SuRun will not install (no error) - nLited system

[Nazo]

I had an annoying problem that I thought it would be easier to simply reinstall and start over with a clean efficient setup rather than deal with the hard way. While I was at it, I could integrate SP3 to my nLite optimized copy of Windows XP Pro. Unfortunately, it seems to have created a new problem. I can only assume it must be related to some service I took out, but when I was creating the optimized setup I compared with the service setup I had on the system I was using at the time and could just swear that I have the same services set to the same thing (eg same manual/automatic/disable setup even.) If it is a service though, it's one I completely removed apparently because I tried enabling EVERY service that would stay on. No matter what I tried the result was the same. I've also tried installing some basic prerequisites for various programs. Eg the Visual Basic runtimes, the .NET framework, Java, and so on.

No matter what I try though, the result is the same. I double click "installsurun.exe," it shows the "loading" mouse cursor for about half of a second, and then nothing. No error messages, no programs running in the background (which would be pretty noticeable given how many times I've tried it total now -- I should have about 50 instances of it running if it were just stuck or something.) In fact, it won't even show up in the task manager (unless I try to run it a LOT of times very quickly, then it might appear for less than a second before going away.) It's exiting THAT quickly. I checked the event viewer, but there is nothing there at all related to anything that could affect this in any way that I can tell.

Needless to say, things like Secondary Accounts are enabled. (Well, that's pretty much a given since I did try it with nearly all services enabled at once.) Oh, and the account is still set as an administrator since I had intended that SuRun be my limited account security.

Anyone have any thoughts on what the heck might be going on? I REALLY don't want to have to rebuild, waste another CDR (no RWs handy,) and reinstall again already... And that's assuming that the culprit is even related to the services. I had a nLite optimized install before as well and I don't think I've changed it around that much. I don't suppose if nothing else that there might be a way to at least get an error or SOMETHING? It's very hard to diagnose a problem when it won't even produce an error...

 

[Nazo]

I hope no one minds my bumping this, but it's not going to do much good on the second page given how little response it has gotten even on the first... I guess I'm probably just going to have to reoptimize blindly though at this rate. I have absolutely no idea what possibly could cause this, but I guess I'm not the only one.

 

[Nighted]

Whoa! This would be answered in seconds on nLite forums.

I only read the first couple sentences and I noticed that you tried integrating SP3 into an nLited install. That is a big no no. You must integrate into an untouched ISO up to SP2 then start gutting and tweaking it with nLite.

If you still have problems then replace your files with these (my server and files don't worry) before building the ISO.

Build the ISO then test it in VirtualBox.

 

[Nazo]

Whoa! This would be answered in seconds on nLite forums.

Oops! I had forgotten they had a forum at all. I guess I did know in the past but for some reason it just didn't occur to me that they might.

I only read the first couple sentences and I noticed that you tried integrating SP3 into an nLited install. That is a big no no. You must integrate into an untouched ISO up to SP2 then start gutting and tweaking it with nLite.

Ah, you're reading just a bit too much into the particular wording. I did integrate it into an untouched ISO (one that came straight from MS even -- and yeah, it's more than a little bit weird to receive an ISO file from a professional company, though I must say that they do have the right idea there.)

Anyway, I got tired of waiting and gave up. I started over with a simpler nLite setup. I was hoping to go for absolute maximum efficiency since I'm squeezing max performance out of an older system (it's a good system, but, for one I'm trying to stay away from Vista/7 for as long as possible and only have 2GiB of memory since it's 32-bit and etc) but it's still more optimized than a standard install by a fair bit regardless. (The most important thing I do is using a more efficient shell anyway.) I just couldn't keep going with a system that wasn't fully working like that. Especially once I ran into a couple of other installers which would not start (again with no error messages.) So I guess the problem will have to just remain unsolved and the risk that I might someday duplicate it with no solutions remains, but at least now I have a working system. Lol, SuRun was the FIRST thing I installed after I did the new installation. No problems whatsoever this time.

I was going to update the thread last night after I finished installing, but there are so many drivers and basic programs to install that I forgot. (It's still not even quite fully installed.)

 

[Nighted]

The files I linked to fix the freeze problem. It happens with some disks when doing a boot install from an SP3 integrated ISO. Replacing those files fixes it.

Anyway, you got it working so whatever.

 

[Nazo]

The files I linked to fix the freeze problem.

What freeze problem?

 

[Nighted]

Oh, I thought the Windows install would freeze. I was tired when I posted it.

 

[Nazo]

Now here's an interesting fact. My father and I gave up and got Windows 7 Home Premium (build 7600) along with a harddrive upgrade. (So far I'm anything but impressed. It feels so much like MS is prioritizing non-desktop systems such as the way the Start Menu seems to be far friendlier towards tablet PCs at the expense of desktop PCs. In general I see no benefits versus XP, but whatever. I'll admit I have it mostly just to learn it for PC diagnostics -- and I see I've already learned the biggest thing thanks to SuRun, or, more accurately, from linux long before that.) I went through and tried to clean house a little, disabling some non-essential services that waste resources or worse (such as UPnP which is not just wasting resources, but encouraging the use of a potential security hazard and unnecessary on my home setup anyway) and have a lot more stuff disabled on my system. Not to mention a host of other customizations that go away from what most people would prefer. However, SuRun installs just fine on my system and really helps me with some problems (namely I needed to certain programs to run as administrator on startup without pestering for a password and without having to disable the higher security level just for one or two programs -- unfortunately, the E-MU soundcard software doesn't work right without administrative privileges so the drivers produce silence, but a few other niceties like being able to run programs as an administrator via a simple extra six characters in the command line without always having to browse over to them and right click then choose that option are nice.) Curiously, I installed it on his system with only the most bare minimum of other extras installed -- or, rather, I tried. Even though we both have the same version of 7 from the same batch, and mine is customized in a way that could theoretically reduce compatibility, HIS is the one that the installer will not run on (just as before, exiting without ever showing the window and without producing any error messages whatsoever.) On his I even tried right clicking and choosing to run as administrator (something I didn't have to do on mine,) Windows XP compatibility mode (again I didn't even have to do this on mine -- since the previous version it has supported Vista and 7 though anyway, so this shouldn't be necessary anyway) and a host of other things like double checking file permissions all to no avail.

Oh, and I have not used vLite on it. Not only does vLite do too little on 7, but, you have to download that huge 1+GB software just to get a single DLL that is no doubt a few hundred kilobytes just to run the stupid thing (now there is a glaring design fault if I've ever seen one...) Neither system has had any components actually removed or any customization you can't get to via normal built-in system settings and programs.


I'm not sure if this is relevant to my original problem or not given the differences in the OSes, but, it is definitely suspicious. It looks like it can fail on a non-customized setup as well. The best guess I can come up with is that it is sensitive to some system setting. I haven't even the foggiest idea what it is though. If the problem that acts exactly the same between two systems truly is something in common perhaps it could potentially narrow things, but I'm not even sure about that... I still would love to get SuRun to install to my netbook though...