15 November 2011

Switch from Cellular Phone Service to VoIP

Background:
I had been an AT&T Wireless (formerly Cingular) customer for 12 years before the idea came to me, via a colleague, to use VoIP through wireless hotspot, instead of cellular phone service. March 2011, I purchased a Verizon Samsung 4G LTE SCH-LC11 MiFi and then subscribed to Verizon's monthly plan without a contract. For the VoIP, I went with the Line2 app. So to make it a true VoIP, I put my iPhone into airplane mode with the WiFi enabled.

Update (31 January 2012):
I recently decided to reactivate my iPhone as a backup in case the MiFi dies on me. I got the AT&T $2/day plan that only bills me if I use any data or cellular. I keep my phone in airplane mode at all times with WiFi activated so I do not accidentally use it. I went onto eBay and purchased a GoPhone SIM for $2.65. Once I received the SIM, I first activated it on AT&T's site. NOTE: AT&T does not allow GoPhone service for the iPhone. I had to use the IMEI number off of my old i410 phone to activate the SIM. I then inserted the card and received the invalid SIM card error. I did a master reset on the iPhone and the SIM was then accepted. I went ahead and did both a data and cellular test. Both checked out. Now, I have a cellular backup to my MiFi plan, without the need of a monthly plan.

Results:
At first, it was touchy. Line2 was not quite developed completely. It was constantly kicking me off of VoIP back into cellular every time my MiFi would switch between 3G and 4G. Within 4 months though, they had a revolutionary update to the Line2 app that solved all of those issues. It was at that point, I cancelled my cellular plan with AT&T and went straight VoIP. I have not regretted it. Line2 offers unlimited calls and text messages nationwide for $9.95 a month. The other advantage I had with this was that my MiFi also provides data to my iPad. So it has also cut down on the cost there.

Advantages:

  1. Unlimited phone calls and text messages
  2. Voicemails can not only be listened to on the phone, but can also be automatically emailed to you
  3. MiFi provides data to both the iPhone and iPad, thereby requiring only one plan to pay for instead of two
  4. Significant overall savings
  5. I have CDMA with my MiFi and GSM with my iPhone, so if the CDMA is out of range, I can possibly still have service with the GSM through AT&T.
  6. If you are in a remote location where high speed internet is available, such as cabins in East Tennessee, but there is no cell service, you still have VoIP
  7. As happened to me one time, if your iPhone dies and you have your iPad with you, then you still have VoIP service. If the MiFi dies, I still have the GoPhone service as a third option.


Disadvantages:

  1. You will always have to carry a second device with you, specifically, the MiFi
  2. Line2 does not yet have MMS texting capabilities, but they are close to releasing the next upgrade that will have this function
  3. If you are using an iPhone, the Line2 app does automatically check the cellular first, even if the phone is in airplane mode and you have cellular disabled in the app, which does slow it down some when first launching the app, but once it has connected through VoIP, it is perfect. This does not happen on the iPad or an iPod
  4. Line2 does not have customizable ringtones
  5. 4G MiFi devices eat the batteries up FAST, especially if you are using a lot of data
  6. I have been in one business that blocked WiFi connections and therefor my iPhone could not connect with the MiFi
  7. Line2 does not have short SMS capabilities, but it is in the future plans
NOTE: I am not putting this as a disadvantage as I will explain. You do not have the reduced prices of the cellular phones meaning that you will pay the full retail price of the phone when you have to buy a new one. That still is much cheaper than the supposed discount you get from the cellular provider. Over the life of the contract, the carrier makes a lot more off of you than you got discounted on the phone. You can compare it to financing. It's just that you have to put the money up front instead of extending payments over the life of the contract.

Price Breakdown:

This is the plan I had with AT&T compared to what I now have with Line2 and Verizon:

AT&T PlanPriceVerizon/Line2 PlanPrice
Nation 450 with Rollover Minutes$39.99Line2 Calling Plan with
Unlimited Calling
$9.95
DataPro 4 GB for Smartphones$45.00Verizon 4G 5gb Data Plan$50.00
Messaging Unlimited$20.00included$0.00
Enhanced Voice Mail$1.99included$0.00
iPhone Insurance$9.99GoCare iPhone Insurance$4.92
iPad Plan$25.00included$0.00
AT&T Total$141.97Verizon/Line2 Total$64.87
54.3% Monthly Savings


