Using Sysdiff.exe with Unattended Setup and Windows NT 4.0

ID: Q156795

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

Sysdiff.exe is a Windows NT 4.0-only utility used to profile and install applications for Windows NT 4.0 systems. The utility has several modes that must be run to achieve a proper profile of the system for installation purposes.

Sysdiff consists of a three step process:

  1. Step one is SNAP mode, which takes an initial snapshot of a fresh install of Windows NT.


  2. Step two is DIFF mode, which is run after applications have been installed and uses the image created with SNAP mode for comparison.


  3. Step three is INF mode, which is used to incorporate the installation of the applications with unattended setup.


Sysdiff.exe does not provide support for any registry values that are contained in any of the HKEY_USER hives. This includes items like the desktop, screen savers, and wallpaper. Also, Sysdiff.exe does not support any installable services or device drivers.


MORE INFORMATION

The following instructions provide a working model that can be used in preparing your distribution server:

  1. Make a directory on the distribution server called I386.


  2. Copy the entire contents of the I386 directory from the Windows NT 4.0 compact disc to the I386 directory. Share the I386 directory as I386 on the distribution server.


  3. Do a fresh installation of Windows NT 4.0 on another system. This system is called the Master System.


  4. Create a directory (MKDIR C:\Images) on the Master System to hold the files created by Sysdiff. It is not necessary to send the images to a network drive. A local drive will increase the performance of Sysdiff.


  5. Once Windows NT is installed, Sysdiff can be run to get an initial snapshot used for comparison. From an MS-DOS window run the following command:

    sysdiff /snap c:\images\snap.img


  6. Next, install the applications that will be used.


  7. Once all applications are installed, the system is ready to run the next step of Sysdiff, which is DIFF mode. DIFF mode will use Snap.img to determine what the applications directory structure is and the registry entries to add, if any. Use the following command:

    sysdiff /diff c:\images\snap.img c:\images\diff.img

    The most common issues with DIFF mode occur when Sysdiff is profiling the registry and is unable to extract the information. Review the Registry window to see where Sysdiff stopped. In most cases, the application cannot be profiled and will have to be installed manually. Another area to watch is the INI files section. In some cases, the files for some applications are not placed in the image. Application INI files may have to be copied manually once the installation of Windows NT is completed.


  8. Now that the difference file (Diff.img) has been created, the next step is to incorporate the applications into the I386 directory on the distribution server. The way to incorporate the applications is with INF mode. The Diff.img file will be extracted and a special directory structure built for unattended setup to use. Also, a special INF file is created to rebuild the registry.

    Map a drive letter to the distribution server's share of the I386 directory that was created earlier:

    net use z:\\server_name\i386

    Now run the following command:

    sysdiff /inf /m c:\images\diff.img z:\

    /M is used to ensure the shortcuts are added to the Start menu.

    NOTE: Sysdiff will create a directory called $OEM$ and it is very important that this directory be under the I386 directory on the server. In this case, the I386 directory is shared as a root so Z:\ is all that is needed. To verify that $OEM$ is in the correct location, from the server, check that $OEM$ is under the I386 directory. If, for some reason, the $OEM$ directory is not written to I386, it can moved using File Manager.

    The distribution server is now ready to install Windows NT 4.0 and the applications. One additional item is to verify the directory length under $OEM$. The first phase of the installation of Windows NT is MS-DOS based, and MS-DOS cannot copy directories with path names longer than 64 characters.


  9. To turn on the installation of applications placed in the $OEM$ directory, OEMPreInstall = Yes must be added to the [Unattended] section of the answer file. Using OEMPreInstall = Yes may require additional entries in the answer file.

    For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
    ARTICLE-ID: Q155197
    TITLE : Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File


Definitions of directories created by Sysdiff using INF mode

$OEM$\$$

This directory contains the system files (either new files or replacements for retail files) that are copied to the various subdirectories when Windows NT is installed. The structure of this directory must match the structure of a standard Windows NT installation, where $OEM$\$$ matches %Windir%, $OEM$\$$\System32 matches %Windir%\System32, and so on.

Each subdirectory should contain the files that need to be copied to the corresponding system directory on the target computer. This directory should also contain $$Rename.txt, which lists all files that need to be renamed, such as files in 8.3 format that must change to long file names.

$OEM$\drive_letter

Each $OEM$\drive_letter directory contains a subdirectory structure that is copied during text mode setup to the root of a corresponding drive in the target computer. Files that need to be renamed should be listed in $$Rename.txt.

Additional information on Windows NT 4.0 Deployment is available for free download from the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/info/deployguide.htm
The Sysdiff.exe utility can be found on the Windows NT 4.0 CD-ROM at <cd-rom drive>:\Support\Deptools\I386\Sysdiff.exe for the Intel platform.

For additional information on troubleshooting Sysdiff.exe, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
ARTICLE-ID: Q157576
TITLE : How to Troubleshoot the Sysdiff Tool in Windows NT 


Keywords          : ntsetup ntdriver ntreskit NTSrvWkst 
Version           : 4.0
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: January 29, 1999