Archive for January, 2006
Making Bootable Windows CD/DVD’s
Just a refresh and a quick note here…..
Main things to do:
- Put all the files into a main folder
- Get a copy of the boot files (various places including http://www.tacktech.com/pub/microsoft/bootfiles/bootfiles.zip)
- Use Nero to burn a new Bootable DVD/CD
- When the dialog opens, set Bootable Disc Type: to No Emulation.
Click the “>>Advanced” button, and set the Load Segment: to 0×000 and the Sector Count: to 4. Now click “Browse” where the dialog asks you to “locate the image file that contains the bootable image.” - Follow the usual process to make the DVD, remembering to keep a copy of the ISO/NRG image
Good luck
Greenlaning site
Posted by admin in Offroading on 24/01/2006
One of my intrests is Greenlaning and Off Roading. I used to own a real old Series IIA Land Rover that was a classic, but its no more – lost in time.
Luckilly some of my mukkas still have some top motors and we get away quite a lot. Check out http://blackcountrylaners.co.uk for our site – specially the Files(Videos) and the Photo section
Windows Automated Installations – What to call workstations
One of the big problems I have found when creating build systems for companies is what to call machines when they are being built.
A good idea a few companies I have worked at is to use the vendor serial number that is affixed and labeled all over the machines. On Dell machines its called the ‘Service Tag Number’
How to pipe that into installations is another story but if you are doing simple cloning using Ghost, PQ or Altris then this handy VBscript may come in useful. It extracts the Dell Tag number using WMI and then sets a SYSTEM environment varible called DellTag
BTW – I’m not a hardcore coder so if anyone can make it better then please advise! Fragments were made using the excellent Microsoft Scriptomatic2 tool.
‘ DellSN.vbs
‘
‘ Version 1.0 – Kevin Iddles, Yawns.com Limited
‘
‘ Script to extract Dell Tag Number from BIOS using WMI
‘ Outputs Dell tag to screen and sets a SYSTEM environment varible accordingly.
‘
‘ Call from CMD by using —- cscript //NoLogo DellSn.vbs
‘ Obviously will need to open a new session to pickup the setting
‘On Error Resume Next
Const wbemFlagReturnImmediately = &h10
Const wbemFlagForwardOnly = &h20
Dim strSN
‘ Start Get the Dell Asset number from BIOS
Set objWMIService = GetObject(“winmgmts:\\.\root\CIMV2″)
Set colItems = objWMIService.ExecQuery(“SELECT SerialNumber FROM Win32_BIOS”, “WQL”, wbemFlagReturnImmediately + wbemFlagForwardOnly)
For Each objItem In colItems
WScript.Echo objItem.SerialNumber
strSN = objItem.SerialNumber
Next
‘ Debug – Echo results set in var
‘ Wscript.Echo strSN
‘ Start Set Env
‘
‘ This gets set as a SYSTEM varible – user must be a local administrator for correct permissions
Set EnvClass = GetObject(“WinMgmts:\\.\root\cimv2:Win32_Environment”)
‘ Make a new instance of that class
Set EnvVarInst = EnvClass.SpawnInstance_
‘ File in the key props and props of interest on that instance
EnvVarInst.UserName = “<SYSTEM>”
EnvVarInst.Name = “DellTag”
EnvVarInst.VariableValue = strSN
‘ Write the new instance in to WMI
EnvVarInst.Put_
‘ End Set Env
Welcome to my new Blog
Posted by admin in Site Updates on 23/01/2006
Thanks for tuning in.
Keep checking out here for more posts and hopefuly useful articles.
Kev
PS. We are RSS enabled [:)]