This is the equivalent option available by AT&T that matches the features provided by Line2 and Verizon:

AT&T PlanPriceVerizon/Line2 PlanPrice
Nation Unlimited$69.99Line2 Calling Plan with
Unlimited Calling
$9.95
DataPro 4 GB for Smartphones$45.00Verizon 4G 5gb Data Plan$50.00
Messaging Unlimited$20.00included$0.00
Enhanced Voice Mail$1.99included$0.00
iPhone Insurance$9.99GoCare iPhone Insurance$4.92
iPad Plan$25.00included$0.00
AT&T Total$171.97Verizon/Line2 Total$64.87
62.3% Monthly Savings


Conclusion:
The Line2 app is very easy to use. It functions just like any built-in cellular app does. There is nothing special you have to do to set it up. The biggest thing to me has been the cost savings. It cut my monthly bill by more than 50%. I rarely talked on the phone, the 250 minute plan was a thing of the past, unless you are a senior citizen, so I usually had thousands of minutes of carry over time each year with AT&T. I personally prefer texting. The advantages, in my opinion, far outweigh the disadvantages. I really like the fact of knowing that I have two VoIP devices, iPhone and iPad, in case one dies on me, plus there is the GoPhone cellular service on the iPhone that provides a third means of communications. The Line2 iPad app they recently released is a very slick app. I know a lot of people have asked how I can stand carrying two devices all of the time. It is easy. I have a belt pouch for my MiFi and then my pant pocket for the iPhone. I also carry my iPad quite a bit of the time. 

12 November 2011

Configuring BIOS Settings during the SCCM/MDT Imaging Process

You want to set the BIOS settings during an imaging process, but you can't get it correctly sequenced into the task sequencing. The BIOS can be set in the task sequencing process, but it can only function correctly after the image has been laid down; post-image process or later. This causes an issue for such tasks as setting the SATA mode to either AHCI or ATA. Once the image has been laid down, these cannot be set, otherwise the OS will blue screen upon reboot. In order to work around this, the boot WIM file, which loads the initial MDT screen, needs to be modified to include the Dell CCTK, inject HAPI drivers, and modify the unattend.xml file. The Dell CCTK is a command line utility that will set the BIOS settings. The HAPI drivers provide the hooks required by the CCTK to function properly. Finally, the unattend.xml file needs to be modified in order to load the HAPI drivers into memory and then execute the CCTK, which sets the BIOS settings, before executing the Litetouch.wsh. You can download the script from below.

NOTE: When using the CCTK, it is best to create a master ini data file for CCTK to read from for all of the model PCs you currently have, including both laptops and desktops. It does not matter if you have settings in there that a system does not have. It will skip over the settings that do not exist. The CCTK Options below is documentation provided by Dell of all the available CCTK options to add to your ini file.

NOTE: This has only been used on Dell systems at the firm I work for. We have 35 different models that we manage. I cannot guarantee the CCTK command and drivers will function correctly on any other system, other than a Dell.

Here are links to all of the CCTK BIOS options, multiplatform.ini file, and the script I wrote:



 '*******************************************************************************   
 '      Program: Install.vbs   
 '       Author: Mick Pletcher   
 '         Date:   
 '     Modified:   
 '   
 '      Program:   
 '      Version:   
 '  Description: This will do the following to the MDT/SCCM generated WIM files:   
 '        inject the Dell CCTK, inject the HAPI drivers, and modify the   
 '        unattend.xml file.   
 '
 ' Requirements: Microsoft WAIK, location for the locally stored WinPE files   
 '        (WinPEDIR Global Variable), MDT Server (I have 2 servers   
 '        MDT01 and MDT02), designation of architecture, and Dell CCTK.   
 '        NOTE: This script has been created to automate the update process   
 '        on a Windows 7 64-bit PC, therefor the directory locations of   
 '        the CCTK files will differ for an x86 machine.   
 '*******************************************************************************   
 Option Explicit  
 
 REM Define Constants   
 CONST TempFolder  = "c:\temp\"   
 CONST LogFolderName = "CCTK"   
 CONST MDT01     = "MDT01"   
 CONST MDT02     = "MDT02"   
 CONST WinPEDIR   = "c:\winpe\"   
 CONST x64      = "x64"   
 CONST x86      = "x86"   

 REM Define Global Variables   
 DIM LogFolder   : LogFolder    = TempFolder & LogFolderName & "\"   
 DIM RelativePath : Set RelativePath = Nothing   

