychanger to the Commandline file. Can anyone troubleshoot this idea? So long as it doesn't actually activate with the key... and I change it after. You should be able to do an image like this with the machine offline, right? So it gives the 30 days to activate?

DCGPX · Mar 27, 2011

eHousecalls.ca said:
Just re-tested it on XP Home. Copying the i386 folder over worked but, on the next version, I'll try just the minimum files.
Might add some more tweaks to the commandline file and got the Welcome screens but I was running it without a key in the INF.

So, to answer your question, sure. I think this has bumped itself up to being my main side project over the next couple of days.

I'm thinking of putting a valid Key into the INF to get a full Unattended out of it and then adding a Keychanger to the Commandline file. Can anyone troubleshoot this idea? So long as it doesn't actually activate with the key... and I change it after. You should be able to do an image like this with the machine offline, right? So it gives the 30 days to activate?

Bit on the grey side but can you not put in a royalty key, it'll not activate but will let you install and then you get the 30 days grace? It'll test for you

dbdawn · Mar 28, 2011

I will see if I can get some more information for you tomorrow.

EDIT:
I gave some wring info, my apologies. I will see what I can find.

Xander · Mar 28, 2011

From the walkthrough, etc, it's called sysprep.inf. One of its accepted sections is Unattended with the Key.
http://www.vernalex.com/guides/sysprep/inf.shtml
I was going to try a fully unattended and got it all set. I realized too late that I forgot to include a key in it and have to re-do it all tomorrrow from scratch. That's fine. Repetition builds familiarity.

dbdawn · Mar 28, 2011

eHousecalls.ca said:
From the walkthrough, etc, it's called sysprep.inf. One of its accepted sections is Unattended with the Key.
http://www.vernalex.com/guides/sysprep/inf.shtml
I was going to try a fully unattended and got it all set. I realized too late that I forgot to include a key in it and have to re-do it all tomorrrow from scratch. That's fine. Repetition builds familiarity.

You are right, I was getting confused as I was updating an unattended CD installation at the time. Winnt.sif is for cd answer key.

dbdawn · Mar 28, 2011

anyone using hardware independent images for nuke and paves?

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