DeployAnywhere issues when imaging between single / uni and dual / multi processor machines.

Products

• Deployment Solution
• Ghost Solution Suite

Issue/Introduction

When using DeployAnywhere and deploying an image between a single / uni processor and a dual / multi processor computer, often the image will not deploy correctly or the system will not boot correctly afterwards.

Symptoms
Possible symptoms we have seen:

 

• BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)
• Error: "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: \system32\hal.dll Please re-install a copy of the above file."
• Proper drivers are not being accessed. (Run with the /eval switch to determine whether the correct driver is present.)
• Doesn't create the detailed .HIV logs when trying to image from a remote PXE server.
• Gives error: "Unable to create the retarget system object. The system volume specified can't be retargeted to run on this computer."
• After reboot, Windows gives the error: "HAL type could not be determined"

 

Cause

This is not supported and does not work reliably. Restoring images from Uniprocessor to multiprocessor environments in particular does not work in most cases.

Resolution

Work Around: The best way to deploy images using DeployAnywhere is to create 2 images: One - a single / uni processor image to go on single / uni processor computers. Two - a dual / multi processor image to go on dual / multi processor computers until this issue is resolved.

Technical Information
Microsoft does not support changing HAL's when using sysprep: http://support.microsoft.com/?scid=kb%3Ben-us%3B828287&x=18&y=2