 DefineRelativePath()   
 REM Refresh Local WIM Files from MDT Servers   
   DeleteLocalWIMFiles()   
   CopyWIMFiles( MDT01 )   
   RenameWIMFiles( MDT01 )   
   CopyWIMFiles( MDT02 )   
   RenameWIMFiles( MDT02 )   
 REM Process Local x86 file for MDT01   
   MountWIM MDT01,x86   
   AddWMI(x86)   
   CopyHAPIFiles( x86 )   
   CopyCCTKFiles( x86 )   
   EditUnattend( x86 )   
   DismountWIM()   
 REM Process Local x64 File for MDT01   
   MountWIM MDT01,x64   
   AddWMI(x64)   
   CopyHAPIFiles( x64 )   
   CopyCCTKFiles( x64 )   
   EditUnattend( x64 )   
   DismountWIM()   
 REM Process Local x86 File for MDT02   
   MountWIM MDT02,x86   
   AddWMI(x86)   
   CopyHAPIFiles( x86 )   
   CopyCCTKFiles( x86 )   
   EditUnattend( x86 )   
   DismountWIM()   
 REM Process Local x64 File for MDT02   
   MountWIM MDT02,x64   
   AddWMI(x64)   
   CopyHAPIFiles( x64 )   
   CopyCCTKFiles( x64 )   
   EditUnattend( x64 )   
   DismountWIM()   
 Complete()   
 GlobalVariableCleanup()   

 '*******************************************************************************   
 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub DefineRelativePath()   

   REM Get File Name with full relative path   
   RelativePath = WScript.ScriptFullName   
   REM Remove file name, leaving relative path only   
   RelativePath = Left(RelativePath, InStrRev(RelativePath, "\")) 

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub DeleteLocalWIMFiles()   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM FSO    : Set FSO    = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")   
   DIM oShell : SET oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM Parameters : Parameters = "/F /Q"   
   DIM sCMD_1 : sCMD_1 = "%COMSPEC% /c del " & RelativePath & "*MDT01.wim"   
   DIM sCMD_2 : sCMD_2 = "%COMSPEC% /c del " & RelativePath & "*MDT02.wim"   
   DIM sCMD_3 : sCMD_3 = "%COMSPEC% /c del " & RelativePath & "generic*.wim"   

   oShell.Run sCMD_1 & Parameters, 1, True   
   oShell.Run sCMD_2 & Parameters, 1, True   
   oShell.Run sCMD_3 & Parameters, 1, True   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set sCMD_1     = Nothing   
   Set sCMD_2     = Nothing   
   Set sCMD_3     = Nothing   
   Set FSO        = Nothing   
   Set oShell     = Nothing   
   Set Parameters = Nothing   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Function CopyWIMFiles(Server)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM oShell : SET oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM Source      : Source      = "\\" & Server & "\DeploymentShare\Boot"   
   DIM Destination : Destination = "c:\winpe"   
   DIM Parameters  : Parameters  = "*.wim /eta /r:1 /w:0"   
   DIM Command01   : Command01   = "robocopy" & Chr(32) & Source & Chr(32) & Destination & Chr(32) & Parameters   

   oShell.Run Command01, 1, True  
 
   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set Command01   = Nothing   
   Set Destination = Nothing   
   Set oShell      = Nothing   
   Set Parameters  = Nothing   
   Set Source      = Nothing   

 End Function   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Function RenameWIMFiles(Server)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM FSO  : Set FSO  = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM Source_x86 : Source_x86 = RelativePath & "LiteTouchPE_x86.wim"   
   DIM Source_x64 : Source_x64 = RelativePath & "LiteTouchPE_x64.wim"   
   DIM Dest_x86  : Dest_x86  = RelativePath & "LiteTouchPE_x86_" & Server & ".wim"   
   DIM Dest_x64  : Dest_x64  = RelativePath & "LiteTouchPE_x64_" & Server & ".wim"   

   If FSO.FileExists(Source_x86) then   
     If NOT FSO.FileExists(Dest_x86) then   
       FSO.MoveFile Source_x86, Dest_x86   
     End If   
   End If   
   If FSO.FileExists(Source_x64) then   
     If NOT FSO.FileExists(Dest_x64) then   
       FSO.MoveFile Source_x64, Dest_x64   
     End If   
   End If   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set Dest_x86   = Nothing   
   Set Dest_x64   = Nothing   
   Set FSO        = Nothing   
   Set Source_x86 = Nothing   
   Set Source_x64 = Nothing   

