How to disable mass storage devices in WinPE

PROBLEM:
When installing new Windows Severs using WinPE 2005, the SAN disks may be touched by the installation scripts. You ask for a way to prevent WinPE from using SAN drivers or disks.


RESOLUTION:
You need to disable the SAN-drivers in the WinPEs registry:

Copy your WinPE 2005 files into a local directory.

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/02/DesktopFiles/default.aspx?loc=en

1. run regedit and select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive.
2. Select File | Load Hive, then browse to the location of your Windows PE build. Select setupreg.hiv under I386\System32\ (or MiniNT\System32, if this is an image you are putting on a hard drive).
3. Enter a temporary name for the hive, such as WinPE, and browse to that node under HKLM.
4. Modify this key accordingly. Interestingly, note that this node is effectively the same as the node HKLM\System would be on a normal Windows installation.
5. Once you’ve made your modifications, select the key under HKLM you created in Step 3 (it is very important to do this correctly or you could damage your system).
6. Select File | Unload Hive… and confirm the Yes | No dialog, and ensure you dismount the registry every time, as having it locked will prevent a successful build of Windows PE.

Concerning Point 4/5 - Modifications:
1. Select HKLM -> ControlSet001 -> Services
2. Search for the drivers you want to deactivate (for example: ql1080, ql10wt…)
3. Right-click and select NEW -> DWORD value
4. Name: “Start” (without quotes)
5. Leave the data value on Hex 0x0 (hex 4 means mandatory, hex 0 means disabled)

Rebuild your WinPE ISO
(for example: D:\OPKTools\WINPE>OSCDIMG.EXE -n -betfsboot.com d:\pe2005 c:\pe3\winpe.iso)

unable to install Updates

PROBLEM:
You are unable to install Updates. "The System cannot find the file specified."
There are no KBxxxx.log files written.

setupapi.log states the following errors:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
#-198 Command line processed: e:\4717cda1cf9f3f033363c78ea8d60a96\update\update.exe
#I443 No installed Authenticode(tm) catalogs matching catalog name "oem4.CAT" were found that validated file "e:\4717cda1cf9f3f033363c78ea8d60a96\update\update_SP2GDR.inf" (key "update_SP2GDR.inf"). Error 0xfffffbbe: Unknown Error.
#I443 No installed Authenticode(tm) catalogs matching catalog name "oem6.CAT" were found that validated file "e:\4717cda1cf9f3f033363c78ea8d60a96\update\update_SP2GDR.inf" (key "update_SP2GDR.inf"). Error 0xfffffbbe: Unknown Error.
#W361 An unsigned, incorrectly signed, or Authenticode(tm) signed file "e:\4717cda1cf9f3f033363c78ea8d60a96\update\KB932168.cat" will be installed (Policy=Ignore). Error 0xfffffbbe: Unknown Error.
[2008/02/11 10:15:44 728.2]
#-198 Command line processed: e:\2605d0913f6df577310a4afaae3607\update\update.exe
#I443 No installed Authenticode(tm) catalogs matching catalog name "oem4.CAT" were found that validated file "e:\2605d0913f6df577310a4afaae3607\update\update_SP2GDR.inf" (key "update_SP2GDR.inf"). Error 0xfffffbbe: Unknown Error.
#I443 No installed Authenticode(tm) catalogs matching catalog name "oem6.CAT" were found that validated file "e:\2605d0913f6df577310a4afaae3607\update\update_SP2GDR.inf" (key "update_SP2GDR.inf"). Error 0xfffffbbe: Unknown Error.
#W361 An unsigned, incorrectly signed, or Authenticode(tm) signed file "e:\2605d0913f6df577310a4afaae3607\update\KB932168.cat" will be installed (Policy=Ignore). Error 0xfffffbbe: Unknown Error.

CAUSE:
Missing files within
C:\WINDOWS\system32\CatRoot\{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}
-> the folder is empty.

RESOLUTION:
We have to fix catroot folder. Easiest way is to copy all the files missing from a similar system with the same patch-level and service pack level.
After that net stop crypt32, remove catroot2, net start crypt32; run tool "sigverif"

Another possibility would be an inplace upgrade.

ZTIERROR - Non-zero return code by LiteTouch, rc = 1

PROBLEM:
You use MDT and USMT 3.0 to capture Windows 2K user settings. When running the procedure without local admin rights, the following error is stated:

The user state capture was completed successfully.
During the process, 2 errors and 0 warnings were reported:
ZTIERROR - Non-zero return code by LiteTouch, rc = 1

RESOLUTION:
Please note: Migration completed successfully. Conclusion: The USMT ScanState process worked as expected. You may safely ignore the errors thrown.

The errors come from LiteTouch which is trying to install the USMT package on the Windows 2000 SP4 target computer. And this operation fails in the first try when using the package "InstallUSMT30_x86_2000andXP.exe" throwing error code 1603.

Error 1603 is a generic installer error which can have several causes:
- a file is in use or blocked by an open handle
- a file on the target machine is missing or has corrupt ACLs
- the program is already installed on the target machine
- the program is already running on the target machine
- the program does not apply to the target OS

This is because there are missing local admin rights to install the tool.
BUT: As LTI uses another way to install USMT, the error has no impact.

-> Add deploy user to local admin group of every machine, that interacts with BDD/MDT

Ignore unimportant errors:
The SMI warnings can be ignored. Settings Management Infrastructure (SMI) provides a standardized infrastructure to access and manipulate Windows Vista settings that are modifiable by users and applications. It is not available on Windows 2000 SP4

The errors 0x8007007F and 0x80070003 stand for PATH_NOT_FOUND or PROC_NOT_FOUND. If the program checked is not available, it is not needed and USMT goes on working on the next phase.

file separation on Windows Server 2003 x64

PROBLEM:
You want to use a tool, that requires a 32. Bit dll or executable within the system32 folder. You want to use this tool on a x64 system.

RESOLUTION:
Not supported.
32 bit files MUST always reside in syswow64 folder!
64 bit files MUST always reside in system32 folder!

You could maybe change the application:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa365743.aspx
BOOL bRet = Wow64DisableWow64FsRedirection (&OldValue);
if (bRet == TRUE)
{
// Open a file

hFile = CreateFile(TEXT("C:\\Windows\\System32\\Notepad.exe"),
GENERIC_READ,
FILE_SHARE_READ,
NULL,
OPEN_EXISTING,
FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL,
NULL);

// Restore the previous WOW64 file system redirection value.

Wow64RevertWow64FsRedirection (OldValue);
}

or, as a 2nd possibility use the sysnative folder:
A 32-bit application cannot access the System32 folder on a computer that is running a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/942589/en-us

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