starscream

1 gig. Well if they did test it correctly then I wouldn't have this problem. I have tried integrating SP2 into Server 2003 but when I use it with the Dell OpenManage Server Assistant installation it doesn't work. Says the CD is damaged. Is there any way I can get a hold of a Server 2003 with SP2 CD? Our LEA says they only have pre-sp2 official VLM CDs. I am deperate! Can anyone ISO theirs for me or something? If I can't source a CD or integrate SP2 properly then I'll have to try a manual install using the SP2 integrated W2k3 CD that won't work in the Dell software.

Dell probably only test their servers with integrated SP2 so when s Server 2003 gold user comes along all hell breaks loose!

ah it's ok bud, I didnt have much installed plus I'd like to start from scratch so I know it's fresh. Think I got the integration right, I'll post my results incase anyone else has a similar issue. If this doesn't work then a Dell enginner is going to come out and slap me.

Have started fresh twice and it made no difference. I tried different variables each time but no luck. Rang Dell today about the issue as I have set up 2 other server identical to this using identical settings and CDs and had no problems. The guy at Dell said he has only ever had one other person with this issue and they got around it by using a Server 2003 CD with SP2 integrated as it is something with the Windows RAID drivers. Apparently if I set up the server manually rather than using the Dell server installation CD again using an integrated sp2 server 2003 CD it will fix the issue too. So I am busy now trying to figure out how to slipstream SP2 into my Server 2003 CD. I have done this with XP including all updates but finding it more difficult than XP.

but it be cleaner to wipe and start again or should i use a system restore. I have never restored server 2003, what's the procedure.... don't understand how this has happened it is bizarre, never seen this happen before on any computer ever! The computer management console says 30gb clear as day yet windows sees the 4.7gb grrrrrr arrrrghhhhhhhhh

The strangest thing happened today and has me completely stumped... I set up the 3rd new Dell Poweredge this month today. All of them installed great using the Dell installation CD and I set the C: partition to 30gig and the D: partition to over 200gb. Anyway. I use C for system and some system software. I had the whole server setup and went to install .net 2.0 and it said only 266mb of drive space on C: was available! So I went to my computer and sure enough, the C: drive is only a total of 5gb! How can this be when I set it in the dell utility before I installed windows to 30gb? So then I right clicked My computer and manage and then disks and in there it shows the C: partition as 30gb??? What has happened here and how can I get my fill 30gb without formatting the partition as I will lose 4 hours work. Anyone seen this before? Fingers crossed it is a simple fix!

I am wanting to install Knowledge box and it's dependencies (Acrobat, quicktime etc) quickly onto all our machines. Knowledgebox comes with an installation batch file that uses hot keys to automate the installation of the programs etc.. I believe this means that I can't simply run the .bat file on each client from a pre log on. I think I need to have every machine logged on and then run this batch file. Is there a way to mass log on every computer in school with say a manager username and password so that I can run this batch file?

you mean it can't do that automatically? heh

When I link a GPO to an OU at which point will it be applied? When the computer starts up or when a user logs on? I am deploying software while no one is in school so no one will be logged on. Now I linked a GPO to an OU for a classroom and I rebooted the machines several times but it did not apply. Then I logged onto 2 machines in that room and the software and gpo settings were applied. I then rebooted those machines and the other 2 in that room and the 2 I logged onto previously seem to have applied the GPO and the two I did not log onto have not applied it. Is there a way to have the GPO apply before machine is logged on?

looks like the time is wrong though.

sounds like fun! Congratulations on getting it back up!

Ok... I have created a Capture Boot Image using the right click and named it XP Pro but when I boot a client from the network is does not have the option to capture an image?

Wow, I will try that, didn't realise there was a context menu there, I thought I had right clicked everything! I will try that but it says x64 architecture all the time, I think our machines are x64 but the Windows XP I am using is 32bit, hope that still works! I'll try it and report back!

I am totally lost on how to do this. I can install windows via WDS but I have no idea how to set this up (server side or client side) to create an XP image to be deployed. I understand that you must sysprep the machine of course like with any imaging software and then boot to network and create the image however when I boot a client machine on the network I get two options. 1. To install Longhorn x64 2. RIS I was expecting an extra option here, is this correct? If this is not correct can someone please explain to me what images to use for boot to get this option to create an image. Well I select the longhorn one it wants to install longhorn, when I select the RIS one it wants to install XP but all I want to do is create an image not install either of them. My guess is that I have the wrong boot images, I did have to playa round with them before I got any clients to boot via the network, I just set the WIM files on the Vista x64 DVD as the boot images as the ones listed initially didnt correspond to anything. Please can someone explain what i am doing wrong and how to fix it. I really want to use WDS but I feel myself going back to Acronis Cheers in advance guys! John

See it deploys the packages itself too. I will have to have a dig about. If it does create MSIs then I'm laughing. If not then I need another solution to create them.

