Start vbscript on windowsPE phase

MichelG · Dec 8, 2024

XML:

                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>21</Order>
                        <Path>cmd.exe /c "start /MIN cscript.exe //E:vbscript E:\removeedge.vbs"</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>

I have created a vbscript into the same root folder of the setup.exe and rebuild the .iso, but when the auto installation start the script doesn't get called.

I test manually calling it from the cmd and it does work, just the auto start not, what im missing?

OAT · Dec 8, 2024

MichelG said:
XML:

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add"> <Order>21</Order> <Path>cmd.exe /c "start /MIN cscript.exe //E:vbscript E:\removeedge.vbs"</Path> </RunSynchronousCommand>

I have created a vbscript into the same root folder of the setup.exe and rebuild the .iso, but when the auto installation start the script doesn't get called.

I test manually calling it from the cmd and it does work, just the auto start not, what im missing?

1- Wrong forum, your system is listed as Windows 10. Ten Forums - Windows 10 Help and Support Forum
2- No Windows build number is provided.
3- No Specs specified under My Computer.
3- ~~Your VB executable is unpathed in your script. (It works when within Windows but fails within PE)~~

TairikuOkami · Dec 8, 2024

Windows 11 24H2 - VBSCRIPT Disabled

VBScript deprecation in Windows 11: Timelines and next steps

Windows IT Pro Blog: Scripting options for web development and task automation are modernizing. To provide you with the most modern and efficient options, we are replacing VBScript with more advanced alternatives such as JavaScript and PowerShell. Find out what VBScript deprecation means for you...

www.elevenforum.com

MichelG · Dec 8, 2024

TairikuOkami said:
Windows 11 24H2 - VBSCRIPT Disabled

VBScript deprecation in Windows 11: Timelines and next steps

Windows IT Pro Blog: Scripting options for web development and task automation are modernizing. To provide you with the most modern and efficient options, we are replacing VBScript with more advanced alternatives such as JavaScript and PowerShell. Find out what VBScript deprecation means for you...

www.elevenforum.com

And how would you automatize anything during windowsPe phase if theres no powershell at that point.

MichelG · Dec 8, 2024

OAT said:
1- Wrong forum, your system is listed as Windows 10. Ten Forums - Windows 10 Help and Support Forum
2- No Windows build number is provided.
3- No Specs specified under My Computer.
3- Your VB executable is unpathed in your script. (It works when within Windows but fails within PE)

Sorry, ill provide more details.

I'm installing the Windows OS on a VMWare Workstation environment, my question applies both for Win10/Win11 (im working with both)
I'm not sure about the Windows version, its the latest available as today.

I'm trying to figure why the vbscript is not geting called.
I didnt understand what you mean on:

(It works when within Windows but fails within PE)?

The vbscript will run only during the PE phase, but its not being started with the auto installation.
The script is on the same root folder of the setup.exe, running shift+F10 i can find it at E:\ and 'manually' starting it, it does work.

garlin · Dec 8, 2024

MichelG said:
XML:

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add"> <Order>21</Order> <Path>cmd.exe /c "start /MIN cscript.exe //E:vbscript E:\removeedge.vbs"</Path> </RunSynchronousCommand>

I have created a vbscript into the same root folder of the setup.exe and rebuild the .iso, but when the auto installation start the script doesn't get called.

This command expects to have the media always mounted as drive E:

It might work for your setup, but isn't a portable solution. If the cleanup script is small, then mount boot.wim and copy it into the WinPE image. Commit the changes, and update boot.wim. Now run X:\path\removeedge.vbs to guarantee the script is always found.

Replacing cscript.exe with wscript.exe would eliminate the need to minimize the CMD shell, since wscript doesn't appear onscreen.

Code:

                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Order>21</Order>
                        <Path>wscript X:\path\removeedge.vbs</Path>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>

TairikuOkami said:
Windows 11 24H2 - VBSCRIPT Disabled

VBScript is disabled for normal Windows, but it still works for WinPE since so many folks have legacy install scripts.

