Srivatsa (Expert):
Hello! I work with the Kernel Platform team dealing with Boot Manager and technologies around it.

My team also owns Boot Configuration Data.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Hello my name is Scott McArthur and I am a PSS Beta Engineer working on Vista

Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Hi, my name is Dean Frost and I work on the beta test team on setup.


jeffpatt [MS] (Expert):
Hi, I’m a Beta Support Engineer on the Setup team.

Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: is there an option in setup to change my user name from "Windows User" to my real name?

A: from the Setup UI no- this can be changed with unattend.xml


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Had a lot of trouble with early builds getting SATA to work. Is that better in latest builds?

A: early builds did have issues with SATA drives. In builds 5270 or higher many of these issues have been resolved.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: How do you enable debugging BOOTMGR and/or WINLOAD?

A: There are two ways to enable BOOTMGR debugging:


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Where can we learn more about this new DUAL BOOT system that's built into Vista?

A: There is limited documentation about boot configuration data that is online now. You can find them here BCD FAQ

Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Is it possible to set up a dual boot with WinXP x64 and Vista x64? If so, how? Every time I have tried, the WinXP install gets trashed.

A: You can run the fixntfs tool from the root of the Vista install to fix that issue


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there any reason for setup (new install) being very slow on a Virtual Machine (VS 2005 R2)?

A: builds post 5270 have had performace improvements. the next CTP build will be better.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: I have successfully loaded the build 5270 and it is functioning within our requirements, however, I notice that the Security Center does not find our McAfee Anti-Virus. Is there something I can do about that?

A: This is something we are aware of and later builds should incorporate support for detecting antivirus software correctly.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Does this scope of this chat include TVCard / INF / Setup type issues?

A: sorry no.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there any reason for setup (new install) being very slow on a Virtual Machine (VS 2005 R2)?

A: Yes. Windows Vista has not been optimized for use in VMs yet. There have been a large number of changes with Vista, and subsequently a lot of issues with the VM additions. With Virtual Server 2005 R2 and 5270 (Dec CTP), you are able to install the built-in VM additions without an issue.

We are aware that it does take a very long time to install in VM right now, and that will get better as we progress.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Why setup takes 4 hours?

A: the next CTP build will address setup performance issues.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: Why does the setup program ask for your computer name twice, once at the very beginning of the setup and again at the very end when creating users?

A: This is a known issue that is resolved post 5270 builds. You should only get one prompt then


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be an "Advanced" option for setup so we can enter our user names, workgroup names etc. during setup. Otherwise it will take having some network problems (can't connect to the rest of the workgroup) and a reboot to figure out and correct the WG

A: no this will not be possible from the setup ui. Advanced configurations can be done with unattend.xml.


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: It would be nice to see some type better visual indicators that something is happening during installation rather than a progress bar that appears to be stagnant.

A: The setup process speed should be increasing progressively from build to build. As it improves, you should actually see the progress bar moving, and not seem so stagnant. Adding more information to setup as to what is going on, is being looked into as well.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: How do you enable debugging BOOTMGR and/or WINLOAD?

A: You can enable boot debugging throught the setup command line:

2) If you have already installed the Vista OS and you are logged into the desktop, you can launch an elevated command prompt and run the follwoing command: "bcdedit bootdebug on" You will have to reboot, and then you will have bootdebugging enabled.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: I saw that with the 5270 build the setup improved greatly including the setup of users at the end of the setup. The problem with it currently is that it leaves the Administrator account active and no password and not even prompting for a password. Bad?!

A: This is a known issue about which we are definitely aware. It's definitely a bad thing (from a security standpoint) and it's something that is planned on being resolved before we ship.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: How does SETUPAPI logging (or the equivalent) work in Vista/LH? Will the whitepaper that describes SETUPAPI logging be updated for Vista?

A: The SetupAPI logs have now been broken out into 2 files ... setupapi.dev.log and setupapi.app.log. They're for now located in the WindowsINF directory. I do not know the plans for updating the whitepaper, but I would assume so.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Is there any chance to get an visual boot menu editor if using more than one OS on a pc ?

A: You can do boot menu editing with bcdedit tool today. You can do limited editing like changing timeout and changing default from My Computer>Properties>Advanced tab>startup and recovery settings.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Are we going to have a "live mode", booting from CD, to fix small problems with our computers? It would really help (say, if we needed to back up files or restore a backup)

A: We don't have the same functionality, but we have a few things that can replace it. Part 1 is the "System Recovery Troubleshooter" available from the first dialog on a media boot -- this will allow you to fixup bootsectors, copy files, etc. Part 2 would be an in-place upgrade (functionally more equivalent to the legacy recovery); if your OS can boot just upgrade to the same build.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will the next CTP be released? Before the TAP launch on Jan 25?

