How to Troubleshoot the Sysdiff Tool in Windows NT

ID: Q157576

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article describes how to troubleshoot the Sysdiff tool included in Windows NT 4.0.

An updated version of the Sysdiff tool that resolves some common Sysdiff issues is available for download from the following location on the Microsoft FTP site:

ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt/winnt-public/fixes/usa/NT40/utilities/Sysdiff-fix

MORE INFORMATION

General Error Messages

When you troubleshoot error messages generated by Sysdiff, you can obtain descriptions of the error messages by using the Net Helpmsg command. For example, if you receive a Sysdiff Error 32, you can obtain more information about the error message by typing the following command at a command prompt in Windows NT:

net helpmsg 32

In this example, you receive the following response:


   The process cannot access the file because it is being used by
   another process.

Computer Stops Responding (Hangs) When You Use Sysdiff /Apply

This behavior can occur if one or more of the following conditions exist:

The target computer has low disk space.

There is a problem with one of the programs contained in the image file.

You use the Sysdiff /inf command to integrate the image file in Windows NT setup, and the image file or the Windows NT source files in the $OEM$ folder on the server are corrupt.

To resolve this problem, use the appropriate method below:

Free some disk space, and then reapply the difference file.

Try smaller images or image the programs one at a time until you determine which program is causing the problem.

To verify that your image file is valid, follow these steps:

Create the image file on the local computer, and then copy it to the server.

Manually apply the difference file. To do so, type the following command at a command prompt in Windows NT:

Sysdiff /apply /m <image file>

Error 112

When you use the Sysdiff /diff command, a difference file containing the differences between a your previous configuration and your current configuration is created. If there is insufficient disk space to generate this difference file, error 112 occurs. Error 112 is a standard Win32 error code and represents an out of disk space error.

NOTE: If many changes are made to your computer's configuration after the creation of the initial Sysdiff image, your difference file can become very large. According to chapter 2 of the Windows NT Workstation Resource Guide:

The information in the difference file includes all the binary files for the applications, as well as the initialization file settings and registry settings for the applications.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

If you have low disk space on your hard disk, free additional disk space, and then use the Sysdiff /diff command again.

Use the /log switch to trace the activities of Sysdiff during the /diff operation.

Error Message: Diff Failed (error=32)

This error message indicates that a file the Sysdiff tool is trying to open is currently in use.

To resolve this issue, use the appropriate method below:

Close all programs, restart the computer, and then start the Sysdiff tool without starting any other programs.

Use the [ExcludeFiles] section in the Sysdiff.inf file.

Use the Sysdiff.inf file from the Support\Deptools\<platform> folder on the Windows NT CD-ROM.

Error Message: System Error 5

If you use the Sysdiff tool to install programs that add system services, hardware drivers, or other drivers in Windows NT, the Sysdiff tool may attempt to access restricted registry keys. When this occurs, you may receive a System Error 5 error message, which is equivalent to "access denied." You should not use the Sysdiff tool to install programs that need to make these types of modifications.

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

Identify which program installed the system service, hardware driver, or other driver.

Create a new difference file without the program identified in step 1.

Apply the new difference file.

Install the program identified in step 1 using its own installation program or routine.

NOTE: Microsoft does not support the use of the Sysdiff tool for the installation of system services, programs that include system services, device drivers, or network client software. System services and device drivers write to trees or values in the registry, which are dynamic or were found to be sensitive to access by the Sysdiff tool during testing. These trees and values are excluded from the /Snap and /Diff modes in the Sysdiff.inf file. In some cases you may find that the Sysdiff tool will successfully install these types of programs.

Computer Name Is Incorrect or a Duplicate

This error message can occur if the name of the computer on which you used the Sysdiff tool to snap the original image file and create the difference file has changed between the original snap and the creation of the difference file.

To resolve this problem, re-create both the original image file and the difference file, making sure the computer name does not change.

Image File Is Very Large and Takes a Long Time to Complete

This behavior can occur if you include the image folder when you use the Sysdiff tool to create an image file. When you create the image on the local hard disk, exclude the folder being used to store the image file.

To resolve this behavior, type the full path to the folder in which you are storing the image file in the [ExcludeDirectoryTrees] section in the Sysdiff.inf file. For example, if you run the Sysdiff tool from the C:\Image folder, type the following line in the [ExcludeDirectoryTrees] section:


   C:\Image

The Sysdiff Tool Only Appears on the Screen Briefly

This behavior can occur if you attempt to start the Sysdiff tool from a command line, and you use the wrong command line syntax.

Changes Are Not Applied When You Use the Sysdiff /Apply Command

When you apply a difference file, it may appear that some user specific settings are not applied. Many of these settings are located in the HKEY_USERS or HKEY_CURRENT_USER keys in the registry. Because these settings are user specific, they are not present if you log on to Windows NT using an account other than the one that was used to create the difference file. The Sysdiff tool is not designed to incorporate these types of user specific settings.

The Sysdiff /Apply /log Command Does Not Create a Log File

The /apply command line parameter of the Sysdiff tool does not support the logging feature. The /log parameter can be used with the /snap and /diff command line parameters of the Sysdiff tool.

NOTE: The "Windows NT Workstation Resource Kit" incorrectly shows the /log parameter being used with the /apply parameter on page 44.

Network Drives Appear in My Computer

Network drives, which are created after you snap the base image file and before the difference file is created, are applied to the new installation. Network drive connections are stored in the registry and are recognized by the Sysdiff tool. If you do not want additional network drives to be mapped for a user, you must disconnect from the network drives before you create the difference file.

