Monday 19 March 2012

How to install windows Xp on a PC that do not have a DVD/CD drive


Its quite funny that there some useful things in the past that has been neglected and are evergreen if added to your knowledge of doing things. This post is an Update to a previous one,  Well there is much to learn, because as long as you live you will continue to learn, simple as the saying No Knowledge is wasted.
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Here am going to show a Old but simple and straight forward way of installing windows on a PC that do not have a Cd or Dvd drive with a useful but neglected system that has grown so old…. This method is called System Preparation Tools (SYSPREP) Microsoft windows, now lets take a look at how, what are the do’s and dont’s of making this happen, tutorial based on a Windows XP SP2……..
System preparation tools (sysprep) prepares a computer’s hard disk for delivery to the end User, Additional options are available from the command line. sysprep is an easy to use, interesting, interactive and a very advanced way for installing windows on a hard drive using another PC entirely.
PRECAUTIONS
To get sysprep done and working successfully on the end user’s PC the following are and must be taking into consideration.
* There must not be any form of power Outage during Installation:
This first precaution sounds very familiar to many, but better still you still need to know the reason why it is important to have a strong power backup while going through this process,
1) To Avoid error of starting all over again
2) To make your installation solid
* There must be provision of the End user’s PC driver: If you are really ready to do this installation, then you must keep in mind that all your installation are based on the device driver of the end user’s PC so as to make your installation error free.
* There must be full concentration while making the Answer file: Making the answer file though simple to do but i can tell you that a slight mistake can lead to crashing the end user’s pc, or otherwise not make it work as it should, so your full concentration is required to  make a successful answer file.
REQUIREMENTS
After these few things has been put into consideration, then you need to get the following to begin your installation NOTE: this is an advance way of setting up your PC through sysprep, any mistake done should be corrected by starting all over again, this a warning Start at your own Risk.
1) Sysprep Folder: This can be found in your Windows Xp Installation CD, all you need to do is to Insert it into the cd drive of the PC you wish to use in preparing sysprep on the end users PC
- Browse or Explore the CD, Open Support, then open Tools
- Select and copy Deploy,extract into a new folder you create on the desktop area or else where.
- Close all open folder and Eject the CD
2) Sysprep Driver Scanner (spdrvscn): This  is a stand alone application designed to search for drivers automatically as you directed it into the directory,
- Download it Here
- Copy into your Sysprep folder.
3) Device Driver of the targeted PC End User’s): These are the hardware drivers of the end users PC you are about to prepare, these includes the video, audio, lan, network, modem and mass storage drivers
- Download them all
- Extract into a new folder renamed to drivers, and making each drivers folder a sub-folder in the drivers folder.
After all this has been done, attach a pen drive big enough and copy both the sysprep and drivers folder form the preparatory PC and after this shutdown the PC and change the hard drive applicable most to IDE hard disk, then all that is left is to do is begin the installation.
PROCEEDURES
1) All the installation needs to begin is starting to install the preparatory PC having put the target PC’s hard disk inside, begin
windows xp installation : make sure you install the operating system properly because these is going to affect the sysprep setup, proper installation of windows is highly important.
secondly, another aspect and procedures that can make you repeating the same process for long is not doing the next thing most important thing, which installation of an Antivirus software which may make you lose some of the windows file, Please Note that the first thing you must install after a windows installation is an antivirus software this is important.
After your windows installation is complete and the antivirus software has been installed then you are set to begin the set up.
- Show the icon my computer on the desktop
- Right click the computer icon,
- Go to properties
- Open Hardware then device manager
- Look for computer and from the drop down menu,
- Right click and select update driver, and from hardware update wizard, select the third option, no not this time
- Click next, then select the second option (Instal from a list or specific location)
- Then pick the second option, dont search i will chose the  driver to install
- Click next and select Advance Configuration and power interface(ACPI) PC.
Complete the update wizard and close, do not restart the PC if prompted.
Next is copying back the sysprep and the driver folder into the hard drive that windows was installed.
2) This is an area where much concentration is needed, because any mistake done here, will give you a bad end result at the end, so be careful,
After you have done these previous step well,
- Open the sysprep folder
- Start making the answer file by opening setupmgr.exe
- Follow the setup carefully, first is Select Create a new answer file then click next
- Choose sysprep install then next
- Choose the operating system you are installing
- Customize the software by adding your name and organization then next
- Choose the best display settings, 640 X 480 will be best to pick click next
- Select your Time zone then click next
- Insert the windows product key into the space provided then click next
- Select automatically generate computer name or insert the name you wish to give your targeted PC then click next
- Create an administrator password then next
- This is the network component, choose typical then click next
- Enter your Domain name if you have a domain that you wish to add but if not choose Workgroup then next
- Under the telephony area is where you select your country/ region, city or area code, then the outside access no., then below that choose tone for the last option there, then click next, next, next, next and finish then cancel
The answer file windows has to use to start installation as just been created, Open the Sysprep folder and you will see it, under the first batch of answer named Oem whatever type these
UpdateInstalledDriver=Yes
DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
just in line with the way the first batch answers as been created and arranged.
then take this,a little secret shortcut as i used to do it.
Under the last answer, enter this [SysprepMassStorage]  just as it was arranged. then make an attempt to close then make sure you save before you close the file.
3) After successfully created an answer file, open the the drive C: contain windows, and do the following
- From the drivers folder, open and check that all drivers are intact
- Close the driver folder, open sysprep folder
- Run spdrvsn.exe pointing the wizard to c:\drivers not c:\sysprep\drivers
- Click scan and scan for drivers
- After that click Add, and type c:\windows\inf
- Click save and done
Then click Run and type cmd to open the command prompt
from the command prompt what you should see is
C:\Document and settings\PC name> so type cd \sysprep then hit enter
After then you should see C:\Sysprep> here type ‘sysprep    -bmsd’ this feature builds the mass storage for your targeted PC.
After  you have hit enter key, sysprep starts preparing the mass storage drivers support do not close the prompt until it is done then type Exit to close the command prompt window.
After these has been done, check your answer file again you will notice that a lot of things has been added, close without editing anything there,
And open A folder named ($oem$) Create a new text document, rename to cmdlines.txt and then enter then open to type the lines
[Commands]
“C:\Sysprep\Sysprep       – Clean”
then save from the file up and close.
4) The last but not the least amongs all, is to start the sysprep for real, before you begin the process which is going to last about 30 to 40minute its is recommended that you install any other thing you wish to install and do not restart your PC
- From your Sysprep folder look for the sysprep.exe setup and
- Run the sysprep.exe setup
- Choosing from the following options,
Mini setup
Shutdown
Finally before you use the last click Note that anything cannot be added after you click the reseal botton. then when sysprep is completely done and shut down
- Do not reboot the PC
- Remove the hard drive form it and slut into the targeted PC
- Power on the PC And wait for sysprep to initialize all commands including device drivers. thats all about sysprep….


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