Wait a minute....so does ranger package builder actually create MSIs and then ranger deploys them itself? So do I just find the ranger MSIs and then use GPO to deploy them instead of ranger. Then when I want to remove them I remove them from the GPO rather than remove the GPO?

anyone?

Well I've only just started there and the Veritas backup software looks to have failed since early last month. I wil need to get that fixed and get the thing backed up. The server still seems to work in limbo without fully booting into windows. It seems to be working fine at the moment. I think I will need to get a USB hard drive to copy the data to till I can find time to fix the back up software. I have very limited time there.

Ok I am a bit gutted with Ranger Primary. I was hoping to be able to ditch ghost and use RIS/WDS to deploy windows fresh installations to computers on the network and then deploy the appropriate software to each machine via ranger package builder, however, it looks like you can't remove deployed packages. They are simply left on unless you were to create an uninstall package which some people on here feel would cause negative matter and cause the universe to implode, so I have stayed clear of that for now. MSI's however are uninstalled from client machines when they are removed from the GPO. That is my understanding anyway! So would it be better for me to create an MSI of every piece of software and just push it out to clients using GPOs? So I hope you can see what I am trying to achieve here. I wan't also to try and integrate device drivers into the RIS windows images but that will all come in time, I am fine to use ghost or WDS to deploy basic windows installs with drivers but using MSI packages for all software seems so powerful as I have never used it. Is the concept of MSIs the same as Ranger package builder, does it create an image of the machine before installation, then another after installation and then compare to two images and create an install based on the changes between to two images? Also what free MSI builders are the best? Winstall2003le? I managed to track this down finally so I do have it. Also does it matter which machine you run it on, for example, could I use a VMWARE virtual machine to install the software on to create the packages and test them and then deploy those packages created on the virtual machine out to my real life network or is that asking for trouble? I am new to individual software deployment but a veteran at ghosts/imaging. Ta guys!

Ok I have been reading in this WEEE stuff and have come to the conclusion that companies supplying WEEE should take the same amount of kit back for free? Is this correct? Also if this is not correct and/or to dispose of additional equipment you have to pay a company. I am looking for the quickest, cheapest and painless way to dispose of old monitors and base units, keyboards and mice. I have found a local company that can take the stuff away for £5.99 per item, so thats £5.99 a monitor, £5.99 a base unit, £5.99 a box of cables and strangely £5.99 for a keyboard and £5.99 for a mouse! So I was going to hold onto keyboards and mice for now as they take up less space. If 5.99 for each of the bulky items a good deal? Will I be wasting tax payers money going for it or should I look around some more? I don't have the time to start sending equipment to companies we bought new stuff from as we have used several. I also don't have time to check computers over to send them to computer aid or another similar charity. It would also cost us a lot on shipping. So do I cough up the 5.99 per item, including 5.99 for old projector lamps and laser printers or is there another solution? I wan't it to be cost effective whilst not taking up my time as my time is money too so what goes around comes around really. I have read some threads on WEEE before but I don't know if anyone mentioned the costs or what they have actually done themselves. A lot of it seems what people 'think' or 'know' not what they have experienced first hand. Oh and we are givingsome old equipment away to other schools and staff. Should I get them to sign something with the item serial number on as if they get rid of it irresponsibly in future then the SMART WATER on the items may bring them back to school and we might get fined for it! I was to completely sign out any equipment that leaves schools so it is no longer the school's responsibility. Cheers all! John

I find that sometimes if you have the patch panel above a switch you can send the cable betwen the patch panel and switch to go around the back of the switch and then up from the bottom of the switch and then into the switch. Gets rid of any excess. Also you can get some rack mountable cable tidy things that hold all the excess cable in a fairly neat fashion. I took these out though as I am forever needing access to the cables.

Since then I have installed them with the caretaker and to be honest, we did a better job!

we got ripped off 2 years ago by a local firm and parent of a child at the school! I didn't wanna go with his rediculous quote and offered to help the caretaker do it but the acting head at the time just wanted it done that week. The materials must have cost like 500 quid and it cost us near 4k

I find that sometimes if you have the patch panel above a switch you can send the cable betwen the patch panel and switch to go around the back of the switch and then up from the bottom of the switch and then into the switch. Gets rid of any excess. Also you can get some rack mountable cable tidy things that hold all the excess cable in a fairly neat fashion. I took these out though as I am forever needing access to the cables.

I think with the promethean adapters (keyspan) you need the expensive ones because the adapter is powered. Non-powered serial to usb adapters don't work. I didn't realise you could use non-SMART serial to USB adapters with smartboards?