 End Function   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Function MountWIM(Server,Architecture)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM oShell : SET oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM MountDIR  : MountDIR  = RelativePath & "Mount"   
   DIM WIMFile   : WIMFile  = RelativePath & "LiteTouchPE_" & Architecture & "_" & Server & ".wim"   
   DIM Command01 : Command01 = "DISM /Mount-Wim /WIMFile:" & WIMFile & Chr(32) & "/Index:1 /MountDIR:" & MountDIR
   
   oShell.Run Command01, 1, True   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set Command01 = Nothing   
   Set MountDIR  = Nothing   
   Set oShell    = Nothing   
   Set WIMFile   = Nothing 
  
 End Function   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub AddWMI(Architecture)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM oShell : SET oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM Image           : Image       = "/Image:" & RelativePath & "Mount"   
   DIM AddPackage      : AddPackage   = "/Add-Package"   
   DIM PackagePath     : Set PackagePath = Nothing   
   DIM PackagePath_x86 : PackagePath_x86 = "/PackagePath:" & Chr(34) &_   
                       "C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\x86\WinPE_FPs\winpe-wmi.cab" & Chr(34)   
   DIM PackagePath_x64 : PackagePath_x64 = "/PackagePath:" & Chr(34) &_   
                       "C:\Program Files\Windows AIK\Tools\PETools\amd64\WinPE_FPs\winpe-wmi.cab" & Chr(34)   
   DIM Command01       : Set Command01  = Nothing   

   If Architecture = "x86" Then   
     PackagePath = PackagePath_x86   
   Else   
     PackagePath = PackagePath_x64   
   End If   
   Command01 = "DISM" & Chr(32) & Image & Chr(32) & AddPackage & Chr(32) & PackagePath   
   oShell.Run Command01, 1, True   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set AddPackage      = Nothing   
   Set Command01       = Nothing   
   Set Image           = Nothing   
   Set oShell          = Nothing   
   Set PackagePath     = Nothing   
   Set PackagePath_x86 = Nothing   
   Set PackagePath_x64 = Nothing   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub CreateFolderStructure(Architecture)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM FSO    : Set FSO    = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")   
   DIM oShell : Set oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM Command01     : Set Command01 = Nothing   
   DIM Directory     : Set Directory = Nothing   
   DIM Directory_x86 : Directory_x86 = RelativePath & "Mount\CCTK\x86\HAPI"   
   DIM Directory_x64 : Directory_x64 = RelativePath & "Mount\CCTK\x86_64\HAPI"   

   If Architecture = "x86" Then   
     Directory = Directory_x86   
   Else   
     Directory = Directory_x64   
   End If   
   If NOT FSO.FolderExists(Directory) then   
     FSO.CreateFolder(Directory)   
   End If   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set Command01     = Nothing   
   Set Directory     = Nothing   
   Set Directory_x86 = Nothing   
   Set Directory_x64 = Nothing   
   Set FSO           = Nothing   
   Set oShell        = Nothing   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub CopyHAPIFiles(Architecture)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM FSO    : Set FSO    = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")   
   DIM oShell : SET oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM sCMD_1     : Set sCMD_1 = Nothing   
   DIM sCMD_2     : Set sCMD_2 = Nothing   
   DIM Source     : Set Source = Nothing   
   DIM Source_x86 : Source_x86 = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\CCTK\X86\HAPI\*.*"   
   DIM Source_x64 : Source_x64 = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\CCTK\X86_64\HAPI\*.*"   
   DIM Dest       : Set Dest   = Nothing   
   DIM Dest_x86   : Dest_x86   = RelativePath & "mount\CCTK\x86\HAPI"   
   DIM Dest_x64   : Dest_x64   = RelativePath & "mount\CCTK\x86_64\HAPI"   

