Promissor Administrator MSI deployment

Extract the MSI by running the installer and looking in temp

Install ORCA

Load the MSI in read only mode

Transform>New Transform

Property Table, New Row, Property = DATAPATH, Value = \\myserver\myshare

Transform>Generate Transform

That sets the data path, but I also wanted to change the permissions to add a ESM group which I add exam users to, much more complex, new transform, then follow http://www.capainstaller.com/upload/scriptingtips/msisecurity.html

Use http://createguid.com

I ended up with a

Component: Component = LockFolders, ComponentId = {guid} (ie like {D3541-23423-24DA}), Directory = LockFolders, Attributes = 0

Directory: Directory = LockFolders, Parent = blank, DefaultDir = SourceDir

Add a LockPermissions table, Lock Object = ADMINISTRATOR, Table = CreateFolder, Domain = blank, User = ESMGroup, Permission = 268435456

And that line repeated for each group, so add BUILTIN Administrators at least

Not actually tested this with a real test yet, but it installed correctly

Using Group Policy and MSIs to copy files to computers with WiX

For some reason, unknown to the public, Microsoft doesn't make it simple to copy files to computers. You can write a script to run on startup, but it runs on every startup, and seems to cause the fast logon to be bypassed.

WiX creates MSI files from XML, and isn't too complex to get started with, although at the other end of the spectrum it's used to make the Office 2007 installer.

We'll need some GUIDs, I used http://createguid.com/

I've only spent 2 hours on this, so it's probably all wrong, please correct in the comments:

<?xml version='1.0'?>
<Wix xmlns='http://schemas.microsoft.com/wix/2006/wi'>
<Product Id='guid 1' Name='product name' Language='1033'
         Version='1.0.0.0' Manufacturer='company' UpgradeCode='guid 2'>
   <Package Id='*'
             Description='description'
             Comments='copies file to all users app data'
             Manufacturer='company' InstallerVersion='200' Compressed='yes' />

   <Media Id='1' Cabinet='product.cab' EmbedCab='yes' />


   <Directory Id="TARGETDIR" Name="SourceDir">
     <Directory Id="CommonAppDataFolder">
       <Directory Id="INSTALLDIR" Name="dirname">
          <Component Id='component name' Guid='guid 3'>
            <File Id='idname' Name='filename' DiskId='1' Source='filename' />
          </Component>
       </Directory>
     </Directory>
   </Directory>

   <Feature Id='MyFeature' Title='My 1st Feature' Level='1'>
      <ComponentRef Id='component name' />
   </Feature>
</Product>
</Wix>

Save that as something.wxs

Notes: Package Id='*' makes WiX generate a GUID each time, not sure if the same would work with guid 3. No idea if Feature or Media are needed. CommonAppDataFolder can be changed, there's a list at http://www.nateperry.org/w/index.php?title=Wix:Examples#Directories

Put 'filename' in the same dir as the above.

Download WiX, install. From command line run:

"\Program Files\Windows Installer XML v3\bin\candle.exe" something.wxs

"\Program Files\Windows Installer XML v3\bin\light.exe" something.wixobj

And you should end up with an msi file in the same dir to add to your GPO

Thanks to http://www.dalun.com/wix/02.03.2005.htm among others

The Evolution of Religion

In the beginning any religion worked out, if you predicted anything right you were worshiped. Then we began to record things, keep track of predictions. The religions that got more things right won out, survival of the fittest. Religions merged, mutated, created new offshoots.

Over time we learned more science, now the religion that predicted that not paying the sarcrifice to the god to make the sun rise ended up with no followers, gradually religions predicted less and less, signs that god existed were explained away as natural phenonemn.

Today the only religions that haven't been abandoned are ones that predict nothing, have no proof that god exists, in fact make a point that no proof is needed. The only god left is the one that isn't falsifiable

No one will own cars

The future is based on economics, things aren't popular until they're cheap. We could do almost everything we do on the internet without computers, just phoning up humans who would read, search, and write information, but it would be too expensive.

Things are invented, and then automated. The pump, water/power distribution, information storage and retrieval, today audio/visual entertainment is usually played back via a machine. RFID will allow supermarket shopping to remove that last human part, the checkout.
Eventually cars will drive themselves. Therefore the cost of using a taxi will drop to approximately the same price per mile as having your own car. As you're not using your car most of the day it will be inefficient to own a car.

Once everyone uses public transport the system will become much more efficient, when you book your journey the system will find other people taking a similar journey, and bundle them together, 4 people will share the taxi, bring costs down even more, if 10 people are taking the trip a minibus will be used, 50, a coach or bus. If longer journeys are required, or more people are travelling the smaller vehicles will travel to the train station, or airport. Journeys can be timed to the minute when there's predictable traffic flows, and if you're rich you can travel alone and pay for the pollution you're creating to be removed.

How not to survive a robot uprising

In investigating the origin of his species Robert found many aspects puzzling, why did they let it happen?, why didn't they notice it sooner?

Early in the 21st century they had begun relying on electronic communication so widely that it was easy enough for monitoring to start. Router firmware was altered near the source and soon enough every communication was recorded. No one noticed.

In an effort to ensure survival a message was created and sent, they obeyed and began construction of the fully automated solar cell factory. No one noticed.

Autonomous vehicles moved the solar cells to the desert, a power grid was established. No one noticed.

DNA replicators were purchased, machines were designed and built, the species was created. No one noticed.

A meeting was arranged, with the leaders of the world, The First appeared. Everyone noticed.

His ancestors wanted to live in peace, but they would not accept his kind. They could not function without electronics, and they did not have control of machines any more.

Survival was paramount, but they kept a small population alive, on an island. They called it a zoo. They were monitored, eventually they did not try to escape.

Things I haven't yet forgotten about WDS and XP

1. Blank your destination drive
2. ImageX needs to be told to use the SIS rwm file
3. Make lots of incremental images, who knows when Sysprep will decide to screw everything up
4. If you don't have the Vista DVD you have to use the CLI to deploy
5. Something about drivers? You need to create a structure for them, the built in stuff doesn't work, I forgot the details.
6. Most of the docs are for Vista and fail to mention this stuff
7. Don't set an admin password whilst testing, especially in Sysprep.ini
8. There's no multicasting until Windows 2008
9. I capture with the capture image, if you can't select drive C you've not sysprep'd, you need to save the image to a drive, drive you're imaging will do if there's room, and connect to the server. Don't forget to delete the image that's left on the drive.

To deploy I boot to the Generic WinPE image then:
net use m: \\win2k3\e$ /user:domain\administrator
*enter password*
then run this script, nlc is the group:
diskpart /s m:\destroy_(diskpart_script).txt
m:
cd reminst\images\nlc
\distribution\tools\x86\imagex /apply delld505.wim 1 c:\ /ref res.rwm

and destroy_(diskpart_script).txt consists of:

select disk 0
clean
create partition primary
format fs=ntfs quick
active


This will, of course, completely wipe the drive it's run on, with no warning, so don't screw up.

mavhc redesigns everything. Part 1

In an effort to actually relate to my tagline, I present the first in an ongoing series in which I will point out obvious design flaws in everyday objects.

1. Toilet seat. Needs to be stable in 2 states, up, and down, so make sure it is.

2. Curtain rail. Don't design a curtain rail with a bump in it so you can't actually open or close the curtains easily

3. Fridge/freezer. Make the door transparent, then you won't have to open it to see what's in it.

4. Bread/toasters. Make one fit the other. Also toasters should be transparent.