Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated

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Guest

I have a strange problem. All of a sudden when I run sysprep 2.0 on a
computer, clone the hard disk with ghost and then go to install on different
hardware the pc won't even boot. Just keep going through POST and rebooting
before I even see the first Windows XP logo screen.
The only thing I have been able to see by looking at the cloned images with
Ghost Explorer is that the C:\Windows\System32\$winnt$.inf is not getting
updated....It seems to have the same contents it had when the original PC was
installed from my RIS server.

Any ideas what would cause a sysprep image to crash before mini-setup even
gets a chance to start running?

Note:
I have tried with the most basic of answer files generated by setup manage
and have the same results. Just 3 days ago the same setup worked and I
cannot fiure out what I might be doing different except applying the "defaul
user profile" hotfilx http://support.microsoft.com/?id=887816 However this
problem started before I even applied that.
 
Hello,
Check the hardware to determine which hal needs to be loaded on each
machine.
If the hal on the image does not work with second machine, then you will
see this sort of problem.
see this article:
309283 HAL Options After Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Setup
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=309283

Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
 
They do take the same HAL. In fact I was using this same process three days
ago on both these pc's.
 
How about this....
In the sysprep.inf there int the [Unattended] section
InstallFilesPath=c:\sysprep\i386

Now this is just an empty directory on my system. Should it be filled with
the i386 from my distribution point? In my previously working syspreps I had
it pointing to a network share that contained the oempnpdrivers etc.
Unfortunatly that network share is no longer available so I let it go to the
default when I ran setupmanager.exe.

I have tried pulling the C:\Sysprep folder from a known good image but still
not having any luck......
Thank you so much for your help!
 
What about the [SetupMgr]
section of sysprep.inf ??
It is pointing to C;\sysprep\i386 too. Is this section even required?
 
Hello,
No shouldn't need that populated.
What changed from a few days ago when it worked until now when it does not?
Did you update the first machine? Then reimage? install any new software or
drivers?
Was the first machine clean installed so you were starting over?
Do you have an old image and if so does it still work?
Was any hardware added or removed, even external hardware?
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
Thread-Topic: Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated
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Subject: RE: Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:19:01 -0800
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How about this....
In the sysprep.inf there int the [Unattended] section
InstallFilesPath=c:\sysprep\i386

Now this is just an empty directory on my system. Should it be filled with
the i386 from my distribution point? In my previously working syspreps I had
it pointing to a network share that contained the oempnpdrivers etc.
Unfortunatly that network share is no longer available so I let it go to the
default when I ran setupmanager.exe.

I have tried pulling the C:\Sysprep folder from a known good image but still
not having any luck......
Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...
 
What changed from a few days ago when it worked until now when it does not?
~ Good question :-) Trying to figure it out...
~The sysprep.inf had entries that pointed to network shares that no
longer exist. See old below:
OLD
~[Unattended]
~InstallFilesPath="\\server\Sysprep" (this contained a mirror of the
Sysprep folder)
~OemFilesPathe=\\server\Susprep\$OEM$ (this directory had the \Drivers
etc)
Now
~[Unattended]
~InstallFilesPath=C:\sysprep\i386

Did you update the first machine? Then reimage?
~No
install any new software or drivers?
~ No
Was the first machine clean installed so you were starting over?
~ Yes, freshly Ghostted from our known good image. Apps installed and
configured etc.

Do you have an old image and if so does it still work?
~ Yes. I have both our "unsyspreppped" source Ghost image and a
"Sysprepped" image that has the default user prolile problem. (our "perfect"
default user was overwriten by the Administrator profile)

Was any hardware added or removed, even external hardware?
~ No

In my latest test, I have pullet the $winnt$.inf from the known working
sysprepped image and put that into my system before I ran sysprep and cloned
it. I checked after the image was captured with Ghost and it is not been
updated during sysprep....
 