   If Architecture = "x86" Then   
     Source = Source_x86   
     Dest  = Dest_x86   
   Else   
     Source = Source_x64   
     Dest  = Dest_x64   
   End If   
   sCMD_1 = "%COMSPEC% /c mkdir " & Dest   
   If NOT FSO.FolderExists(Dest) then   
     oShell.Run sCMD_1, 1, True   
   End If   
   sCMD_2 = "%COMSPEC% /c copy " & Chr(34) & Source & Chr(34) & Chr(32) & Dest & Chr(32) & "/V /Y"   
 '  If FSO.FolderExists(Source) then   
     oShell.Run sCMD_2, 1, True   
 '  End If   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set Dest       = Nothing   
   Set Dest_x86   = Nothing   
   Set Dest_x64   = Nothing   
   Set FSO        = Nothing   
   Set oShell     = Nothing   
   Set sCMD_1     = Nothing   
   Set sCMD_2     = Nothing   
   Set Source     = Nothing   
   Set Source_x86 = Nothing   
   Set Source_x64 = Nothing 
  
 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub CopyCCTKFiles(Architecture)   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM FSO : Set FSO = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM CCTKFile   : CCTKFile  = "cctk.exe"   
   DIM MXMLFile   : MXMLFile  = "mxml1.dll"   
   DIM INIFile    : INIFile  = "multiplatform.ini"   
   DIM PCIFile    : PCIFile  = "pci.ids"   
   DIM NetSource  : NetSource = "\\global.gsp\data\clients\na_clients\Dell\BIOS\"   
   DIM Source     : Set Source = Nothing   
   DIM Source_x86 : Source_x86 = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\CCTK\X86\"   
   DIM Source_x64 : Source_x64 = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dell\CCTK\X86_64\"   
   DIM Dest       : Set Dest  = Nothing   
   DIM Dest_x86   : Dest_x86  = RelativePath & "mount\CCTK\x86\"   
   DIM Dest_x64   : Dest_x64  = RelativePath & "mount\CCTK\x86_64\"   

   If Architecture = "x86" Then   
     Source = Source_x86   
     Dest  = Dest_x86   
   Else   
     Source = Source_x64   
     Dest  = Dest_x64   
   End If   
   If NOT FSO.FolderExists(Dest) then   
     FSO.CreateFolder(Dest)   
   End If   
   If FSO.FolderExists(Source) then   
     FSO.CopyFile Source & CCTKFile, Dest, 1   
   End If   
   If FSO.FolderExists(Source) then   
     FSO.CopyFile NetSource & INIFile, Dest, 1   
   End If   
   If FSO.FolderExists(Source) then   
     FSO.CopyFile Source & PCIFile, Dest, 1   
   End If   
   If FSO.FolderExists(Source) then   
     FSO.CopyFile Source & MXMLFile, Dest, 1   
   End If   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set CCTKFile   = Nothing   
   Set INIFile    = Nothing   
   Set MXMLFile   = Nothing   
   Set PCIFile    = Nothing   
   Set Dest       = Nothing   
   Set Dest_x86   = Nothing   
   Set Dest_x64   = Nothing   
   Set FSO        = Nothing   
   Set Source     = Nothing   
   Set Source_x86 = Nothing   
   Set Source_x64 = Nothing   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub EditUnattend(Architecture)   

 REM Define Local Constants   
 CONST ForReading = 1   
 CONST ForWriting = 2   

 REM Define Local Objects   
 DIM File    : File    = "C:\winpe\mount\unattend.xml"   
 DIM strOld1 : strOld1 = "<Order>1</Order>"   
 DIM strNew1 : strNew1 = "<Order>4</Order>"   
 DIM strOld2 : strOld2 = "<RunSynchronous>"   
 DIM strNew2 : strNew2 = "<RunSynchronous>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action=" & Chr(34) & "add" & Chr(34) & ">" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Description>Map BIOS Drive</Description>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Order>1</Order>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Path>net use \\global.gsp\data\clients\na_clients\dell\bios /user:{username/password}</Path>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "</RunSynchronousCommand>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action=" & Chr(34) & "add" & Chr(34) & ">" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Description>Initiate HAPI</Description>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Order>2</Order>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Path>X:\CCTK\x86_64\HAPI\hapint -i -k C-C-T-K -p X:\CCTK\x86_64\HAPI\</Path>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "</RunSynchronousCommand>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action=" & Chr(34) & "add" & Chr(34) & ">" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Description>Set BIOS Settings</Description>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Order>3</Order>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "<Path>x:\CCTK\x86_64\cctk.exe -i \\global.gsp\data\clients\na_clients\Dell\BIOS\multiplatform.ini</Path>" & Chr(10) &_   
                     "</RunSynchronousCommand>"   
 DIM objFSO        : Set objFSO    = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")   
 DIM objFile       : Set objFile    = objFSO.getFile(File)   
 DIM objTextStream : Set objTextStream = objFile.OpenAsTextStream(ForReading)   
 DIM strInclude    : strInclude    = objTextStream.ReadAll   

