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Converting a WIndows XP Professional Ghost Image to Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

I have a Windows XP Pro Volume Licence image which we use to deploy out to your desktops and notebooks. However we know have some Tablet PC's (namely a HP 2710p).

Luckily I have found the Deploying Windows CP Tablet PC Edition guide and its supplement Single Image Deployment Supplemental Guide.

These describe in detail on various methods based on RIS, images, sysprep etc.

Our Windows XP Pro SP2 image has been sysprepped and part of the build process is a check for the processor type to adjust the HAL.

Our installation path is set to C:\I386 in sysprep.inf.

The basic overview of how to convert a sysprep Windows XP Sp2 Volume Licence ghost image to Tablet PC edition 2005 is the following:

1. Ghost your Windows XP Pro image to a hard disk and either use a windows PE / BartPE cd or mount the drive in a PC so you can add/edit files without booting from it.
   
   
2. Copy \CMPNENTS\TABLETPC\*.* from Tablet PC Edition Media to C:\I386\CMPNENTS\TABLETPC\*.*
   
   
3. Copy \CMPNENTS\NETFX\*.* from Tablet PC Edition Media to C:\I386\CMPNENTS\NETFX\*.*
   
   
4. Expand and copy into a folder used in your sysprep config for OEM drivers (eg. C:\Windows\PnPDrivers or C:\I386\PnPDrivers etc the following:
   
   hiddigi.in_ expand to hiddigi.inf
   mutohpen.sy_ expand to mutohpen.sys
   serial.sy_ expand to serial.sys
   wacompen.sy_ expand to wacompen.sys
   
   
5. Make sure the following is included in your sysprep.inf
   
   [Unattended]
   InstallFilesPath=C:\sysprep\i386
   OEMPreinstall=Yes
   UpdateInstalledDrivers=Yes
   OEMDriversPath=C:\Windows\PnpDrivers
   
   [UserData]
   ProductKey=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
   
   (Product ID to be used is a valid Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 Volume Licence Key, we had to buy a Vista Business Licence and call for a downgrade key)
   
   
6. Create / Edit cmdlines.txt in C:\I386\$OEM$ to include the following:
   
   [Commands]
   "sysocmgr /i:%windir%\inf\sysoc.inf /u:c:\sysprep\tablet.txt /c /x"
   
   
7. Create the file C:\SysPrep\Tablet.txt that includes the following:
   
   [Components]
   TabletOC=On
   TPG=On
   System=On
   OOBE=On
   Notebook=On
   Stickynotes=On
   
   
8. You can now restart and the Mini-Setup will build you a Tablet PC edition install!
   

You could potentially just script the change / additon to cmdlines.txt and the change of product key and then use the same image for both Professional and Tablet PC editon. It is the change of product key, the line in cmdlines.txt and additon of the files that makes the build, however it is only the actual key change and the cmdlines.txt change that invokes the tablet PC install.

Some Troublshooting Extra steps that might be needed

Windows XP Pro image had .NET 2.0 SP1 on it, so I needed to repair the installation of it as Tablet PC install forces install of .NET 1.0. I simply went to the control panel and add/removes programs and clicked on change, the PC then needed a reboot.

My digitizer drivers (Wacom Serial Tablet) wouldnt install. It may have been because original image built with VMWare. It kept coming up telling that the drivers were corrupt even though I tried a gudzillion drivers... I discovered I needed to copy the following files to C\Windows\System32\Drivers and then uninstall and redetect the device

• hidclass.sys
• hidparse.sys
• hidusb.sys

This also stopped the HP Quick Launch drivers from installing!

Asus eeePC BIOS Update 703

Fell across the fact that Asus have released a BIOS update for the eeePC 701 when I was poking around their update server (http://update.eeepc.asus.com/bios/)

So I followed the instructions at http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:updatebios to complete the update. Strangely I dont seem to find any info on what it does yet!

I did notice the BIOS Setup screen title bar is animated but not 100% sure it wasnt there before the update.