Error Message: Contact the Manufacturer

If you attempt to apply a difference file to a computer in which the %SystemRoot% folder has a different name than the %SystemRoot% folder of the computer from which the difference file was created, you may receive the following error message:

A problem exists with a file supplied by your computer's manufacturer. Contact the manufacturer and report the following:

A snapshot or diff file specified on the command line was created with a different sysroot and cannot be used now.

Click OK. Setup will continue but certain applications or other features may not work correctly.

Temporary Files Remain in the Sydiff Folder

This behavior can occur if you quit the Sysdiff tool before it completes. To resolve this behavior, delete the temporary files, and then re-create the Sysdiff files.

Error Message: Diff Failed (error=2)

This error message can occur if you misspell a Sysdiff command line argument. For example, this error occurs if you you type the following command:

Sysdiff /diff base.img offic.img

where base.img is actually named base2.img.

Error Message: Access Denied

This error message can occur if you apply multiple image files to a network share of the Windows NT source files. For example, this error message can occur if you have an image of Microsoft Word and an image of Microsoft Excel, and you use the Sysdiff /inf command to apply the Microsoft Excel image to the network location.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

Some Registry Changes, .ini Changes, or Files Are Missing

Many programs require that you restart your computer after you run Setup. While your computer is restarting, the program makes additional changes. If you do not restart your computer, the Sysdiff /diff command may not detect all relevant changes. Make sure you restart your computer after you install any programs and before you use the Sysdiff /diff command.

You Are Unable to Close the Sysdiff Program Window

This behavior can occur on certain computers, but typically is not a cause for concern. To work around this behavior, follow these steps:

NOTE: Verify that Sysdiff is finished running before you follow these steps:

Right-click the taskbar, and then click Task Manager.

On the Application tab, click Sysdiff, and then click End Task.

Quit Task Manager.

Error Message: Installation Failed

This error message can occur during Windows NT Setup when you use the Sysdiff /inf command to integrate the image into Windows NT Setup. This error message usually indicates a problem with a registry key that Sysdiff is attempting to update.

To determine which registry key is causing the problem, follow these steps:

Open the .inf file created by the Sysdiff tool in a text editor (such as Notepad). This .inf file is located in the $OEM$ folder and has the same name as the original image file.

Choose a registry key at the beginning of the .inf file as a starting point, and then use Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) to determine if that key was actually added to the registry. If this key does exist in the registry, there is a problem with a key further down the list.

Repeat step 2, but choose a registry key further down the list. If the registry key does not exist in the registry, the bad registry key is above this key and after the key you checked in step 2.

Repeat steps 2-3 until you determine the registry key in the .inf file that is causing the problem.

Debugging .inf files can be a time consuming process. You do not have to test an .inf file using a full Sysdiff /apply command each time you use a semi-colon (;) to remark out a line in an .inf file. During Windows NT Setup, the cmdlines.txt file reads the .inf file and writes each registry entry. To troubleshoot this process using the Cmdlines.txt file, follow these steps:

Copy the Cmdlines.txt file and the .inf file from the $OEM$ folder to an empty folder on your computer (for example, c:\debug).

At a command prompt, type the following commands, pressing ENTER after each command:

cd\debug
copy cmdlines.txt go.bat
edit go.bat

In the text editor, delete the [Commands] heading, remove the quotation marks from any lines that modify the registry, save the changes, and then quit the text editor.

Run the Go.bat batch file to determine if the changes you made to the .inf file were added to the registry.

NOTE: You should follow these steps on a computer on which the Sysdiff installation has failed. The program folders and .ini files must exist for these steps to work properly. Also, verify that the SystemRoot%\system32 folder exists in the environment path.

Microsoft Office Does Not Work Properly

If user profiles are enabled in Windows NT, some versions of Microsoft Office may not work properly. In some cases, if you install Microsoft Office as one user and then log on as another user, some registry keys may be missing. This problem occurs because some versions of Office do not recognize Windows NT user profiles.

For additional information about this issue, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q159212
TITLE : Office 95 Used on Windows NT 3.51 or Windows 95 with Profiles

To work around this issue, use the appropriate method below:

Log on to Windows NT using the account that is going to use Microsoft Office, and then apply the Sysdiff image. To apply the image file, the user account must be a member of the Administrators group. Once the Sysdiff image is complete, you can remove the user from the Administrators group.

Use another method for deploying Microsoft Office to Windows NT users. For information about the different deployment methods that are available, please see the following Microsoft web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/office/ork/default.htm

For additional information about unattended installations and the Sysdiff tool, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q155197
TITLE : Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File

ARTICLE-ID: Q156795
TITLE : Using Sysdiff.exe with Unattended Setup and Windows NT 4.0

ARTICLE-ID: Q158548
TITLE : Sysdiff Changes Dates on Files It Applies to WinNT

ARTICLE-ID: Q159839
TITLE : Sysdiff Does Not Add Empty Directories

ARTICLE-ID: Q154888
TITLE : SYSDIFF /inf Does Not Propagate Shortcuts to the Desktop

ARTICLE-ID: Q154745
TITLE : SYSDIFF Skips Registry Entries Without Values

ARTICLE-ID: Q154487
TITLE : SYSDIFF /dump Err. Msg: The Data Is Invalid

ARTICLE-ID: Q151908
TITLE : SYSDIFF /dump Displays Some Registry Data Types Incorrectly

ARTICLE-ID: Q113583
TITLE : SYSDIFF Does Not Remove Folders That Are Not Empty

Additional query words: corrupt


Keywords          : kbsetup kbtool kbtshoot ntsetup NTSrvWkst 
Version           : 4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        :

Last Reviewed: January 27, 1999