Updated Remote Installation Service functionality in Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and in x64-based versions of Windows Server 2003

The RIS feature simplifies the task of installing an operating system on computers throughout an organization. It provides a mechanism for computers to connect to a network server during the initial boot process, while the server controls a local installation of Windows. This can be used to either install the correct configuration of the operating system on a new computer, or to restore a failed computer to a known operating system configuration. On a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 SP1, RIS now supports running on a Windows Server 2003 SP1 x64-based server. Additionally, RIS now supports the deployment of x64 images by using the Remote Installation Service Setup Wizard (Risetup.exe) and the Remote Installation Preparation Wizard (Riprep.exe)) from a RIS Windows Server 2003 SP1 server of any architecture (x64, IA-64, and x86).

Warning If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

There are two ways to add operating system images to a RIS computer. You can use the RIS Setup Wizard (Risetup.exe) or the Remote Installation Preparation Wizard (Riprep.exe).

Use the Remote Installation Services Setup Wizard

Images that are created by using Risetup.exe are images that are built from the Windows CD-ROM. When the images are added, a path of the Windows Setup files, either on a CD-ROM or on a network share, must be specified. You can add Risetup.exe images by using one of the following three methods.

Method 1

Add a new operating system image to the RIS server. To do this, follow these steps:

1. On the RIS computer, click Start, point to Programs, and then click Administrative Tools.
2. Under Remote Installation Services Setup, click Add a New Operating system image .

Method 2

At a command prompt on the RIS computer, type RISETUP /add, and the press ENTER .

Method 3

Use the Add a New Installation Image Wizard to add an image. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type Dsa.msc, and then click OK
3. On the RIS computer, click Properties on the Action menu.
4. Click Remote Install, click Advanced, click Images, and then click Add a new installation image.
5. Type the name of your image, and then click OK.

If you add a x64 Risetup.exe image or have a RIS computer that is running Windows Server 2003 earlier than Service Pack 1 (x86 or IA-64), you receive the following error message:This error message occurs because a non-Windows Server 2003 SP1 version of the Risetup.exe file does not understand the 64-bit version image structure. Risetup.exe would find an I386 folder in the CD-ROM image source. However, Risetup.exe would not find all the files in the folder location. Therefore, Risetup.exe interprets that the image source was missing files, and then generates the error message.

Use the Remote Installation Preparation Wizard

Riprep.exe images are also file system-based images that are located on a RIS computer. However, unlike Risetup.exe images, Riprep.exe images look similar to the hard disk-images that are created by using a third-party disk-imaging tool and the Windows System Preparation tool (Sysprep.exe). Riprep.exe images are created by running the Riprep.exe on a master computer that has the operating system configuration, programs, settings, and desktop customizations that are to be captured and deployed to the client computers in the organization.

The 64-bit version of the Riprep.exe file is only included with the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003 client and server versions.

Each Riprep.exe image requires a backup copy image. Therefore, before you can create a 64-bit version Riprep.exe image of Windows Server 2003 SP1, a Risetup.exe image of Windows Server 2003 SP1 x64 must first be loaded to the RIS computer. On the initial Risetup.exe load of the x64 image, the following 64-bit files for Riprep.exe are copied from the x64 Risetup.exe image location:

• Riprep.exe
• Riprep.inf
• Setupcl.exe

Note The image location can be a local download folder or a CD-ROM.

These files are put in the \RemoteInstall\Admin\Amd64 folder. Also, a file version checking mechanism makes sure that the most up to date version of the following files are included on the RIS server:

• Riprep.exe
• Riprep.inf
• Setupcl.exe

If the file versions in the copied x64 Risetup.exe image are newer than the existing x64 versions on the RIS computer, the RIS computer versions are updated to contain the latest available versions of the files. The Riprep.exe, Riprep.inf, and Setupcl.exe files are backward compatible. If the x64 versions in the copied x64 Risetup.exe image are the same as or older than the x64 versions on the RIS computer, the files on the RIS computer remain unchanged.

Operating System Chooser file (.osc)

In the 64-bit version of the Client Installation Wizard (CIW) and with a RIS Server running Windows Server 2003 SP1 of any architecture (x86, IA-64, and x64), there were changes made to the selection of the CIW screen when 32-bit and 64-bit bit operating systems were available. A new 64-bit screen, x8664.osc, is now available. The x8664.osc file lets administrators filter or restrict operating system selections based on architecture for x64 RIS clients.

To help in the selection process, the x8664.osc file is added to the following folder location when the first Windows Server 2003 SP1 Risetup.exe image is copied: By default, the new x8664.osc file is created if the Windows Server 2003 Server SP1 Risetup.exe image is the first image to be uploaded to the RIS computer. If there are existing images on the RIS computer when the first Windows Server 2003 Server SP1 Ripsetup.exe image is added, you must choose the option to overwrite or back up and overwrite the .osc screens during the installation to obtain the new screen.

