Windows XP and 2000 Tips & Tricks UPDATE, June 2, 2003

Windows XP and 2000 Tips & Tricks UPDATE—brought to you by the Windows & .NET Magazine Network and the Windows 2000 FAQ site
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June 2, 2003—In this issue:

1. COMMENTARY

2. FAQS

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS

4. EVENTS

5. CONTACT US

1. COMMENTARY
(contributed by John Savill, FAQ Editor, [email protected])

This week, I tell you where to find the BIOS version in Windows and why you might receive an error if you've used the Diskpart tool and then attempt to use the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) to install Windows Server 2003. I also explain how to pass double quote (") and percent sign (%) values to reg.exe and why a Windows Server 2003-based Certificate Authority (CA) might prompt users to download an ActiveX control.

Around the industry this week, ALWIL Software has announced avast!, a bootable antivirus and recovery tool for Windows NT and later. Additional information is available at http://www.avast.com.

SPONSOR: HEWLETT-PACKARD

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2. FAQS

Q. Where can I find my BIOS version in Windows?

A. When Windows starts, the OS loads information about the main computer BIOS and video BIOS and stores the following information under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEHARDWAREDESCRIPTIONSystem registry subkey:

This information appears in the registry for informational purposes only; changing these items' values has no effect on the system.

Q. When I use the Diskpart tool and Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) to install Windows Server 2003, why do I receive an error stating that no valid system partitions were found?

A. You might receive an error stating "No valid system partitions were found. Setup is unable to continue," if you use Diskpart before executing the winnt32.exe file. To resolve this error, edit the installation script or batch file and add the

/syspart::

parameter to the end of the winnt32.exe command. For example, to specify drive C as the system partition, type

winnt32.exe /syspart:c:

Q. How can I pass a double quote (") value to reg.exe?

A. Reg.exe is a tool that ships with Windows XP (and comes as part of the Windows 2000 resource kits) that lets you manipulate the registry from the command line. To pass a value that contains quotes, you must add a slash () before each quote as an escape sequence. For example,

G:>reg add HKLMSoftwaresav /v test /t REG_SZ /d "%userprofile%"

adds the user profile value without the quotes. However,

G:>reg add HKLMSoftwaresav /v test /t REG_SZ /d ""%userprofile%""

maintains the quotes around the user profile value. For example, for user profile savijo, including the slashes sets the registry value to "G:Documents and Settingssavijo" rather than just G:Documents and Settingssavijo.

Q. How can I pass a percent sign (%) value to reg.exe?

A. Just as you can use a slash () as an escape character to pass a double quote ("), you can use a caret (^) as an escape character to pass a percent sign. For example,

G:>reg add HKLMSoftwaresav /v test /t REG_SZ /d ""%userprofile^%""

maintains the user-profile value's percent sign. Without the caret, the reg.exe tool will evaluate the value between the percent signs; with the caret, reg.exe will leave the value unchanged.

Q. When users request certificates from a Windows Server 2003-based Certificate Authority (CA), why does the CA prompt them to download an ActiveX control?

A. Windows 2003 includes a new version of xenroll.dll (an ActiveX control that can create certificates) that prompts users of previous Windows versions to download an ActiveX control when requesting a certificate. To resolve this problem, go to the Windows 2003 certificate server and perform the following steps:

3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Which companies and products are the best on the market? Tell us by nominating your favorites in the annual Windows & .NET Magazine Readers' Choice Awards survey. Click here!
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4. EVENTS
(brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine)

Join Mark Minasi and Paul Thurrott as they deliver sound security advice at our popular Security 2003 Road Show event.
http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/security2003

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5. CONTACT US
Here's how to reach us with your comments and questions:

(please mention the newsletter name in the subject line)

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