Sysprep - PC to Laptop - Is it possible?

[Dan]

I have been trying to use a sysprep image from an PC (Dell Optiplex GX270)
to a laptop (Dell Latitude C640) - and have not been succesful!

The Latitude always hangs on startup with a black screen. On verbose safe
mode it does the same - stopping when opening the AGP drivers.

Firstly, does anyone know if it is possible? Are the HAL's too disimilar? Or
is there a way around it do you think?

I have used the [MassstorageSection] and -pnp switch to no avail.

Any help greatly appreciated.



Dan Cooke

 

[Mike Kolitz]

Hi Dan,
The current image that we use at my company is built on a Dell GX110, and
does run on laptops (like the C600) rather well. One thing I would
recommend is leaving off the -pnp switch from the SYSPREP command line.
I've found that Windows detects the drive controller a bit better when that
switch is omitted.

Does it freeze on the first boot after imaging, or does MiniSetup run first?

 

[Dan]

It freezes immediately, before mini-setup or the XP loading 'DOS' screen.

I know a lot of people have had similar problems when loading the AGP440.sys
driver, but this seems to load and then it always hangs on the next
agpCPQ.sys driver. Disabling all these drivers in the recovery console
dosn't work

I think perhaps the Optiplex GX270 is too new for sysprep. It runs on the
brand new Intel 865 chipset.

Any other ideas?

Dan Cooke

Hi Dan,
The current image that we use at my company is built on a Dell GX110, and
does run on laptops (like the C600) rather well. One thing I would
recommend is leaving off the -pnp switch from the SYSPREP command line.
I've found that Windows detects the drive controller a bit better when that
switch is omitted.

Does it freeze on the first boot after imaging, or does MiniSetup run first?

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment

I have been trying to use a sysprep image from an PC (Dell Optiplex GX270)
to a laptop (Dell Latitude C640) - and have not been succesful!

The Latitude always hangs on startup with a black screen. On verbose safe
mode it does the same - stopping when opening the AGP drivers.

Firstly, does anyone know if it is possible? Are the HAL's too

disimilar?

Or
is there a way around it do you think?

I have used the [MassstorageSection] and -pnp switch to no avail.

Any help greatly appreciated.



Dan Cooke

 

[Dan]

Fantastic Mike! That was precisely the problem.

I never thought of the HAL's as they were both single processor ACPI PC's.
However the GX270 had a "uniprocessor PC" HAL and the laptop had an "ACPI
PC" Hal. presumably the GX270 is picked up differently as the Intel 865
chipset it is based on supports processor "Hyper Threading".

Anyway, changing the HALS so they were the same sorted it!

Cheers!

Dan Cooke

Dan,

it my be a HAL issue between the two machines, as this web page suggests.
http://www.joshie.com/~jlevitsk/blog/archives/000032.html

Try setting the HAL on the master image machine to Uniprocessor ACPI before
you run Sysprep, and see if you still have the same problems.

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment

It freezes immediately, before mini-setup or the XP loading 'DOS' screen.

I know a lot of people have had similar problems when loading the AGP440.sys
driver, but this seems to load and then it always hangs on the next
agpCPQ.sys driver. Disabling all these drivers in the recovery console
dosn't work

I think perhaps the Optiplex GX270 is too new for sysprep. It runs on the
brand new Intel 865 chipset.

Any other ideas?

Dan Cooke

Hi Dan,
The current image that we use at my company is built on a Dell GX110, and
does run on laptops (like the C600) rather well. One thing I would
recommend is leaving off the -pnp switch from the SYSPREP command line.
I've found that Windows detects the drive controller a bit better when that
switch is omitted.

Does it freeze on the first boot after imaging, or does MiniSetup run first?

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment


I have been trying to use a sysprep image from an PC (Dell Optiplex GX270)
to a laptop (Dell Latitude C640) - and have not been succesful!

The Latitude always hangs on startup with a black screen. On verbose safe
mode it does the same - stopping when opening the AGP drivers.

Firstly, does anyone know if it is possible? Are the HAL's too disimilar?
Or
is there a way around it do you think?

I have used the [MassstorageSection] and -pnp switch to no avail.

Any help greatly appreciated.



Dan Cooke

 

[Mike Kolitz]

Good to hear, Dan!

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment

Fantastic Mike! That was precisely the problem.

I never thought of the HAL's as they were both single processor ACPI PC's.
However the GX270 had a "uniprocessor PC" HAL and the laptop had an "ACPI
PC" Hal. presumably the GX270 is picked up differently as the Intel 865
chipset it is based on supports processor "Hyper Threading".

Anyway, changing the HALS so they were the same sorted it!

Cheers!

Dan Cooke

Dan,

it my be a HAL issue between the two machines, as this web page suggests.
http://www.joshie.com/~jlevitsk/blog/archives/000032.html

Try setting the HAL on the master image machine to Uniprocessor ACPI before
you run Sysprep, and see if you still have the same problems.

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment

It freezes immediately, before mini-setup or the XP loading 'DOS' screen.

I know a lot of people have had similar problems when loading the AGP440.sys
driver, but this seems to load and then it always hangs on the next
agpCPQ.sys driver. Disabling all these drivers in the recovery console
dosn't work

I think perhaps the Optiplex GX270 is too new for sysprep. It runs on the
brand new Intel 865 chipset.

Any other ideas?

Dan Cooke

Hi Dan,
The current image that we use at my company is built on a Dell

GX110,
and

does run on laptops (like the C600) rather well. One thing I would
recommend is leaving off the -pnp switch from the SYSPREP command line.
I've found that Windows detects the drive controller a bit better when
that
switch is omitted.

Does it freeze on the first boot after imaging, or does MiniSetup run
first?

--
Mike Kolitz MCSE 2000
MS-MVP - Windows Setup and Deployment


I have been trying to use a sysprep image from an PC (Dell Optiplex
GX270)
to a laptop (Dell Latitude C640) - and have not been succesful!

The Latitude always hangs on startup with a black screen. On verbose
safe
mode it does the same - stopping when opening the AGP drivers.

Firstly, does anyone know if it is possible? Are the HAL's too
disimilar?
Or
is there a way around it do you think?

I have used the [MassstorageSection] and -pnp switch to no avail.

Any help greatly appreciated.



Dan Cooke