Note If custom actions or automation in the .osc screen flow may be lost if you select the option to overwrite the .osc screens upon Risetup.exe of an image.

The x8664.osc file is used to determine whether the operating system choices that are displayed to the user will be 32-bit x86 or 64-bit x64 if the client computer that starts is running on the x64 platform. This behavior is controlled in the x8664.osc file by a manual selection of the appropriate installation choice. Besides the manual selection of the x8664.osc file, there is a new registry entry that can force all 64-bit version clients to see only one architecture of images, x86 or x64. This registry entry can be found in the DefaultPlatformforX8664 value in the following registry key:For example, if the registry value is set to “i386”, only i386 operating system images are displayed in Oschoice.osc. If the registry value is set to “amd64”, only x64 operating system images are displayed in Oschoice.osc. If the registry value is not set, the default behavior will cause the x8664.osc screen to prompt for user input. You can choose one of the following two options:

• Install Microsoft Windows 32-bit Edition
• Install Microsoft Windows 64-bit Edition

If you choose the first option, only a 32-bit operating system installation image is installed. If only one 32-bit operating system image exists, the CIW continues directly to the Warning.osc screen. If you choose the second option, only a 64-bit operating system installation image is installed. If only one 64-bit operating system image exists, the CIW continues directly to the Warning.osc screen.

The x8664.osc file also contains the following functionality:

• The x8664.osc screen is only seen by x64 client computers. The x86 and IA-64-based computers do not see the new screen.
• If no Windows Server 2003 SP1 Risetup.exe images or Microsoft Windows XP x64 images exist on the RIS server, the new behavior is not established. This is because the new x8664.osc screen is not copied to the server until the first upload of Windows Server 2003 SP1or the Windows XP x64 Risetup.exe image. Additionally, the new behavior is not established if the administrator runs Risetup.exe to make a down-level operating system and the administrator chooses to overwrite the .osc screens. For example, you have Windows Server 2003 SP1 server, you upload a Windows Server 2003 SP1 Risetup.exe image, and then you choose to overwrite the .osc screens. You now have the new behavior. However, if you upload a Windows Server 2003 non-SP1 version Risetup.exe image to the server and choose to overwrite the screens, you lose the behavior. This change occurs because the screens that you are now using are the non-SP1 version and do not contain the changes.
• If the new x8664.osc file was not copied during the upload of the first x64 Risetup.exe image, the new functionality is not established. For example, the administrator keeps the current .osc screens and does not copy the new .osc screens when the x64 Risetup.exe image is created.
  
  To obtain the new functionality to restrict x64 RIS client computers to only view x86 32-bit or x64 64-bit operating system images, the new .osc screens must exist and the RIS server must be running Windows Server 2003 SP1.
• When you view the code of the x8664.osc file in Notepad.exe, the "Install Default Windows" option is displayed. The Install Default Windows option enables the x8664.osc file to be processed automatically without any user interaction. This behavior is required because the client computer may not be a 64-bit version. If the client computer is either x86 or IA-64, the CIW continues automatically and the user is not prompted for input in the x8664.osc file.

Maintenance and Troubleshoot menus (Tools.osc and Tlchoice.osc)

If you use a x64 version of the Maintenance and Troubleshooting menu, functionality that was previously in the Tools.osc file has been moved to a new screen, the Tlchoice.osc file.

There are two paths that you can take when you choose an operating system image to deploy from the Client Installation Wizard. The first path involves selection of either ‘Automatic Setup’ or ‘Custom Setup’ from the Choice.osc file. When you choose either of these options, a computer account, if one does not already exist, is created in Active Directory. If a computer account does not already exist, RIS creates the account on behalf of the user based on a policy that is stored in Active Directory. If a computer account already exists, the user may choose both the computer name and location by using an organizational unit (OU) when the computer account is created. The second path involves selection of the Maintenance and Troubleshooting option from the Choice.osc file. The installation method differs from the first because no computer account is created. The most common use of starting an operating system from the Maintenance and Troubleshooting option is booting Windows Preinstallation Environment ( WinPE) to help in operating system deployment. Because WinPE is typically used to temporarily start before applying an operating system image, a computer account is not created in Active Directory when a WinPE-based computer is booted.

There are two ways that WinPE-based images are displayed under the Maintenance and Troubleshooting option from the Choice.osc file:

• Setting Imagetype =WinPE in the [OSChooser] section of the Ristndrd.sif file.
• Creating a \Tools folder at the same level as the \Images folder. For example, \RemoteInstall\Setup\Language\Tools, and then putting the folder structure that contains the WinPE image into the \Tools folder.

