hakko

Creating an 'Auto' Unnattended Image Installer If you need to quickly reinstall/image a PC and you don't want to hang around or setup PXE boot - just put the USB/DVD in and boot, walk away come back and find it imaged and "drivered", leaving you to just rename/register the machine. There are a few ways of doing this. This way keeps the image and the deployment part, what writes the image, separate. So if you are using a USB media you can just drag and drop the new image file. Also as USB media you can edit the startup routine without redoing the bootable media build. DVD media is best for new installs and I use the USB one for repairs/reinstalls. You might find it useful for other ideas you have! Creating the Win PE Boot Media Tools/Prior Reading: 1. Techinician PC/VM with Windows AIK and Win 7 Pro (latest Win PE boots faster than Vista PE) 2. Walkthrough: Create a Bootable Windows PE RAM Disk on CD-ROM 3. Walkthrough: Create a Custom Windows PE Image We need to modify Win PE so it runs our program/bat file on startup. This means we edit startnet.cmd ie Customising the Win PE image. As mentioned in the link you would need to mount the boot.wim image and then find startnet.cmd in e.g.: c:\winpe_x86\mount\windows\system32. In this system32 directory we need to add imagex.exe and CHOICE.exe. for applying images and for an abort procedure in our bat file (shown further down the document). Copy the two exe files (find the correct architecture - in this case x86) e.g: copy "C:\program files\\Tools\\imagex.exe" c:\winpe_x86\mount\windows\system32 (Search your Windows PC for CHOICE.exe) To avoid remounting boot.wim and dismounting, everytime we want to edit the startup script, we edit the startnet.cmd to load a "main" script in the DVD/USB drive root (Win PE RAM disk defaults to a spearate X drive). We don't know what drive letter the CD may have when Win PE loads so we try most possibilities, in ...\mount\Windows\system32\startnet.cmd add the following after the wpeinit line: wpeinit call c:\main.bat c 2>nul command call d:\main.bat d 2>nul command call e:\main.bat e 2>nul command ... and so on. 2>nul command hides error msgs and we are also passing the drive letter as an argument. There may be a better way to get the drive letter of the DVD/USB! In summary, to add/edit the X: drive, the Win PE system drive, you need to mount boot.wim on your technician PC and edit files in /mount and then unmount and "commit". Don't add images to the X drive as it is a RAM drive and will crash Win PE because not enough RAM is available (x86 limit or PC has just doesn't have enough physical RAM). We now add a main.bat script to the root of our DVD/USB, which is 'in' e.g. - c:\winpe_x86\ISO\ (will appear as d: or e: drive etc. when Win PE is loaded as X:). In main.bat you would again pass the drive letter variable to another script e.g.: %1:\imagingscript.cmd %1 (There's probably a one line way to update the env path or something to change current working directory) To make files available under the DVD/USB drive, add files to the \iso directory. To add an image to the DVD/USB you would just copy to the ISO folder: c:\winpe_x86\ISO\image\c_drive.wim Create a Bootable DVD Create an .iso file by using the Oscdimg tool. On your technician PC, create an .iso file with Oscdimg. At the prompt, type (you may need to use the -m command because the iso will be large): oscdimg -n -m -bC:\winpe_x86\etfsboot.com C:\winpe_x86\ISO F:dvdboot.iso To remove the "Press any key to boot from CD" prompt during boot, remove the bootfix.bin file from the \boot folder within your mounted image. I prefer to keep the press any key, in case you forget to take the DVD out! Burn the image (.iso) onto a DVD. (no boot options required on Nero or other burning software!) Creating a Bootable USB Copy the contents of the ISO folder, e.g. C:\winpe_x86\ISO to a bootable USB. You can make it via Diskpart on Vista/Win 7. Countdown and Abort Script @ECHO OFF setLocal EnableDelayedExpansion REM sets the variable for seconds to wait set /a counter= 10 set checktime= %time:~7,1% :timecheck if /i %checktime% equ %time:~7,1% (goto timecheck) set /a checktime= %time:~7,1% set /a counter = %counter% - 1 goto display :display CLS Echo Seconds Remaining: !counter! REM check counter if /i %counter% equ 0 goto finish Echo Press A to abort imaging: CHOICE /T 1 /C al /D l /N if %errorlevel% equ 2 (goto timecheck) if %errorlevel% equ 1 (goto abort) REM else return back and check the time goto timecheck :abort: echo Aborted! exit /b :finish echo IMAGING diskpart /s %1:\dp.txt imagex /apply %1:\image\c_drive.wim 1 c: end /b To reboot the machine use (especially if booting from DVD) this line: wpeutil reboot Example diskpart script to prepare the C drive: select disk 0 clean create partition primary active assign letter=c format fs=ntfs quick Creating the Sysprep Image Prior reading: How to use the Sysprep tool to automate successful deployment of Windows XP How to use Sysprep with Windows Product Activation or Volume License Media to deploy Windows XP How to Add OEM Plug and Play Drivers to Windows XP If you have Volume Licence media and a VL key you can sysprep unlimited times - sysprep machine A, then use it to image machine B, update missing drivers and then sysprep, then apply that image on machine C, update drivers and so on. Final image has all drivers for 3 systems! Use sysprep.inf to automate mini-setup and have it autologin as Administrator. You can place on the Desktop e.g. Aida32 and CPUID to ID motherboards, shortcuts link to PC supplier driver webpages, in case any drivers are missed or you're imaging on an 'unknown' PC. It's important to have network access straightaway, so I've added all the intel, broadcom, Marvell, 3com ethernet drivers into the sysprep setup. If drivers come as exe files you may have to run it and then check your temp directory for the folder with the actual driver inf files. I've used this on new PCs and have it ready in 10 minutes (open box, assemble PC on desk 5 mins, imaging 5 mins). Can be longer if it's an 'unknown' machine and I have to download drivers ~ 20 mins. Big thanks to Google. Bing and MS' own internal search is s**t. Hakko