MichelG · Dec 8, 2024

@garlin but the E media is mounted, modifying boot.wim requires admin rights

garlin · Dec 8, 2024

Where the install media source is F:\

Code:

mkdir C:\temp_mount
dism /Mount-Wim /wimfile:F:\sources\boot.wim /Index:2 /MountDir:C:\temp_mount
copy G:\removeedge.vbs C:\temp_mount
dism /Unmount-Wim C:\temp_mount /Commit

boot.wim's filesystem is loaded into RAM disk as X:\, so during run-time it's X:\removeedge.vbs

garlin · Dec 8, 2024

MichelG said:
And how would you automatize anything during windowsPe phase if theres no powershell at that point.

There are optional WinPE add-ons for installing PowerShell and WMI to boot.wim. That's how some IT pro's handle advanced scripting.

WinPE: Adding Windows PowerShell support to Windows PE

learn.microsoft.com

MichelG · Dec 8, 2024

garlin said:
Where the install media source is F:\

Code:

mkdir C:\temp_mount dism /Mount-Wim /wimfile:F:\sources\boot.wim /Index:2 /MountDir:C:\temp_mount copy G:\removeedge.vbs C:\temp_mount dism /Unmount-Wim C:\temp_mount /Commit

boot.wim's filesystem is loaded into RAM disk as X:\, so during run-time it's X:\removeedge.vbs

On my case the files are on E:

I could write the entire script into a RunSynchronousCommand but the text value (i.e. after unescaping the XML markup) of the <Path> element must not exceed 259 characters in length, then i would need to split it into multiple commands, something like:

XML:

<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
   <Order>19</Order>
   <Path>cmd.exe /c "&gt;&gt;"X:\removeedge.vbs" (echo ...&amp;echo ...&amp;echo ...&amp;echo ...")"</Path>
</RunSynchronousCommand>
<RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
   <Order>20</Order>
   <Path>cmd.exe /c "&gt;&gt;"X:\removeedge.vbs" (echo ...&amp;echo ...&amp;echo ...&amp;echo ...")"</Path>
</RunSynchronousCommand>
... etc ... etc

This is hard to maintain and manage, do you know if there's any other way that i could use to load the entire script at once on this specific phase?

garlin said:
There are optional WinPE add-ons for installing PowerShell and WMI to boot.wim. That's how some IT pro's handle advanced scripting.

WinPE: Adding Windows PowerShell support to Windows PE

WinPE: Adding Windows PowerShell support to Windows PE

learn.microsoft.com

Amazing, i have been able to get the vmware tools installed at the specialize phase, clipboard actions like copy/paste from host to the machine starts working but changing the resolution doesn't, i tried printing available resolutions and it still shows only one.

Do you know if there's any "trick" to install the vmware tools at the WinPE phase? when i execute the installer it shows installing but nothing happens.

garlin · Dec 8, 2024

1. WinPE (Setup) works by booting up, and extracting boot.wim's files to a RAM disk mounted on X:. It's always drive X. You can put scripts in other locations, but the problem is you need some command to scan through the possible drives to find your script. So the best method is to insert the script directly INSIDE boot.wim. This is done by mounting boot.wim to a temporary folder, copying to it like a normal folder, and permanently writing back the updated folder contents to boot.wim (overwriting it).

2. Trying to do long scripted commands in RunSynchronousCommand is not manageable. Which is why it's preferred to keep them in a self-contained script. Shorter commands (under 259 chars) are fine.

3. You don't install vmware tools in the WinPE phase, because Windows has extracted the install WIM and hasn't rebooted into the 2nd (and later passes) to finish installing Windows. What you should do is install vmware tools during specialize or post-OOBE passes.

Normally you create a new subfolder on the ISO: "\sources\$OEM$\$1\MyFolder" -- where $1 maps to C:\ and C:\MyFolder or any longer path which includes a set of subfolders. During WinPE, Setup will copy everything from "sources\$OEM$" to the install disk, following the folder structure.

When you reach the specialize pass, C:\MyFolder will already exist with whatever files you saved under it. Now unattended is guaranteed to find files in C:\MyFolder since it's now rebooted into full Windows and doesn't need the install media.

Code:

    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Deployment" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <RunSynchronous>
                <RunSynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">
                    <Path>C:\MyFolder\setup64.exe /s /v&quot;/qn REBOOT=R&quot;</Path>
                    <Order>1</Order>
                </RunSynchronousCommand>
            </RunSynchronous>
        </component>
    </settings>

Start vbscript on windowsPE phase

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