Win 7 nice desktop user support tool

Today I use the new tool for win 7 psr.exe Problem Step Recorder. This tool is user from a desktop user for replicate the error and the tool record the action. After it the tool make a file with all the operation and the error code. You simply recive the mail and read what the user does and you save your ears and your brain from the mobile phone!!!

Nice tool.

aLex

WinPE 3 and VMware driver

Today I create a new version on my personal resource kit of the WinPE CD. I use WAIK for Win 2008 R2 and Win 7.

I install it on a server Win 2008 R2 inside a virtual machine.
I just go thru the guide. I use the following command for the creation of the image

- copype.cmd x86 c:\winpex86
- copy c:\winpex86\winpe.wim c:\winpex86\ISO\sources\boot.wim
- Dism /Mount-Wim /WimFile:C:\winpex86\ISO\sources\boot.wim /index:1 /MountDir:C:\winpex86\mount
Add the driver from the vmware tools directory
- Dism /image:C:\winpex86\mount /Add-Driver /driver:"C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\Drivers" /recurse
Dismount the image and save the change
- Dism /Unmount-Wim /MountDir:C:\winpex86\mount\ /Commit
Create the ISO Image
- Oscdimg -n -bC:\winpex86\etfsboot.com C:\winpex86\ISO C:\winpex86\winpex86.iso

Dism is the new tool that comes with Win 7 and Win 2008 R2 and is used to manipulate WIM Image.

Now I turn on a VM with the iso image attached to the cdrom.

The VM has a Network card VMXNET3



and after the boot win winpe I can use it



This is useful because you can also use it with WDS (Windows Deployment Service= and create a custom image with the vmware drivers!

my 2 cents.

aLex

Win 2008 R2 VM with PVSCSI boot controller in vSphere 4U1

Today I install a new VM in my test lan. I want to try the new features of the PVSCSI adapter also for boot disk. I install it on my ESXi machine. The creation of the vm is quite simple like next,next...
After power on the VM Win2008 disk don't find any disk for the installation

To load the driver for the disk I use the floppy image connecting the floppy device

and than I select the driver from the Windows installation program




After that I continued the installation until the OS reboots.
On the first boot I install the VMware Tools for all the driver.



That's all.

Just a little tips
The first time that I want to find the directory /vmimages in the Datastore I don't fint it! I log in over SSH and than I make a Simbolic link from the datastore directory to the original directory with this command
datastore# ln -s /vmimages vmimages
I think is a problem with ESXi. I don't have a ESX machine for check this issue. After the link I can connect the floppy image and all goes fine.

aLex