How long does it take to repair one?

We are also on a special "premier account" with Stone and even then they were more expensive! There are schools with premier accounts. Schools in regions have to get together and become a consortium and/or via LA. If you are out on your own, you will not get the best deals.

No. What happened is they just went and got a quote from the Dell website, the standard consumer/business page. They are meant to order through us the IT unit.

Why would you wait 9 months? If they didn't deliver by X as on contract I would have bought one myself and sent them the bill.

Give me the spec of the Dell switch, I'm interested to see how much I can get it for.

As a Premier Account member PCs are cheaper and better quality that Stones offerrings. If you are not getting a good price then that's another issue and can't comment on their switches and servers. Someone was quoted last month ~£3000 for a 24Gb RAM Precision Workstation and I told them to order through us. It came to £2000.

I would be in that boat too if I had to call their non-UK support centre.

Actually I don't expect 100%, however since leaving Stone I have had 100% reliability with Optiplexes and Latitudes. If I see one on a colleague's desk, I ask if it's a new install, software problem or hardware problem? Touch wood it's been 100% no hardware problems the past year! I don't vouch for consumer lines/Inspirons/non-premier service.

300 over 10 years? That's about 30 a year. How about 0, ZERO, a year? That's better isn't it? Maybe downtime doesn't matter to some people. Day off "innit"? Er.. you just have: Stone SFF are rubbish BTW. It is - if it is still under their warranty. Their choice of components you see. Imagine if Toyota say "Sorry the breaks don't work, not our fault. The cables were made by Joe Bloggs cables ltd."

Steady red light = • A paper jam has occurred. To solve the problem, see page 9.1. • The front cover is open. Close the front cover. • There is no paper in the tray. Load paper in the tray. • The toner cartridge installed is not a genuine cartridge, and you selected Stop at the NonGenuine Toner prompt. See page 9.7. • The lifespan of the toner cartridge is reached, and you selected Stop at the Toner Exhausted prompt. See page 9.7. • The printer has Wrong tray? http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200910/20091031101300640/English.pdf

Check default settings on the printer? Something should be set to auto but isn't? margins?

