Unattended Windows XP error ASMS not found

[eobiont]

I have been running unattended Windows XP installations for years, and
they have been running fine.

Recently I made a change to the process that resulted in an interesting
error.

I got a new Lenovo Thinkpad T60 that has has very little memory
available for DOS. When loading the Intel network card, I was getting
a dreaded error 8 "Not enough memory" and the workstation service
failed to start.

I looked all over the internet for a solution to this problem and
happened upon a site that suggested changing the System.INI entry
preferredredir=full to preferredredir=basic.

This is the only change I made to my process, and it worked! The
change allows the computer to map to my network drive and run WINNT.EXE
to begin the Windows installation process. The first and second yellow
progess bar stages complete. The drive converts from FAT32 to NTFS,
and the Install GUI stage starts. Immediately, the error message comes
up saying "The file 'asms' on Windows XP Professional Service Pack2 CD
is needed."

I try this on another computer, one that was working before the switch
in System.ini, and get the same error. If I switch the system.ini file
back to preferredredir=full, the problem goes away, and the
installation works fine. That won't work on the Thinkpad though,
because if I switch the system.ini file back, I get the not enough
memory error back at the DOS stage.

I don't know what the difference between basic and full is for the
preferredredir value, or why it might affect the unattended install.
Does anyone have any insight into this problem?

I think if I copy the files in that folder down by hand, before running
the installer, it will also work.

Why does the installer copy the files when preferredredir=full and not
when preferredredir=basic?

 

[eobiont]

It turns out that the files in ASMS aren't ever copied down, regardless
of the value of preferredredir. However, when the preferredredir is
set to basic, Windows installer must need to get a file from this
directory that wasn;t copied down. If the preferredredir is set to
full, it must not need the file(s).

The only subfolders of I386 that are copied down are the $OEM$, the
svcpack, the CMPNENTS, and the System32. I remember there is a text
file that controls what files are copied during the inital unattend
setup. I will try to modify that file and see if I can get the ASMS
folder to copy as part of the installation process.

 

[eobiont]

OK, so I added ASMS to the [OptionalSrcDirs] of the DOSNET.INF file in
my Windows XP Admin share.

Now the ASMS error message is gone, but I get a new error message, "An
error has been encountered that prevents Setup from continuing"
Untanslateable Message, Win32LastError is 14001.

Dang.

 

[John]

Windows XP SP2 has a bug when running WINNT.exe in DOS

You should use the 32 exe : Winnt32.exe within WinPE.

REgards

John

 

[eobiont]

I would run WinPE if I could, but we have a number of machines that do
not have CD-ROM drives. I really need to have a floppy method for
installing Windows XP.

I think a better solution would be to not purchase Thinkpads. They are
nice laptops, but I have not had much luck with their tech support.
Since this is the only computer I've run into with the low memory
problem, I think the answer is to just not support that laptop.

If Lenovo would suppy a network boot floppy, I would be all set.

Windows XP SP2 has a bug when running WINNT.exe in DOS

You should use the 32 exe : Winnt32.exe within WinPE.

REgards

John

OK, so I added ASMS to the [OptionalSrcDirs] of the DOSNET.INF file in
my Windows XP Admin share.

Now the ASMS error message is gone, but I get a new error message, "An
error has been encountered that prevents Setup from continuing"
Untanslateable Message, Win32LastError is 14001.

Dang.