The Windows XP/Server 2003 OPK Tool

The Windows XP/Server 2003 OPK Tool is a very useful tool used for preinstalling Windows. The OPK tool is built on the Windows 2000 Setup Manager Wizard (the unattended setup), but is especially tweaked for OEM system builders. You can very easily do your branding, add a logo,... which you would have to do manually with Setup Manager Wizard (with adding an oeminfo.ini file to the system manually). The OPK cdrom is also bootable and allows you to do a preinstall over the network.

Some features of the OPK

• Preinstall from compact disc, network or peer-to-peer
• You can add shortcuts and branding information to the operating system
• You can preinstall drivers and applications
• You can audit the computer without interrupting the preinstallation process

Partitioning with the OPK

For a clean install (new computer), make sure you add WipeDisk=Yes and SetActive1=Yes as shown here. This will wipe the disk and set the first partition as active.

[DiskConfig]
Disk1=Disk1.Config
[Disk1.Config]
WipeDisk=Yes
Size1=*
FileSystem1=NTFS
SetActive1=Yes
PartitionType1=Primary 

You can make multiple partitions, but you cannot use percentages, only absolute values will work.

Advanced tweaking and hidden features of the OPK

• If you sealed the computer and want to go back in without entering the product key and running sysprep again, you can simply press CTRL + SHIFT + F3 at the first Windows Welcome screen. This way you go into Audit mode again. You can do this 3 times.
• While running WinPE you see a nice background picture. Can you find the text "Win PE" in the moon?
• Regenerating the security identifiers (SID) is not necessary if you do an installation for that machine only, meaning that the installation you do is not meant for cloning to multiple computers.
• Due to a bug in the OPK you have to remove the [OemRunOnce] section from you winbom.ini file on the diskette. Do not remove this section from the winbom.ini file on your fileserver!
• You can boot with the OPK cd to repair an installation. The OPK boots with the same kernel as Windows XP.
• You can put Winbom.ini file to the root of the OPK cd: Create a custom WinPE ISO file using MKIMG (see OPK.chm on the tools CD). Overwrite the existing WinBOM.ini file that is located in the root of the temporary folder that was created in step 1. Recreate the image from that temporary folder using OSCDIMG –betfsboot.com –h –n temporary_folder iso_image_file. Example:

  Copy the WINPE folder from the tools CD to your hard disk.
  Copy Factory.exe and Netcfg.exe from \tools\x86 to C:\WINPE.
  MKIMG D: C:\Winpe.tmp C:\Winpe.iso.
  Replace C:\Winpe.tmp\winbom.ini with the customized version.
  execute OSCDIMG –betfsboot.com –h –n c:\Winpe.tmp c:\Winpe.iso.

• To enable logging while doing the preinstallation, add these lines to the winbom.ini file.

  [Factory]
  Logfile = a:\winbom.log
  Logging=Yes
  LogPerf=Yes
  

Resources

• Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment Overview
• A quick guide to preinstalling Windows 2000 and Windows XP
• Quick Guide to Preinstalling Windows XP
• Quick Guide to Preinstalling Windows 2000
• HOWTO: Test and Modify the Logos in an OEM Preinstallation
• Bart's PE Builder (rescue environment)
• How to add unsupported or updated third-party mass storage drivers to a customized WinPE CD

[top]