An x64-based computer may run either 32-bit or 64-bit maintenance and troubleshooting tools. To help in the selection process, the Tools.osc screen emulates the same selection behavior that is seen in the x8664.osc file. After you select Maintenance and Troubleshooting from the Choice.osc file, the new Tools.osc screen displays the following two options to the user:

• Display 32-bit Tools
• Display 64-bit Tools

If you choose the first option, only the 32-bit tools are displayed in the Tlchoice.osc file. If you choose the second option, only 64-bit tools are displayed in the Tlchoice.osc file.

The following functionality is included in the Tlchoice.osc and Choice.osc files:

• The Tools.osc screen is only seen by x64-based client computers. x86-based and IA-64-based client computers do not see the screen.
• If no Windows Server 2003 SP1 Risetup.exe images or Microsoft Windows XP x64-based images exist on the RIS server, the new functionality does not exist. This is because the new Tlchoice.osc screen and the Tools.osc file are not copied to the server until the first upload of a Windows Server 2003 SP1 or Windows XP x64 Risetup.exe image.
• The Tlchoice.osc and Tools.osc files are not copied on upload of the first x64 Risetup.exe image. For example, the administrator chose to keep the current .osc screens and not copy the new .osc screens during the x64 Risetup.exe image creation. Therefore, the new functionality does not exist. To obtain the new functionality to restrict x64-based RIS client computers to only view x86 32-bit or x64 64-bit Maintenance and Troubleshooting tools, the new .osc screens must be in place and the registry value must be configured appropriately.
• The DefaultPlatformForX8664 registry value controls the x8664.osc behavior in the Automatic Setup and Custom Setup choices. The DefaultPlatformForX8664 registry value also controls the behavior in Maintenance and Troubleshooting. For more information about the DefaultPlatformForX8664 registry key, see the Operating System Chooser section.
• There is a third option, Install Default Windows, that you can see in the Tools.osc screen source. This option enables the Tools.osc file to be automatically processed without user interaction. This behavior is required because of the following two reasons:
  • The booting client computer may not be using an x64 platform. If the client computer is using an x86 or IA-64 platform, installation by using the Client Installation Wizard continues automatically and the user is not prompted for input in Tools.osc.
  • If a Windows Server 2003 SP1 x86 or IA-64 Risetup.exe image is put on a Windows Server 2003 RIS server, the new Tools.osc file can be put on a Windows Server 2003 RIS server. However, this only occurs if the option to replace .osc screens was chosen during the image upload of a Server 2003 SP1 image.
    
    Note A RIS server version that is earlier than Windows Server 2003 SP1 does not have the logic to process the new ‘Display 32-bit Tools’ and ‘Display 64-bit Tools’ options in the Tools.osc file. Because the default option is the only pre-populated menu choice, it is processed, and the screen is bypassed.
• With the reuse of the pre-Windows Server 2003 SP1 Tools.osc screen, the screen menu order for the Maintenance and Troubleshooting option has changed. In versions of Windows Server 2003 earlier than Windows Server 2003 SP1, the menu order is the Choice.osc screen, and then the Tools.osc screen. In Windows Server 2003 SP1, the menu order is the Choice.osc screen, the Tools.osc screen, and then the Tlchoice.osc screen. Besides the change in screen order for the Tools.osc file, there is also a change in screen order for the Automatic and Custom menu options. In versions of Windows Server 2003 earlier than Windows Server 2003 SP1, the screen order for the Automatic Choice menu was the Choice.osc file, the Osauto.osc file, and then the Oschoice.osc file. With Windows Server 2003 SP1, the screen order is the Choice.osc file, the Osauto.osc file, the X8664.osc file, and then the Oschoice.osc file. In versions of Windows Server 2003 earlier than Windows Server 2003 SP1, the screen order for the Custom menu was the Choice.osc file, the Custom.osc file, the Oscust.osc file, and then the Oschoice.osc file. With Windows Server 2003 SP1, the screen order for the Custom menu is the Choice.osc file, the Custom.osc file, the Oscust.osc file, the X8664.osc, and then the Oschoice.osc file.

Technical support for x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows

Your hardware manufacturer provides technical support and assistance for x64-based versions of Windows. Your hardware manufacturer provides support because an x64-based version of Windows was included with your hardware. Your hardware manufacturer might have customized the installation of Windows with unique components. Unique components might include specific device drivers or might include optional settings to maximize the performance of the hardware. Microsoft will provide reasonable-effort assistance if you need technical help with your x64-based version of Windows. However, you might have to contact your manufacturer directly. Your manufacturer is best qualified to support the software that your manufacturer installed on the hardware.

For product information about Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For product information about x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003, visit the following Microsoft Web site: