Windows Server2012 on Workstation 8.0.4 build-744019 – Issue Resolved

For Testing purpose when I install the release of  latest Server OS by Microsoft (Windows Server 2012) on my VMWare Workstation 8.0.4, I faced abnormal behave of OS specially after installing VMWare tools. I have experience that screen of VM is just goes black and not booting up.  After trying some setting works I have found that Server 2012 VM is requires Acceleration 3D Graphics Check On in VM setting.  However, this feature was the optional one on the old VMs of   Windows XP, Vista, 7 to run applications that required DirectX 9 accelerated graphics.  But in this scenario we must have to turn it on to play with this great server release.

Walk-through of the solution……………go to VM settings>

 

After selecting Display Check the Box given below>

VM is now working Fine;)

Building A Simple Answer File for Automate the Installation using System Image Manager

A simple answer file includes basic Windows Setup configuration and minimum Windows Welcome customizations. This example does not import any special drivers, applications, or packages. At the end of this walkthrough, you can run Windows Setup with this answer file to create an unattended installation.

Step 1: To complete this walkthrough, you need the following:

• Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) installed on a computer. (Windows AIK Feature)
• An authorized copy of the Windows Vista/7 product DVD.
• Removable media, such as a floppy disk or a USB flash drive (UFD).

1. On your technician computer, insert the Windows Vista product DVD into the local DVD-ROM drive.
2. On the desktop of the technician computer, navigate to the \Sources directory on your DVD-ROM drive. Copy the Install.wim file from the Windows product DVD to a location on the computer.
3. Open Windows SIM. On the desktop of the computer, click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft Windows OPK (or Windows AIK), and then clickWindows System Image Manager.
4. On the File menu, click Select Windows Image.
5. In the Select a Windows Image dialog box, navigate to the location where you saved the Install.wim file, and then click Open.
6. On the File menu, click New Answer File.

Step:2 In this step, you define basic disk configuration and Windows Welcome settings.

1. In the Windows Image pane of Windows SIM, expand the Components node to display available settings.
2. On the expanded list of components, add the following components to your answer file by right-clicking the component and then by selecting the appropriate configuration pass. This action will add the component to your answer file in the specified configuration pass. A configuration pass is a phase of Windows installation. Different parts of the Windows Vista operating system are installed in different configuration passes. You can specify settings to be applied in one or more configuration passes.

Component	Configuration Pass
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\CreatePartitions\ CreatePartition	windowsPE
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\ModifyPartitions\ ModifyPartition	windowsPE
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\ImageInstall\OSImage\InstallTo	windowsPE
Microsoft-Windows-Setup \UserData	windowsPE
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE	windowsPE
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE\SetupUILanguage	windowsPE
Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup \OEMInformation	specialize
Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup \OOBE	oobeSystem
Microsoft-Windows-Deployment\Reseal	oobeSystem
Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup\Autologon	auditSystem

All the settings you added must appear in the Answer File pane. Select and configure each setting as specified below.

Component	Value
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE	InputLocale = <Input Locale>SystemLocale = <System Locale>UILanguage = <UI Language> UserLocale = <User Locale>
Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE\SetupUILanguage	UILanguage = <UI Language>
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration	WillShowUI = OnError
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk	DiskID = 0WillWipeDisk = true
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\DiskConfiguration\Disk\CreatePartitions\CreatePartition	Extend = falseOrder = 1Size = 15000 (Note: you can adjust Size accordingly; this example uses 15 gigabytes. Type = Primary
Microsoft-Windows-Setup \DiskConfiguration\Disk\ModifyPartitions\ModifyPartition	Active = trueExtend = falseFormat = NTFS Label = OS_Install Letter = C Order = 1 PartitionID = 1
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\ImageInstall\OSImage\	WillShowUI = OnError
Microsoft-Windows-Setup\ImageInstall\OSImage\InstallTo	DiskID = 0PartitionID = 1
Microsoft-Windows-Setup \UserData	AcceptEula = true
Microsoft-Windows-Setup \UserData\ProductKey	Key = <product key>WillShowUI = OnError
Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup \OEMInformation	Manufacturer = <company name>HelpCustomized = falseSupportPhone = <support number> SupportURL = <support URL> SupportHours = <support hours>
Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup\OOBE	ProtectYourPC = 1NetworkLocation = Work
Microsoft-Windows-Deployment\Reseal	ForceShutdownNow = falseMode = Audit
Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup\AutoLogon	Enabled = trueLogonCount = 5Username = Administrator

 Validate the answer file

In this step, you validate the settings in your answer file and then save them to a file.

1. In Windows SIM, click Tools, and then click Validate Answer File.
   The setting values in the answer file are compared with the available settings in the Windows image.
2. If the answer file validates successfully, a “success” message appears in the Messages pane. Otherwise, error messages appear in the same location.
3. If an error occurs, double-click the error in the Messages pane to navigate to the incorrect setting. Change the setting to fix the error, and then revalidate.
4. On the File menu, click Save Answer File. Save the answer file as Autounattend.xml.
5. Copy Autounattend.xml to the root of a floppy disk or UFD.

Video Walkthrough

Have a Look at Microsoft Springboard Series Video

How to Build Simple Answer File

Windows Deployment Services Windows Server 2008 Installation & Configuration

What is Windows Deployment Services?

The Windows Deployment Services role in Windows Server 2008 is the updated and redesigned version of Remote Installation Services (RIS). Windows Deployment Services enables you to deploy Windows operating systems, particularly Windows Seven and Windows Server 2008. You can use it to set up new computers by using a network-based installation. This means that you do not have to be physically present at each computer and you do not have to install each operating system directly from a CD or DVD.

Benefits of Windows Deployment Services

Windows Deployment Services provides the following installation and deployment benefits:

• Reduces the complexity of deployments and the costs associated with inefficient manual installation processes.
• Allows network-based installation of Windows operating systems, including Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008.
• Deploys Windows images to computers without operating systems.
• Supports mixed environments that include Windows Seven, Windows Server 2008, Microsoft Windows XP, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
• Provides an end-to-end solution for the deployment of Windows operating systems to client computers and servers.
• Uses standard Windows Server 2008 setup technologies, including Windows PE, .wim files, and image-based setup.

Prerequisites for installing Windows Deployment Services

• AD DS A Windows Deployment Services server must be either a member of an AD DS domain or a domain controller for an AD DS domain.
• DHCP You must have a working DHCP server with an active scope on the network because Windows Deployment Services uses PXE, which relies on DHCP for IP addressing.
• DNS You must have a working DNS server on the network before you can run Windows Deployment Services.
• NTFS volume The server running Windows Deployment Services requires an NTFS file system volume for the image store.
• Credentials To install the role, you must be a member of the Local Administrators group on the server. To initialize the server, you must be a member of the Domain Users group.

 Installing Windows Deployment Services

You can install Windows Deployment Services by using the Initial Configuration Wizard or from Server Manager.

• To install the role by using the Initial Configuration Wizard, click Add roles on the Initial Configuration Tasks startup screen. Click Next and then select Windows Deployment Services.

• To install the role by using Server Manager, click Add roles, which is located in the Roles Summary pane. Click Next and then select Windows Deployment Services.

 Note

During the installation, you have the following two role services to choose from.

• Transport Server. You can use Transport Server to create multicast namespaces that transmit data (including operating system images) from a standalone server. You should use this option if you want to transmit data by using multicasting, but you do not want to incorporate all of Windows Deployment Services.
• Deployment Server. To install this option, ensure that both Deployment Server and Transport Server are selected on the second installation wizard screen. This option provides the full functionality of Windows Deployment Services, which you can use to configure and remotely install Windows operating systems. With Windows Deployment Services, you can create and customize images and then use them to reimage computers. Note that Deployment Server is dependent on the core parts of Transport Server.

 Here I am installing DHCP Role along with Deployment Server Role, so I have more wizard options with respect to configure DHCP Server, If you are running out your DHCP Server on another box then follow instructions below and skip my DHCP configurations.  Simply install your WDS Role only.

• If you are running Windows Deployment Services and a non-Microsoft DHCP server on the same computer, in addition to configuring the server to not listen on port 67, you will need to use your DHCP tools to add Option 60 to your DHCP scopes.
• If DHCP is installed on a server that is located in a different subnet, you will need to do one of the following:
• (Recommended) Configure your IP Helper tables. All DHCP broadcasts by client computers on UDP port 67 should be forwarded directly to both the DHCP server and the Windows Deployment Services PXE server. Also, all traffic on UDP port 4011 from the client computers to the Windows Deployment Services PXE server should be routed appropriately (these requests direct traffic, not broadcasts, to the server).
• Add DHCP options 66 and 67.

 

 Configuring WDS

Expand WDS Role>>>Select Your Server>>>Right Click>>>Select Configure Server

Select the partition for your images.  It is recommended that select the hard drive/partition other than boot partition/hard disk for you images.  I am selecting the C:\ for demo purpose.

I have checked out both options as the DHCP and WDS is on the same server.

It is the response options for client computers, select according to your requirement.

When the configuration is completed clear the Add images to Windows Deployment Services now check box and then click Finish.

Adding Images

After you configure Windows Deployment Services, you must add at least one boot image and one install image before you will be able to boot to the Windows Deployment Services server and install an image.

• Boot images. Boot images are images that you boot a client computer into to perform an operating system installation. In most scenarios, you can use the Boot.wim file from the Windows Server 2008 installation DVD.
• Install images. Install images are the operating system images that you deploy to the client computer. You can also use the Install.wim file from the installation DVD, or you can create your own install image.

  Boot Image

In the left pane of the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, right-click the Boot Images node, and then click Add Boot Image then Next.

Browse to choose the default boot image (Boot.wim) from the Windows 7 DVD, located in the \Sources folder.

Click Open and then click Next.

Follow the instructions in the wizard to add the image till you find wizard completion.

Install Image

In the Windows Deployment Services MMC snap-in, right-click the Install Images node, and then click Add Install Image.

Specify a name for the image group, and then click Next.

Browse to select the default install image (Install.wim) on the Windows 7 DVD, located in the \Sources folder, and then click Open.

To add a subset of the images included in the Install.wim file, clear the check boxes for the images that you do not want to add to the server. You should add only the images for which you have licenses.

Follow the instructions in the wizard to add the images till completion of the wizard.

Now that you have a boot image and an install image on the server, you can perform a PXE boot on a client computer to install an operating system.   But before proceeding to the client machine, we have to set the multicast transmission for our image.  Yup! I know you have question,  What is Multicast Transmission?

Multicast

Multicast transmissions enable you to deploy an image to a large number of client computers without overburdening the network. When you create a multicast transmission, the image is sent over the network only once, which can drastically reduce the amount of network bandwidth that is used.

 Right-click the Multicast Transmission node, and then click Create Multicast Transmission.

Name it and click on Next.

Selecting multicast type

There are two types of multicast transmissions:

• Auto-Cast. This option indicates that as soon as an applicable client requests an install image, a multicast transmission of the selected image begins. Then, as other clients request the same image, they too are joined to the transmission that is already started.
• Scheduled-Cast. This option sets the start criteria for the transmission based on the number of clients that are requesting an image and/or a specific day and time. If you do not select either of these check boxes, the transmission will not start until you manually start it. Note that in addition to these criteria, you can start a transmission manually at any time by right-clicking it and then clicking Start.

Note

Content is transferred over the network only if clients request data. If no clients are connected (that is, the transmission is idle), data will not be sent over the network.

Follow the instructions till completion of the wizard.

Now we have completed our very simple and transparent deployment server using Windows 2008 Server Environment.  Now Your PXE enabled client computers can install OS through network. Following are some snap shots for demonstration.   I am waiting for your replies and hopeful that it would be very informative for those who are new in the field of Network Administration.

 

Windows 8 Will Come In Three Different Flavors (Two For x86, One For ARM)

Reblogged from TechCrunch:

Microsoft just announced that Windows 8 will come in three different flavors: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT. Windows 8 will be the mainstream consumer edition. The Pro version will bring a number of features that most mainstream consumers don't necessarily need to Microsoft's next operating system. These include encryption, virtualization, PC management and domain connectivity. Both Windows 8 Pro and the mainstream consumer edition will be available in 32 bit and 64 bit versions.

Read more… 261 more words

Microsoft(s MSFT) has chosen the brand names under which it will sell Windows 8.

How to Remove Recycler Folder Virus/Autorun Virus

This is very common virus in Windows operating systems and annoying computer users.  It spreads itself via removable media like USB flash memory cards or pen drives. Once inside your computer then can disable your anti-virus program, block access to computer protection websites and slow down speed of  your computer.  How to remove it? Lets start:

Stop It from Task Manager

• Press the “Ctrl,” “Shift” and “Esc” keys at the same time to start the Task Manager or launch the task manager from “Ctrl”, “Alt” and “Del” option.
• Click the “Processes” tab in the Task Manager’s window and select “ctfmon.exe.”
• Click “End Process” at the bottom of the window and close the Task Manager.

Remove from Registry

• Go to the “Start” menu, type “regedit” in the “Start Search” box or in Run option and hit “Enter” to start the Registry Editor.
• Browse to and delete the following entry:
• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ActiveSetup\ Installed Components\ {08B0E5C0-4FCB-11CF-AAX5-90401C608512}
• Close the Registry Editor.

Delete the File

• Go to the “Start” menu, type “ctfmon.exe” in the “Start Search” box and hit “Enter” or search entire computer/all partitions.
• Right-click the search result(s) and select “Delete.
• Restart your computer.

Note: You must create registry backup in order to meet any abnormal behavior or accidental deletion of registry entry other than I have describe above.  If your Regedit, Folder Options and Task Manager is disabled by Autorun Virus then Download this “Remove Restriction Tool“.  Which is very smart tool to re-enable all your disabled options by the viruses.  In the last, scan your all USBs/Pen Drives with Flash Disinfector to remove recycler virus from them.

Using Recycler Virus Removal Tool to delete the virus automatically

Autorun Remover is a specialized autorun removal tool to clean the autorun type virus including recycler virus, with it, you can get rid of the autorun.inf and recycler.exe easily and quickly.

1. Download and install Autorun Virus Remover;
2. if you USB drives has autorun.inf folder in it, insert it into computer;
3. Execute the tool, Click ‘Start’ to execute the scan.

If Autorun Remover is blocked by the recyclers virus then run system in safe mode and try again. To do this reboot your system and tap F8 repeatedly when system starts up.

Autorun Virus Remover is the most effectively autorun antivirus software in the market, with the product, it is an easy job for you to block any autorun.inf virus from USB drives.