I'm seeing something very similar with our systems here and it somehow
seems to be tied to SP2 systems or atleast systems that have had SP2
installed during the OS installation using the Windows XP Pro w/SP2 CD
that Microsoft released in September of 2004 through their Select
program. Situations where the Hal was interchangeable are no longer
that case. It appears that even if the image is brough to another
system with a similar processor it will not load, only if it is brought
to another system with the same processor. When running the sysprep
from the Select CD I get a message that it is the wrong version for the
OS I'm running, so I tried the latest download version from MS dated
November 8th of this year I believe yet that did run but the image isn't
interchangeable amoung other similar HALs or even interchangeable HALs.
Whatever it is it is tied to SP2.
Hello,
No shouldn't need that populated.
What changed from a few days ago when it worked until now when it does not?
Did you update the first machine? Then reimage? install any new software or
drivers?
Was the first machine clean installed so you were starting over?
Do you have an old image and if so does it still work?
Was any hardware added or removed, even external hardware?
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
Thread-Topic: Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated
thread-index: AcTN1cCGAj6ATm21Q12WBjQWEExP1Q==
X-WBNR-Posting-Host: 148.87.1.170
From: "=?Utf-8?B?ZHJfZGF2ZQ==?=" <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
Click to expand...

<[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:19:01 -0800
Lines: 13
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
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charset="Utf-8"
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Xref: cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl
microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment:128272

X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment

How about this....
In the sysprep.inf there int the [Unattended] section
InstallFilesPath=c:\sysprep\i386

Now this is just an empty directory on my system. Should it be filled
with

the i386 from my distribution point? In my previously working syspreps I
had

it pointing to a network share that contained the oempnpdrivers etc.
Unfortunatly that network share is no longer available so I let it go to
the

default when I ran setupmanager.exe.

I have tried pulling the C:\Sysprep folder from a known good image but
still

not having any luck......
Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Jason or anyone in this thread. I have just started a project and plan to
deploy xpsp2 and apps to 400+ machines. I'm using sysprep and Ghost to
accomplish this. The machines are very similar (Dell Optiplex 260 and 270 for
example) I get the exact problem as mentioned below. Wrong version for the os
I'm running blah blah blah blah blah.... Anyone been able to get around it????

Jason W. said:
I'm seeing something very similar with our systems here and it somehow
seems to be tied to SP2 systems or atleast systems that have had SP2
installed during the OS installation using the Windows XP Pro w/SP2 CD
that Microsoft released in September of 2004 through their Select
program. Situations where the Hal was interchangeable are no longer
that case. It appears that even if the image is brough to another
system with a similar processor it will not load, only if it is brought
to another system with the same processor. When running the sysprep
from the Select CD I get a message that it is the wrong version for the
OS I'm running, so I tried the latest download version from MS dated
November 8th of this year I believe yet that did run but the image isn't
interchangeable amoung other similar HALs or even interchangeable HALs.
Whatever it is it is tied to SP2.
Hello,
No shouldn't need that populated.
What changed from a few days ago when it worked until now when it does not?
Did you update the first machine? Then reimage? install any new software or
drivers?
Was the first machine clean installed so you were starting over?
Do you have an old image and if so does it still work?
Was any hardware added or removed, even external hardware?
Thanks,
Darrell Gorter[MSFT]

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights
--------------------
Thread-Topic: Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated
thread-index: AcTN1cCGAj6ATm21Q12WBjQWEExP1Q==
X-WBNR-Posting-Host: 148.87.1.170
From: "=?Utf-8?B?ZHJfZGF2ZQ==?=" <[email protected]>
References: <[email protected]>
Click to expand...

<[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Sysprep Image will not boot. $winnt$.inf not getting updated
Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2004 17:19:01 -0800
Lines: 13
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
charset="Utf-8"
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Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message
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Xref: cpmsftngxa10.phx.gbl
microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment:128272

X-Tomcat-NG: microsoft.public.windowsxp.setup_deployment

How about this....
In the sysprep.inf there int the [Unattended] section
InstallFilesPath=c:\sysprep\i386

Now this is just an empty directory on my system. Should it be filled
with

the i386 from my distribution point? In my previously working syspreps I
had

it pointing to a network share that contained the oempnpdrivers etc.
Unfortunatly that network share is no longer available so I let it go to
the

default when I ran setupmanager.exe.

I have tried pulling the C:\Sysprep folder from a known good image but
still

not having any luck......
Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
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