Sysprep, Ghost and different IDE interfaces

Nice email from Bill Boswell at MCPMag.com with the short story...

"When you run Sysprep on one platform and deploy the image to another platform, you would ordinarily expect Plug-and-Play to handle any hardware differences (assuming that the machines use the same version of Ntoskrnl.exe and Hal.dll). However, mass storage drivers represent a special case. The boot loader needs to load the mass storage devices prior to initializing the operating system, so there's no opportunity to let the Plug-and-Play Manager shuffle around drivers. For this reason, it's fairly common to get a 0x0000007b bugcheck following the deployment of a Sysprep image to a machine from a different vendor, or different models from the same vendor, even though you're using what appears to be a vanilla IDE controller in both cases.

One way to avoid this problem is to include all the mass storage drivers in the Sysprep image, not just the drivers used by the source machine. The version of Sysprep.exe that comes with Windows Server 2003 has a special switch for doing just this. It's called -bmsd. Here's how it works.

On the source desktop, create a folder called Sysprep at the root of the C drive (C:\Sysprep). Put a copy of the Windows Server 2003 version of Sysprep.exe and Setupcl.exe in this folder. Extract them from the Deploy.cab file on the Setup CD. You'll find Deploy.com under \Support\Tools.

Put your Sysprep.inf file in the same C:\Sysprep folder. You probably prepared this file using Setup Manager.

Edit the Sysprep.inf file with Notepad. Add these entries to the bottom of the file:

[Sysprep]
BuildMassStorageSection=yes

[SysprepMassStorage]

Sysprep.exe uses these entries to provision the file with the mass storage drivers.

Now, open a command prompt and navigate to C:\Sysprep.

Run sysprep -bmsd. You'll see a pop-up window with a large hourglass open for a few seconds, then close. There will be no other graphical indication that the process has succeeded.

Open the Sysprep.inf file and look under the [SysprepMassStorage] section. You'll see dozens and dozens of entries.

Now run Sysprep -quiet -reseal -reboot. This will take quite a bit longer because Sysprep has to collect the specified mass storage drivers.

When you apply this image to the other desktops, the deployment should go smoothly with no bugchecks.

Hope this helps!
--Bill Boswell"

Thanks Bill. I needed that.

Outlook "Can't create the item"

So you click on a mailto link to create a piece of mail within an Outlook message pane and you get "Can't create the item". I don't know why it's a problem but its a bad FRMCACHE.DAT file.

Close Outlook. Go to Windows\Profiles\username\LocalSettings\Application Data\Microsoft\Forms to find it, assuming you have already set Explorer to show Hidden Files and Folders. Delete it. Problem solved.

Here is the link to MS kb: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;267807

So far I've encountered it only on Win2000 with Office 2003. Let me know if you find a pattern.

S32EVNT1.DLL 16-bit program errors

From the Symantec website regarding 16-bit MS-DOS subsystem errors:

"According to Microsoft technical support, these errors are linked to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control
\VirtualDeviceDrivers

This key has an VDD binary value that points to:

C:\progra~1\symantec\S32Evnt1.dll

If the VDD binary value is removed, then the 16-bit subsystem returns to normal and is functional.To solve this problem, you need to remove the VDD binary value first, and then update the Symevent files."


"Click Start > Run. The Run dialog box appears.
Type regedit and then click OK. The Registry Editor opens.
Navigate to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM
\CurrentControlSet\Control\VirtualDeviceDrivers
In the right pane, double-click the VDD value. The Edit Binary Value dialog box opens.
Select the contents of the Value data box, and then press Delete. There may be four zeros that cannot be deleted.
Click OK, and then Exit the Registry Editor."

See link.

Putting USB memory sticks in clothes dryers

I found the 128MB Microsoft Partner Program give away models are good for one trip through a delicate cycle. Further experimentation is inevitable, though. I'll keep you updated.

OS/2 startup options

Looking for the equivalent of the Windows F5 and F8 startup features in OS/2? I didn't think so...

Here they are anyway:

When white box and OS/2 name appear at start up press:
ALT - F1 for a recovery menu
ALT - F2 for a driver by driver blow by blow

At the recovery menu:
ESC to coninue normally
F2 for command line
F3 for fixing your graphics
F4 for a safemode type desktop
F5 for hardware detection
F6 for no hardware detection
0...3 for restore point type functions

During boot when the screen becomes a solid color:
CTRL-SHIFT-F1 to stop reloading the previous applications