Windows 7 deployment problem
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Hi all. I know I’m one of many to have issues with a Windows 7 imaging issue, but I have searched the forums and googled everywhere but still can’t resolve my issue. I am running Fog .32 on Ubuntu desktop 12.0.4. I am trying to image Windows 7 on a Dell Vostro 430. I have wiped the drive and done a clean Windows 7 install (100MB partition included). I perform my imaging task and it works without issue. I use NTFS single partition resizable when I do the imaging job. My problem is on deployment. When I run the deployment job, the 100MB partition is created, and then the second partition is started. It goes about 1 or 2 percent and then freezes. The job stops running and I am stuck. Any ideas? I have not run fogprep because I’ve read in many places that I don’t need to with Fog .32. I have run sysprep before imaging without an unattended.xml file (I’m just runing sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! -Rob
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Some things to check,
Make sure you are defragging the source HD before you upload.
You might want to try Multiple Partitions - Single Disk if you are pretty confident you will always be restoring the image to the same size or bigger HDD.
Maybe look if Advanced Format HD is giving you a problem.
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Hi Chad. I have not defragged, mainly because I am doing a test image and have only installed the OS with no updates. I didn’t think I would need to defrag but I’ll go ahead and run a defrag anyway on my next test. I’ll also give the multiple partitions a try. I am using this image for 5 other Vostros 430’s that are configured identically so it shouldn’t be an issue. I will report back to the forum with my progress. Thanks for the quick reply.
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we have Vostros 430 here and i know that the hard drive setting in the bios will cause it to hang I think I am using the ATA setting. But either way it worth a try and see it resolves your imaging problem.
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OK I will check on the bios setting as well. Thanks guys.
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[quote=“djm79, post: 8013, member: 1568”]we have Vostros 430 here and i know that the hard drive setting in the bios will cause it to hang I think I am using the ATA setting. But either way it worth a try and see it resolves your imaging problem.[/quote]
FYI…my system was already set at ATA
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i always use multiple partition none resizable and let sysprep expand the disk instead (just make sure your base image is always smaller than the smallest drive you plan to deploy to i.e if your smallest HDD you have is 40GB make your base image with a 20GB-30GB partition and in your unattend.xml under specialize have this:
<ExtendOSPartition>
<Extend>true</Extend>
</ExtendOSPartition>this will extend the os partition to amount of space left on the HDD - hasn’t failed on me yet and i get the same result as a single disk resizable - hope this helps
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sorry, only just read your above post about not using an unattend.xml, i’d recommend just making a very basic one and add the above into it aswell just for testing
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Update - I defragged and ran chkdsk on the drive before running sysprep and imaging. I also used multiple partition/single drive. Same results. The behavior is still the same. The first partition (100MB) gets deployed instantly, but the actual Windows 7 partition gets to 1 or 2 percent and then freezes. I’ve tried deploying this image back to the system I actually used to create the image, and I’ve also tried deploying it to a completely different computer (an HP Z210). Same results on either system. Any other ideas? I really want/need to make this work.
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[quote=“Lee Rowlett, post: 8018, member: 28”]sorry, only just read your above post about not using an unattend.xml, i’d recommend just making a very basic one and add the above into it aswell just for testing :)[/quote]
Lee I will give it a try and update the forum with my results. Thanks!
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if you need help composing the unattend.xml just follow step 4 in this tutorial
[url]http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/windows-7-deployment-fog-sad2-driver-tool.380/[/url] -
[quote=“Lee Rowlett, post: 8021, member: 28”]if you need help composing the unattend.xml just follow step 4 in this tutorial
[url]http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/windows-7-deployment-fog-sad2-driver-tool.380/[/url][/quote]Perfect Lee…that is a big help. Thanks!
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Lee I tried your suggestion…no difference. Created the unattended file, stuck in the extendOS portion, ran sysprep using that file, and no luck. It deployed 1 percent of the second partition and stopped. I seem to be the only guy having this particular problem. I even imaged a different machine and then tried to deploy that image, and the same thing happened. Makes me think I am doing something wrong, but for the life of me I don’t know what. I’m super frustrated. Any other ideas out there?
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You might try some of the newest kernels from this post.
[URL=‘http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/dell-2330-all-in-one-network-issue.1054/’]http://fogproject.org/forum/threads/dell-2330-all-in-one-network-issue.1054/htt[/URL]