 objTextStream.Close   
 Set objTextStream = Nothing   
 If InStr(strInclude,strOld1) > 0 Then   
   strInclude = Replace(strInclude,strOld1,strNew1)   
   Set objTextStream = objFile.OpenAsTextStream(ForWriting)   
   objTextStream.Write strInclude   
   objTextSTream.Close   
   Set objTextStream = Nothing   
 End If   
 If InStr(strInclude,strOld2) > 0 Then   
   strInclude = Replace(strInclude,strOld2,strNew2)   
   Set objTextStream = objFile.OpenAsTextStream(ForWriting)   
   objTextStream.Write strInclude   
   objTextSTream.Close   
   Set objTextStream = Nothing   
 End If  
 
 REM Cleanup Local Variables   
 Set File          = Nothing   
 Set objFile       = Nothing   
 Set objFSO        = Nothing   
 Set objTextStream = Nothing   
 Set strInclude    = Nothing   
 Set strNew1       = Nothing   
 Set strNew2       = Nothing   
 Set strOld1       = Nothing   
 Set strOld2       = Nothing   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub DismountWIM()   

   REM Define Local Objects   
   DIM oShell : SET oShell = CreateObject("Wscript.Shell")   

   REM Define Local Variables   
   DIM MountDIR  : MountDIR  = RelativePath & "Mount"   
   DIM Command01 : Command01 = "DISM /Unmount-WIM /MountDir:" & MountDIR & Chr(32) & "/commit"   

   oShell.Run Command01, 1, True   

   REM Cleanup Local Variables   
   Set Command01 = Nothing   
   Set MountDIR  = Nothing   
   Set oShell    = Nothing   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub Complete()   

   MsgBox "Process Complete"   

 End Sub   

 '*******************************************************************************   

 Sub GlobalVariableCleanup()   

   Set LogFolder    = Nothing   
   Set RelativePath = Nothing   

 End Sub  


Multiplatform.ini File.

NOTE: The semi-colon in front of the items comments them out
 [cctk]  
 acpower=last  
 ;agpslot=enable  
 amblightsen=enable  
 ;autoon=disable  
 ;autoonhr=0  
 ;autoonmn=0  
 bltinfloppy=disable  
 ;bltinpntdevice=enable  
 ;bluetoothdevice=enable  
 bootorder=+hdd,+cdrom,+usbcdrom,+usbdev,+embnic,-floppy  
 ;camera=enable  
 ;cellularradio=enable  
 chasintrusion=disable  
 ;clearsel=yes  
 ;dbpm=enable  
 embnic1=on  
 embsataraid=ahci  
 ;embscsi1=off  
 ;embscsi2=off  
 ;embsdcard=on  
 ;embvideoctrl=enable  
 ;energystarlogo=enable  
 ;esataports=enable  
 ;expresscard=enable  
 expresscharge=enable  
 fastboot=minimal  
 floppy=usb  
 ;forcepxe=disable  
 hddacousticmode=performance  
 ;hddprotection=on  
 ;hdfreefallprotect=enable  
 hotdock=enable  
 ;htkeywxanradio=enable  
 ;idecdrom=auto  
 ;instanton=enable  
 ;integratedaudio=enable  
 ;integratedsas=disable  
 ;internalminipci=enable  
 ;interwirelessuwb=enable  
 ;ioat=enable  
 ;keyboardclick=disable  
 keyboardillumination=auto  
 ;keypad=enabledbynumlock  
 ;limitcpuidvalue=off  
 logicproc=enable  
 ;lowpowers5=disable  
 ;lpt=lpt1  
 ;mediacard=enable  
 ;mediacardand1394=enable  
 ;memtest=disable  
 ;microphone=enable  
 ;minicardssd=enable  
 ;mobilepowermgmt=enable  
 ;mouse=on  
 multicpucore=enable  
 ;onboard1394=enable  
 ;onboardmodem=enable  
 onreader=disable  
 ;opticaldrivectrl=enable  
 ;osmode=disable  
 ;pccardand1394=enable  
 ;pcisata=enable  
 ;pcislots=enable  
 ;postf12key=enable  
 ;postf2key=enable  
 ;postmebxkey=on  
 ;powerbutton=enable  
 ;radiotransmission=enable  
 ;rearsingleusb=on  
 ;rptkeyerr=enable  
 ;sata0=auto  
 ;smartcardreader=enable  
 ;smartcpu=enable  
 smarterrors=enable  
 ;speaker=on  
 speedstep=enable  
 ;splashscreen=disable  
 ;standbystate=s3  
 ;surroundview=enable  
 ;sysbatcharger=enable  
 ;sysfanspeed=noisereduce  
 ;tpm=off  
 ;trustexecution=on  
 ;turbomode=enable  
 ;usb=on  
 ;usb30=enable  
 ;usbctl=enable  
 ;usbports=enable  
 ;usbportsexternal=enable  
 ;usbportsfront=enable  
 ;usbreardual=on  
 ;usbrearquad=on  
 ;videoexpsn=enable  
 ;virtualappliance=on  
 virtualization=enable  
 vtfordirectio=on  
 wakeonlan=lanorwlan  
 ;wificatcherchanges=permit  
 ;wifilocator=enable  
 ;wirelessadapter=enable  
 ;wirelesslan=enable  
 ;wirelessuwb=enable  
 ;wirelesswitchbluetoothctrl=enable  
 ;wirelesswitchcellularctrl=enable  
 ;wirelesswitchnlanctrl=enable  

