XCOPY I386 folder to local drive -revisited

[john.peeler]

Several months ago, I ran into this problem with the first set of MVLS
XP Pro CD's I recieved, trying to xcopy the entire I386 directory to
the local drive of a PC I was trying to build an image for, the XCOPY
would fail around the \ASMS folder, with "path not found". I recently
had time to chase this problem again, and downloaded the latest ISO of
XP Pro SP2 from MS. Same issue again. I know the XCOPY process is
used successfully quite often, MS even refers to it in many of their KB
documents, but I don't have the slightest idea why my process fails,
and my boss precieves this as me wanting to drag my feet about
deploying SP2. Given my limited resources, copying the I386 folder to
the local drive and building the image from there has always been
bullet-proof for me, and given that I don't have access many things
that would allow me to use a more elegant method of building images, I
need to do it this way.

Here is my syntax, using a floppy or boot CD that loads Win98 startup
files to a RAM drive (d, with e: being the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
drive...d:\xcopy e:\i386 c:\options\i386 /s /e

I have tried dropping the \options, with no luck. If someone can point
out what i am missing, I would really appreciate it.

 

[Len Segal]

John,

I have to ask you "why" are you doing it this way?

If you are in a Drive Window view and choose Tools, Folder Options, View and
"UNhide" all the files/folders entries (uncheck 2 boxes and show hidden
files/folders). Choose Apply, then Apply to ALL Folders and OK.

Now open two Windows, one on the CD drive folder and the other for where
you want to install the I386 folder on the HDD. Drag and drop the I386
folder from the CD to the desired destination and take a few minutes break.
I've NEVER had this operation fail for me. [Only failure modes that I could
see with this technique are: lack of HDD space or terribly fragmented HDD so
that larger files aren't able to move over without excessive fragmenting.]

Give it a try and let us know if it works or not?

 

[john.peeler]

Len,
Thanks for responding. I am using this procedure as this is a new (for
us) HP DC5000 desktop, with a blanked drive that I need to build an
alpha version of my company's corporate image on. I am limited as to
how much space the Server/Network team will allow me to have, so my
alpha and beta images are built from CD's, instead of using a network
boot disk or CD to copy the files from a admin install location.

I guess I could get a drive tray set-up, and use Explorer to copy the
files to the blank drive, then put it back in the system to build the
image, but I am trying to avoid that, as the next model I have to build
(an HP DC7100) an XP SP2 image for has a SATA drive.

My process has worked for W2K since RC2, and it worked with XP and XP
SP1, I think it even worked to XP Tablet (only had to build two of
those)..I just can't figure out why it won't work for XP SP2. I know I
am not the only one getting MVLS CD's, but this problem has me stumped,
and I don't want to re-write the process documentation unless I have
to.

This has me stuck, and i don't have a WinXP SP2 retail CD to test with,
to see if I would have the same issue. As I stated previously, I even
downloaded the latest ISO image from the MVLS site, and STILL had the
same problem.

Nothing like a problem like this to de-rail the entire week.

John,

I have to ask you "why" are you doing it this way?

If you are in a Drive Window view and choose Tools, Folder Options, View and
"UNhide" all the files/folders entries (uncheck 2 boxes and show hidden
files/folders). Choose Apply, then Apply to ALL Folders and OK.

Now open two Windows, one on the CD drive folder and the other for where
you want to install the I386 folder on the HDD. Drag and drop the I386
folder from the CD to the desired destination and take a few minutes break.
I've NEVER had this operation fail for me. [Only failure modes that I could
see with this technique are: lack of HDD space or terribly fragmented HDD so
that larger files aren't able to move over without excessive fragmenting.]

Give it a try and let us know if it works or not?

--

Regards,
Len Segal, MCP
Microsoft - MVP
--------------
My reply address is intentionally wrong to reduce SPAM Email.
NOTE: We do not respond to unsolicited Email support questions,
please post questions in newsgroup.

Several months ago, I ran into this problem with the first set of MVLS
XP Pro CD's I recieved, trying to xcopy the entire I386 directory to
the local drive of a PC I was trying to build an image for, the XCOPY
would fail around the \ASMS folder, with "path not found". I recently
had time to chase this problem again, and downloaded the latest ISO of
XP Pro SP2 from MS. Same issue again. I know the XCOPY process is
used successfully quite often, MS even refers to it in many of their KB
documents, but I don't have the slightest idea why my process fails,
and my boss precieves this as me wanting to drag my feet about
deploying SP2. Given my limited resources, copying the I386 folder to
the local drive and building the image from there has always been
bullet-proof for me, and given that I don't have access many things
that would allow me to use a more elegant method of building images, I
need to do it this way.

