Problem "Unable to find the SMS Task Sequencer"

[Jmascote]

So I have read that if you change the "Install To" in the unattend.xml to
anything other than disk 0 partition 1 it throws this error up. Currently I
have it set to install to disk 0 partition 2 (the WinRE partition). I am
using the LTI solution and the latest MDT. This error occurs with the Vista
Ent SP1 wim straight off the disk.

I am installing the WinRE partition before installing the OS. So I had to
bypass the format portion of the task sequencer so I could make the WinRE
partition the first partition. The bypass was necessary because you cannot
assign letters in the task sequencer Format and Partition Disk, so it tries
to write log files to the WinRE partition. Instead I am using the diskpart
/s with the diskpart.txt and making a 2GB partition, assigning it the letter
G, the creating another partition with the rest and assigning it the letter C.

This allows me to install WinRE and create the failover, but I get the above
mentioned error after it boots into Vista. Everything has been updated to
SP1 version and I have everything in place. I am using just the wim file off
the DVD in order to have less variables in the mix. Although I tried it with
a custom wim and received the same error.

I have looked at the log files and the only error I see is the following in
the smsts.log file: "Failed to save the current environment block. This is
usually caused by a problem with the program. Please check the Microsoft
Knowledge Base to determine if this is a known issue or contact Microsoft
Support Services for further assistance.
The parameter is incorrect. (Error: 80070057; Source: Windows)"

Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do to fix this? The log files
don't really help much and I can't imagine MS would create WinRE and this
great failover feature and not be able to use it.

[gfincher]

On Aug 13, 10:41 am, Jmascote <Jmasc...@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote:

MDT only supports installing to Disk 0, Partition 1 - that is the root
of your problem. As to the use & configuration of WinRE - you can also
use the SetAutoFailover script to point to the winre.wim file directly
instead of to the actual boot partition which is an interesting
option. Ben Hunter blogged about that solution some time ago for BDD
2007 - which also works for MDT:

http://blogs.technet.com/benhunter/archive/2007/05/21/bdd-2007-tips-and-tricks-integrating-winre-into-vista-with-bdd.aspx

Hope this helps!

glenn fincher

[Jmascote]

Thanks. I should have known this was a better way, Ben Hunter is a great
resource. I guess I followed the WinRE site a little too closely. It worked
on older versions of BDD, but I guess MDT does not allow this. Either way,
this seems like an easier way to deploy WinRE, less hassle.

Thanks again.

[Jmascote]

Ok, I tried it on the same partition as the OS, it was able to copy the wim
and boot file, hide them, but the bcedit failed for some reason.

Has anyone gotten it working on another partition? I would like to go this
route as it doesn't make sense to have the recovery OS on the same partition
as the regular OS.

It doesn't seem very easy to create a 1.5Gb partition second in the format
tool. Any other ideas?