I have another problem!

[jroc]

Yes your right...i stand corrected...the winnt32.exe can be used from the command prompt in windows to start a update...I guess I need to go back and follow this thread...seems if he copied all of the XP contents to the harddrive...running the setup.exe from the Root Folder should send him on his way....I will start from the beginning..and maybe we can get him installed

 

[yoyo]

Probably, when run from within Windows, winnt32.exe will look into the registry at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
for the SourcePath value and will not find the matching entry.
If I were you I would just try to burn the cd. Follow the advice of the tacktech link for slipstreamed cds. You can download the boot files there, too. (Btw. They are blue again )
I think you have a good chance, the cd will work.

 

[damnyank]

jroc & yoyo -thanks for your inputs - much appreciated - XP-Abuser and I have been working on this for a few days - well actually, XP-Abuser has been doing the work and I have been trying to be a good student D ).

Just let me ask you this yoyo - I would prefer to burn just an XP-cd to start with and if that works, then I would be game enuf to try for the SP1 et.al cd.

So is it okay to just follow the "blue now"(noticed it yesterday ) tacktech link and omit everything having to do with SP1?? Will wait for your reply before doing anything.

<edited> yoyo - after reading thru the tacktech procedure again - I was wondering what the following "optional steps" are for / or do:

Optional Step 1: Rename or delete C:\XP\CD-ROOT\SUPPORT\TOOLS\deploy.cab.

Optional Step 2: Copy the downloaded xpsp1deploytools_en.cab to the folder C:\XP\CD-ROOT\SUPPORT\TOOLS\.

Optional Step 3: Rename xpsp1deploytools_en.cab to deploy.cab.

Would they need to be done if SP1 was not included? Perhaps the answer towhat are they for/do will answer that for me!

<edited>

 

[XP Abuser]

ok damnyank i was thinking last night and i came up with an idea that might work instead of us finding out wat was wrong with your windows we'll just go straight ahead and burn to bootaable cd that way windows cant interfere nor can lame little rules that HP have put on your comp im hoping this one will work

 

[damnyank]

OK - did you see jroc's and yoyo's responses??? yoyo seems to think the same thing - just burn it! I have about a half hour - until I need to go eat - then I'll be back after that - so let's get burning - or wait??

<edited> - if the tacktech link is th eway to burn it - it might be easier for me to follow that and just skip the SP1 stufff for the time being. <edited>

 

[XP Abuser]

yeh just burn the bugger first see what we get then we can start slipstreaming and all later

 

[damnyank]

OK - I'll give it a try - will get back with you when I see what happens - I got some things to do later on - so it might be tomorrow before I can get the results to ya!

 

[XP Abuser]

yeh ok no pressure dude

 

[yoyo]

Good luck!

To your questions
- If you omit the SP related steps, the rest of the burning procedure will be exactly the same.
- The deployment tools are intended to help system administrators to install Windows on multiple computers. You most likely won't need them.

 

[damnyank]

Thanks yoyo.

Well, I went ahead and burned it and it works the same way off the cd I burned as it worked off my hard drive - the last three options appear to be working - but the Install Windows (first option) does absolutely nothing.

I went ahead and brosed the cd I burned, went into I386 and opened winnt32.exe and I got the same old error I had before re: the path specified.

Anyone with any ideas???

Thanks to all who helped - maybe something else somewhere???

I gotta run for now - catch ya'll later!

 

[damnyank]

Originally posted by yoyo
Probably, when run from within Windows, winnt32.exe will look into the registry at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
for the SourcePath value and will not find the matching entry.

Please explain more to this old man - I went into regedit and went to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft|Windows NT\Current Version and the SourcePath shows D:\i386

Well, D: is my cd-rw - does that mean that winnt32.exe is looking there for the i386 folder that is in fact on my HDD under My Documents (at the moment) in a folder labeled XP-cd?

If so, then like yoyo said - if I burn to cd then it should find it (as the sourcepath says D: ) and it will be on the cd. (after I burned it)

I guess the next thing I need to ask is could someone check their registry and see what their source path is on this key?? Or would that be different on everyone's setup - maybe I should say does it point to your cd drive???

One other thing while I am at it - is there anyway I could look at winnt32.exe and see where it is pointing to for the sourcepath - or does it just point to the resgistry location yoyo referenced?? My line of thnking is that if I could track that down, then perhaps (with someone's help) I could get winnt32.exe pointed (no pun intended) in the right direction here!

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

 

[damnyank]

Bump - anyone - yoyo?????

 

[yoyo]

Did some searching. Seems there are required files missing in your i386 folder.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315349
I am wondering how we could find out what may be missing. Do you have the files PIDGEN.DLL and SETUPP.INI?
Will try if I can get some more information.
Btw the i386 folder on my cd (WinXP Home upgrade German) has 6122 files, 97 folders and 457 MB. Do you really have only 17 folders as posted?

 

[damnyank]

Thanks yoyo - that 17 was a typo - would you believe 117 is the correct number of folders.

I have the PIDGEN.DLL ( as a matter of fact I replaced it with one that XP-Abuser sent me (both were the same size and date anyway).

Now here's the kicker I have the SETUPP.INI in my I386 folder on my harddrive (C:\I386) but it is not in my "XP-CD folder's I386 in "My Documnets" - the one I have been using to try to do this - which means it is not in the I386 folder on the cd I burned.

I'll check out that kb you referenced and go from there- thanks for the help again - I'll post back if I find out anything or run intot a dead end again!

 

[damnyank]

I basically went back to square one, re-did everything making sure the SETTUPP.INI was in my I 386 folder and thern tried to burn another cd.

Things changed slightly - now when I click on Install windows, I get the hour glass and then the error about the invalid sourcepath and to contact the system administrator - which from what the kb which yoyo referenced - means I am missing files.

I checked - my I 386 folder is 1666 files and 117 folders and matches the I386 folder in my attempted "XP cd".

Any suggestions??? How can I figure out which "files are missing per kb 315349??

Appears we are getting closer - as I did get a response from the Install Windows option - just not the desired response.

BTW - the I (i) for 386 is not case sensitive is it?????

 

[rettahc]

DY, to set the source dir for install use
winnt32 /s:sourcepath

Specifies the source location of the Windows_XP files. To simultaneously copy files from multiple servers, type the /s:sourcepath option multiple times (up to a maximum of eight). If you type the option multiple times, the first server specified must be available, or Setup will fail.

also for more info on winnt32 just type "winnt32 /?"

 

[damnyank]

rettahc - to set the source as you have mentioned is in DOS????

I am trying to do all this using the winnt32.exe - not the winnnt.exe (DOS) - or am I missing something in your post???

 

[rettahc]

The command line switches are probably the same for both.....
yep there pretty much the same

Just run winnt32 from the command line

 

[damnyank]

I am missing something in your post and in my mind - I am sorry - but I know nothing about the command line or how to do anyting with it!

The only reason I knew about the winnt being DOS and having to use the winnt32 was beacuse I read about the differences.

So, I appreciate the help - but I am afraid it is well over my head.

 

[rettahc]

if you tell me what drive letter and the path to the i386 folder you are trying to do this from I could write you a batch file that would do it. All you would have to do is run the .bat file