Here is my syntax, using a floppy or boot CD that loads Win98 startup
files to a RAM drive (d, with e: being the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
drive...d:\xcopy e:\i386 c:\options\i386 /s /e

I have tried dropping the \options, with no luck. If someone can point
out what i am missing, I would really appreciate it.

 

[Len Segal]

John,

Since I haven't dealt with MVLS, so I only have two suggestions:
- Do you have access to a private ng for MVLS issues? If you do, you should
post the question there and see if others may have fought this battle, and
won, before you.

I don't see why this would use any more disk space copying directly from CD
vs. Xcopy. Xcopy was tricky when we used to do it under prior OSes. I'm not
sure if the same tricks we used (more switches than you mentioned) would
work with XP.

- Here's my old "secret formula" developed back in the Win95 days, so please
let me know if it works or not by posting a reply here, OK?

xcopy d:\ c:\ /c/e/f/h/r/s/v/k

Good luck!

--

Regards,
Len Segal, MCP
Microsoft - MVP
--------------
My reply address is intentionally wrong to reduce SPAM Email.
NOTE: We do not respond to unsolicited Email support questions,
please post questions in newsgroup.

Len,
Thanks for responding. I am using this procedure as this is a new (for
us) HP DC5000 desktop, with a blanked drive that I need to build an
alpha version of my company's corporate image on. I am limited as to
how much space the Server/Network team will allow me to have, so my
alpha and beta images are built from CD's, instead of using a network
boot disk or CD to copy the files from a admin install location.

I guess I could get a drive tray set-up, and use Explorer to copy the
files to the blank drive, then put it back in the system to build the
image, but I am trying to avoid that, as the next model I have to build
(an HP DC7100) an XP SP2 image for has a SATA drive.

My process has worked for W2K since RC2, and it worked with XP and XP
SP1, I think it even worked to XP Tablet (only had to build two of
those)..I just can't figure out why it won't work for XP SP2. I know I
am not the only one getting MVLS CD's, but this problem has me stumped,
and I don't want to re-write the process documentation unless I have
to.

This has me stuck, and i don't have a WinXP SP2 retail CD to test with,
to see if I would have the same issue. As I stated previously, I even
downloaded the latest ISO image from the MVLS site, and STILL had the
same problem.

Nothing like a problem like this to de-rail the entire week.

John,

I have to ask you "why" are you doing it this way?

If you are in a Drive Window view and choose Tools, Folder Options, View and
"UNhide" all the files/folders entries (uncheck 2 boxes and show hidden
files/folders). Choose Apply, then Apply to ALL Folders and OK.

Now open two Windows, one on the CD drive folder and the other for where
you want to install the I386 folder on the HDD. Drag and drop the I386
folder from the CD to the desired destination and take a few minutes break.
I've NEVER had this operation fail for me. [Only failure modes that I could
see with this technique are: lack of HDD space or terribly fragmented HDD so
that larger files aren't able to move over without excessive fragmenting.]

Give it a try and let us know if it works or not?

--

Regards,
Len Segal, MCP
Microsoft - MVP
--------------
My reply address is intentionally wrong to reduce SPAM Email.
NOTE: We do not respond to unsolicited Email support questions,
please post questions in newsgroup.

Several months ago, I ran into this problem with the first set of MVLS
XP Pro CD's I recieved, trying to xcopy the entire I386 directory to
the local drive of a PC I was trying to build an image for, the XCOPY
would fail around the \ASMS folder, with "path not found". I recently
had time to chase this problem again, and downloaded the latest ISO of
XP Pro SP2 from MS. Same issue again. I know the XCOPY process is
used successfully quite often, MS even refers to it in many of their KB
documents, but I don't have the slightest idea why my process fails,
and my boss precieves this as me wanting to drag my feet about
deploying SP2. Given my limited resources, copying the I386 folder to
the local drive and building the image from there has always been
bullet-proof for me, and given that I don't have access many things
that would allow me to use a more elegant method of building images, I
need to do it this way.

Here is my syntax, using a floppy or boot CD that loads Win98 startup
files to a RAM drive (d, with e: being the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
drive...d:\xcopy e:\i386 c:\options\i386 /s /e

I have tried dropping the \options, with no luck. If someone can point
out what i am missing, I would really appreciate it.