03 November 2011

SCCM/MDT Move the Installation Progress Window

This script is to allow you to see the pop-ups that occur during software installations which are hidden by the Installation Progress Window. This script moves the window to the top of the screen. The Deployment Guys originally wrote this in autoit for SMS. I have updated and simplified it for SCCM/MDT. I have also created two different scripts from the master one to work on x86 and x64 platform deployments. Here is the code to the scripts, but I also have the following links to download the source autoit au3 file that will need to be compiled: MoveInstallationProgressWindow_x86 & MoveInstallationProgressWindow_x64.

NOTE: These scripts will only function beginning in the State Restore phase of the deployment. I have tried to execute these in earlier phases with it leading to the build erroring out. This is because it requires the OS be laid down in order to have the necessary DLL files available for these VBScripts. It is possible to get these to function in earlier states, but this requires injecting additional DLLs into the WinPE files, besides what is supplied via MDT/SCCM in generating these files.

MDT/SCCM Utilization: In MDT 2012, I imported these scripts as applications and then inserted them into the appropriate areas of the task sequence. One thing you will have to be aware of is that if an application is set to reboot the machine after installation, you will need to insert another task sequence to move the window to the top afterwards. Also, during the windows updates, it's impossible to keep the window at the top because there will probably be some updates to cause a reboot during the process. I ended up skipping the move until post-pre-updates.

Here are the downloads for the x86 and x64 versions.

MoveInstallationProgressWindow_x86:


 ;** AUTOIT3 settings  
 #AutoIt3Wrapper_UseX64=N             ;(Y/N) Use X64 versions for AutoIt3_x64 or AUT2EXE_x64. Default=N  
 ;** AUT2EXE settings  
 If $CmdLine[0] = 0 Then   
   ; Rerun ourself and let this copy return to the task sequencer   
   Run('"' & @AutoItExe & '" rerun')   
   Exit   
 EndIf  
 Sleep(2000)  
 $WindowName = "Installation Progress"  
 If WinExists($WindowName) Then   
   $size = WinGetPos($WindowName)  
   $size[1] = 0  
   WinMove($WindowName, "", $size[0], $size[1])   
 EndIf  


MoveInstallationProgressWindow_x64


 ;** AUTOIT3 settings  
 #AutoIt3Wrapper_UseX64=Y             ;(Y/N) Use X64 versions for AutoIt3_x64 or AUT2EXE_x64. Default=N  
 ;** AUT2EXE settings  
 If $CmdLine[0] = 0 Then   
   ; Rerun ourself and let this copy return to the task sequencer   
   Run('"' & @AutoItExe & '" rerun')   
   Exit   
 EndIf  
 Sleep(2000)  
 $WindowName = "Installation Progress"  
 If WinExists($WindowName) Then   
   $size = WinGetPos($WindowName)  
   $size[1] = 0  
   WinMove($WindowName, "", $size[0], $size[1])   
 EndIf