Agree with above to measure the idle consumption of a machine. My VERY rough calc is about 5p per machine per day. Also an energy efficient light bulb may save X amount. But if it costs £30 to buy, how many years will it take to recover that amount? Better to wait for the original bulb to die before replacing. I don't know if there is an update to this but SSD may not be that much efficient: Conclusion : The SSD Power Consumption Hoax

I don't know if you guys keep warranty callout records. By keeping stats we could clearly see the poor performance. We've ditched HP - too many NEW ones breaking down within months, and having to pay extra for warranty. Gone to Samsung - downside is not all of them have 500 sheet trays. Can get a duplex Samsung for £170 ex vat - with an extra 250 tray free, 3 years warranty. Toshiba ditched - 5 laptops, same model bought at different times, optical drive failed. Other models similar failures. Samsung have been good and we buy Dell Latitudes now.

If you are a premium customer/part of purchasing consoritum, you get better support. Ours is based in Scotland - we have to dial an express code when we get through - otherwise you get through to "normal"/consumer overseas call centre - which is rubbish. There is a difference between their consumer and business desktops. Their consumer ones are crapy like Stone builds. The business one's are excellent.

I'd be worried about any organisation that uses Stone PCs. I've been around the public sector and there are staff that see a broken PC as a "day off". I don't care if your "support is great", you send someone out next day etc. etc. I'd rather NOT have to use your support because your PCs never break down. I have raised my issues with Stone. We even had "big cheese" come down to see us Stone, you are the weakest link, goodbye!

Hello Well after nearly a year of ordering **** we've had no problems apart from an antivirus that wouldn't uninstall on a batch of 10 laptops last week. Thankfully the products have an express code at the bottom, so we go through to a call centre in the UK. The dude emailed me a command line argument as I was on the phone and presto all 10 sorted. We've also ditched HP for printers, as when we've ordered new HP printers they develop problems very quickly, within months and 3 years warranty is extra! I remember one HP support incident - Phone Indian tech support, to then get an email from the US, to get picked up by a UK courier and have it taken to France for repair/replacement.

I haven't been there for 7 years. From speaking to colleagues it has been a case of decline over that time. Last 2-3 years (since merger with Compsys?) it got worse until this quarter was the final straw.

They are used for music and video production for 8 hours a day? So even with our (if you consider) "light business" use, with the failure rate, Stone are still rubbish.

Were they continuously charged, plugged in on the mains? Most PCs are probably Fujitsu on the inside.

By heavy use I mean, using the PC for work, pushing the cpu, memory and hard drive etc. Not vandalism. You get next day support from Dell, HP and Lenovo as part of their public/sector education deals etc. Might be a bit of a faff when you call, but overall it's less time wasted as they do come out next day, and the times you have to call them out are fewer. Since I started keeping track of Stones call outs - because it started to seem like the Stone engineer lived here! - I found we averaged 3-4 visits a month the past year.

Python is not good for beginners. Not that it is hard, I feel the syntax is too different to C/Java/Perl family. It would be better to go from some of them to Python. Best way to learn a language is to find a project that would be useful for your work, and then program it. Could be a web based database or an application that works with managing workstations. You might want to replace something that you pay ££ for every year, with something you make yourself.

The cases are similar to the one posted earlier. It is a cheap case/PSU, we've also got some old Viglens, also rubbish cases. We've got a range of Stone PCs from the past 7 years in the office, from the beige ones to current black models with the cheap pebble Stone sticker. Line up Stone, Dell, HP and Lenovo PCs and compare the cases. Anyway, the main issue is reliability and I think they are not suitable for enterprises. Maybe ok for schools/primary light users, who can tolerate 35 staff days lost in a year.

It would still be compatible with XP, just slightly slower access through emulation. I've seen few users require more than 80GB hard drives.

I'd be wary of anything small and "stealable". I'd go for mini-towers. Won't get as hot, and easy to upgrade yourself as everything's not so tightly packed, easy to get spare parts, PSU etc. Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM (2x2GB), 80GB HD.