 

[john.peeler]

Well, I sent a few e-mails to our Microsoft representatives, we'll see
what happens. There does not seem to be a MVLS specific newsgroup, but
I guess I can try to contact PSS...just don't want to waste time trying
the same steps over and over, but this time while on the phone..

Len, I'll try your switches and see what happens, tired of burning
worthless CD's for today anyway (and yes, I have tried different
burners, DVD and CD-ROM drives, physical PC's AND burning software).
I'll also order ANOTHER media CD to see if I may have gotten bad CD's
from Microsoft three times in a row.

John,

Since I haven't dealt with MVLS, so I only have two suggestions:
- Do you have access to a private ng for MVLS issues? If you do, you should
post the question there and see if others may have fought this battle, and
won, before you.

I don't see why this would use any more disk space copying directly from CD
vs. Xcopy. Xcopy was tricky when we used to do it under prior OSes. I'm not
sure if the same tricks we used (more switches than you mentioned) would
work with XP.

- Here's my old "secret formula" developed back in the Win95 days, so please
let me know if it works or not by posting a reply here, OK?

xcopy d:\ c:\ /c/e/f/h/r/s/v/k

Good luck!

--

Regards,
Len Segal, MCP
Microsoft - MVP
--------------
My reply address is intentionally wrong to reduce SPAM Email.
NOTE: We do not respond to unsolicited Email support questions,
please post questions in newsgroup.

Len,
Thanks for responding. I am using this procedure as this is a new (for
us) HP DC5000 desktop, with a blanked drive that I need to build an
alpha version of my company's corporate image on. I am limited as to
how much space the Server/Network team will allow me to have, so my
alpha and beta images are built from CD's, instead of using a network
boot disk or CD to copy the files from a admin install location.

I guess I could get a drive tray set-up, and use Explorer to copy the
files to the blank drive, then put it back in the system to build the
image, but I am trying to avoid that, as the next model I have to build
(an HP DC7100) an XP SP2 image for has a SATA drive.

My process has worked for W2K since RC2, and it worked with XP and XP
SP1, I think it even worked to XP Tablet (only had to build two of
those)..I just can't figure out why it won't work for XP SP2. I know I
am not the only one getting MVLS CD's, but this problem has me stumped,
and I don't want to re-write the process documentation unless I have
to.

This has me stuck, and i don't have a WinXP SP2 retail CD to test with,
to see if I would have the same issue. As I stated previously, I even
downloaded the latest ISO image from the MVLS site, and STILL had the
same problem.

Nothing like a problem like this to de-rail the entire week.

John,

I have to ask you "why" are you doing it this way?

If you are in a Drive Window view and choose Tools, Folder

Options,
View and

"UNhide" all the files/folders entries (uncheck 2 boxes and show hidden
files/folders). Choose Apply, then Apply to ALL Folders and OK.

Now open two Windows, one on the CD drive folder and the other

for
where

you want to install the I386 folder on the HDD. Drag and drop the I386
folder from the CD to the desired destination and take a few

minutes
break.

I've NEVER had this operation fail for me. [Only failure modes

that I
could

see with this technique are: lack of HDD space or terribly

fragmented
HDD so

that larger files aren't able to move over without excessive fragmenting.]

Give it a try and let us know if it works or not?

--

Regards,
Len Segal, MCP
Microsoft - MVP
--------------
My reply address is intentionally wrong to reduce SPAM Email.
NOTE: We do not respond to unsolicited Email support questions,
please post questions in newsgroup.



Several months ago, I ran into this problem with the first set

of
MVLS

XP Pro CD's I recieved, trying to xcopy the entire I386

directory
to

the local drive of a PC I was trying to build an image for, the XCOPY
would fail around the \ASMS folder, with "path not found". I recently
had time to chase this problem again, and downloaded the latest

ISO
of

XP Pro SP2 from MS. Same issue again. I know the XCOPY process is
used successfully quite often, MS even refers to it in many of their KB
documents, but I don't have the slightest idea why my process fails,
and my boss precieves this as me wanting to drag my feet about
deploying SP2. Given my limited resources, copying the I386

folder
to

the local drive and building the image from there has always been
bullet-proof for me, and given that I don't have access many things
that would allow me to use a more elegant method of building images, I
need to do it this way.

Here is my syntax, using a floppy or boot CD that loads Win98 startup
files to a RAM drive (d, with e: being the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
drive...d:\xcopy e:\i386 c:\options\i386 /s /e

I have tried dropping the \options, with no luck. If someone

can
point

out what i am missing, I would really appreciate it.