Win7 Unattend.xml Not Being Applied

[djameson]

Thanks in advance for any help. I did search and read all I could find but nothing seems to make a difference.

 

Simply, created an image unattend.xml file. Copied to the WDS server. Assigned it under the properties of the image....but it doesn't get applied. In WSIM, it validates fine, no errors. When the image is put down with WDS, all goes as expected, no errors. On re-boot, changes are missing.

 

Windows Server 2008 R2

Windows 7 custom image - captured and imported into WDS

 

I'm sure it is something simple I have overlooked but I just don't see it. Any ideas of things to check would be great.

 

Unattend is attached.

 

Thanks again for any help or suggestions.

ImageUnattend.txt

[sukh]

Hi

 

Did you create two unattend.xml files and set both options?

 

Performing an Unattended Installation

 

Regards

Sukh

[djameson]

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Yes, I already had the unattended for the server itself up and running with my WinXP images. Of course I used sysprep.inf to handle those. Just needed/wanted to add a Win7 image and it's unattended xml file.

 

Thanks.

[sukh]

Hi

 

What part does it fail at? At the deployment of the client or at the image unattend?

 

Does the image install and then does it fail after the first boot into Windows?

 

Regards

Sukh

Edited February 25, 2011 by sukh

[djameson]

As I mentioned, nothing "fails"...the changes just don't show on reboot.

 

Thanks again.

[sukh]

Hi

 

What settings are not being applied? IE?

 

Have you checked the log files for further investigation (C:\Windows\Panther)

 

Also curious why you have both the windowsPE and specialize passes in your unattend.xml? Are you using a single unattend.xml to use for both the WDS client UI and remaining setup?

Edited February 26, 2011 by sukh

[djameson]

????

 

The settings in the unattend file. Any of them...product key, IE settings, administrator password, etc., etc.

 

This is all new to me, I have just been following other post, blogs, and suggestions. Based on several sites, I choose the components that I wanted to change and added them. Some were added to WindowsPE, others were added to Audit, Specialize, etc. If I had control over where they went...I didn't see it. All "pass" were greyed out but one....so I could only apply it to that particular choice. (if any of that makes any sense)

 

Once again, I have one small unattend associated with the WDS as mentioned above that works for my XP images fine. I am trying to create a image unattend specifically for the Win7 image I created with a reference computer.

 

Thanks.

Edited February 26, 2011 by djameson

[sukh]

Hi

 

Have you checked the log files for further investigation (C:\Windows\Panther)? Can you post this?

 

1. Can you see if the unattend has been copied to \RemoteInstall\Images\\\Unattend\ImageUnattend.xml?

 

2. Confirm you used WSIM to create a new unattend.xml file by loading the image, your Windows 7 image and not just editing one?

 

3. Confirm "Check Allow image to install in unattended mode", and then select your unattend.xml to associate with the install image? (I know you may have done this but I justed wanted to make sure. If you have done this, then can you try creating a new unattend using WSIM and your image and point to this new unattend.xml you have created).

 

4. Look at the %WinDir%\Panther\unattend to see what unattend.xml is being applied, if any.

 

Regards

Sukh

Edited February 26, 2011 by sukh

[djameson]

Sukh....thanks for all your time on this.

 

#1...it has been copied and is correct

#2...Used WSIM and all validates with no errors or warnings

#3...done...and re-done with different (smaller) unattend

#4...not sure how to tell what unattend is being applied if any

 

There are several log files in the Panther directory, some rather long. Which file would you like to see?

 

Thanks again.

[sukh]

Hi

 

Can you look at %WINDIR%\Panther and see if an Unattend.xml files exist?

 

Also, above, #4

 

How many are there?

 

Can you also provide the logs

 

C:\WINDOWS\PANTHER\setupact.log & C:\WINDOWS\PANTHER\setuperr.log

 

Regards

Sukh

Edited February 28, 2011 by sukh

[djameson]

The unattend.xml is present in the C:\Windows\Panther folder.

 

Not sure I understand what you are asking here:

 

>>4. Look at the %WinDir%\Panther\unattend to see what unattend.xml is being applied, if any.

 

>>#4...not sure how to tell what unattend is being applied if any

 

>>Also, above, #4

 

How many are there?

 

Thanks.

[sukh]

Hi

 

Can you also provide the logs

 

C:\WINDOWS\PANTHER\setupact.log & C:\WINDOWS\PANTHER\setuperr.log

 

 

 

Regards

Sukh

Edited February 28, 2011 by sukh

[sukh]

Hi,

 

As a test, can you also copy the Unattend.xml to the $OEM$ structure and test deployment.

 

Regards

Sukh

[djameson]

Started from scratch and re-created image, and unattend file. Same results.

 

Correct WDSImageUnattend.xml being found and applied.

Correct Imageunattend.xml file is being copied to C:\Windows\Panther.....does not appear to be applied. Based on the setupact.log file, none of the info contained in the xml file is being read. Based on the setuperr.log (attached) it appears there is an error with something......

 

Will test with the WinXP $OEM$ structure shortly.

 

Setupact.log is to large to attach.

setuperr.txt

[sukh]

Hi

 

Can you confirm the exact names for your unattend.xml files?

 

Regards

Sukh

[djameson]

The name I use is "ImageUnattend.xml". Once you point to the unattend file in the properties of the image, it automatically moves the file where it wants it (image folder\image\unattend\) and renames it to "unattend.xml".

 

Thanks.

[sukh]

Hi

 

When trying the $OEM$, dont forget to remove the unattend.xml attached to the image under WDS.

 

Are you trying to deploy Windows 7 x86 or x64?

 

How big is the setupact.log file?

 

Regards

Sukh

Edited February 28, 2011 by sukh

[djameson]

The setupacct.log is 533 kbs. I'm limited to 488.

 

Deploying Win7 x86. Again, the image works fine, I am just not getting the changes in the unattend file applied.

 

Thanks again.

[sukh]

Hi

 

Can you try to cut and paste the log file into two text files and upload each one in a seperate post?

 

Regards

Sukh

[djameson]

The following errors occurred with your submission

 

The text that you have entered is too long (546473 characters). Please shorten it to 12000 characters long.

 

Sorry......

[sukh]

Hi

 

Email to me.

 

Regards

Sukh

Edited February 28, 2011 by sukh

[sukh]

Hi

 

Can you confirm your boot image is x86?

 

I can see from the log that the unattend.xml is not being applied during setup mode. Still investigating. Please confirm the boot image.

 

Regards

Sukh

[djameson]

Yes....X86 image.

[sukh]

Hi

 

When you create the unattend.xml with WSIM. There is a section called ImageSelection under components>microsoft-windows-setup>windowsdeploymentservices.

 

Can you check to see if this is configured correctly. If not can you configure and try.

 

Can you check to see if the FileName, ImageGroup and ImageName are configured or empty?

 

Before you try deployment again, let me know if this is configured properly or not?

 

 

 

Regards

Edited February 28, 2011 by sukh

[djameson]

With the ImageUnattend.xml, I did not include that section. I understood to leave that blank to prompt for the image.

 

With the WDSUnattend.xml it is configured:

 

Image Name as displayed in WDS

Image Group

WIM Image Filename