A: We cannot say at this time the exact planned dates for the next CTP release or any build for that matter. If you are a TAP customer, please follow up with your TAP Program Manager for specific details.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: my main question for the experts regarding setup; Is it possible to wright a instruction, FAQ or something alike, so the less experienced users are also able to do a setup with Vista?

A: We are limiting the number of actual Setup screens the user sees and adding context sensitive help for each of the screens. Hopefully, this will make it a smoother install experience. In addition, there will be additional help available (including the readme) on the autorun screen when the DVD is launched.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: is there a major difference btw build 5270 and 5219

A: Yes


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there a way to load 3rd party storage drivers (the old F6 option)? If so, do those drivers need to be signed? If so, how does a developer get a test driver signed to work under fresh installation?

A: when booting from the DVD, at the disk configurations page, you will see a button called "advanced" then you will see another button called "load driver". This will act the same as old F6. However, you will now be able to load drivers from floppy, disk on key, CDROM, any removable device. As for the signed vs. unsigned this is still an design issue.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: What happened to the "repair" option durin install? Is it coming back? If not, why not?

A: The ability to repair a system has been moved to the Windows Recovery Environment(WINRE) which you can get to by booting off the Vista DVD. There is some information about it in the help


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: Dougall: Do you have to enable SETUPAPI logging with a registry change? What's the enablement mechanism?

A: No there is nothing additional as far as I know to enable general setupapi logging.


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be an way to load hdd driver froms medias like usb-devices and cd's in future?

A: USB devices should be currently supported, as a number of beta users have used that method. If this is not working currently for you, please file a bug and we can look into it. You might also check if USB is supported by your motherboard, as this would cause a problem if not supported. CD, I believe is supported as well. If you are having an issue, again please file a bug and we can try to troubleshoot.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: Which versions of VM Additions should be used with 5270. Myself I found v13.552 be the best (from VS R2)... but are there udates on the way?

A: For now, the VM Additions that we are telling everyone to use is the updated additions with VS2005 R2. Improvements and changes in Vista will increase speed and performance outside of the VM additions.


SamW [MS] (Moderator):
Q: I have noticed since the days of Windows 9x & ME we have lost the ability to choose what is installed with Windows. Why can't we specify what components we want to install like Windows 95 days and what Linux setups do now?

A: A lot of the feedback we have recieved over the years has been to simplify setup. The feedback we have been getting is for fewer choices. So this has been a conscious decision and we realize that for some people like power users it might not be what they would prefer.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: How does SETUPAPI logging (or the equivalent) work in Vista/LH? Will the whitepaper that describes SETUPAPI logging be updated for Vista?

A: You will find that SETUPAPI logging has improved extensively from prior releases of Windows. The SETUPAPI logs now live in the %windir%inf directory under the name of setupapi.dev.log and setupapi.app.log. I find the dev log is most useful and has added quite a bit more diagnostics information. There is also a registry key that controls the amount of information that is logged to the file. I am not certain that the whitepaper will be updated but assume that many of the diagnostic data is the same as in past releases.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Stephen Lodwick: You said " There are two ways to enable BOOTMGR debugging: " but that is all that came through. What are the two ways?

A: bcdedit -set {BOOTMGR} BOOTDEBUG on

Thanks.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: At this time headless setup does not appear to be present. How soon will headless setup be supported?

A: Headless setup is present in 5270. The functionality is targeted at systems that are configured as headless-enabled in the BIOS -- in this scenario we will output data to the port listener about the state of setup (action logs and error logs). We do not have the same attended setup scenario in place in Vista as we did in legacy Server builds -- look for the attended-headless setup to firm up in later OS builds as we get closer to Server scenarios.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: what is the good amount of ram one should have to experience vista?

A: I would say a good "general" amount would be 512MB - 1GB. I have had good experiences with both amounts of RAM, of course, the more, the better :)


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will we be able to "upgrade" XP?

A: look for the next CTP. :-)


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: I haven't had a successful install of vista yet. I'm working with the 5270 release. Either I get a foundation error during install, or it will install and not be able to find the ntoskernel.

A: This foundation install error is most likely because you are seeing a known issue when lauching setup from WinPE 2005 (win2k3 sp1) ... is that how you are running setup?


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is there a sysprep available for the 5270 build?

A: yes- its installed as part of the OS now.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: what is the good amount of ram one should have to experience vista?

A: You should be using a minimum recommended size of 512meg.


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: Could you guys give us freecell or tetris or something to do while setup is running?

A: While this is an excellent idea, that I would personally be a fan of, I believe we have many, much larger, higher priority issues to take care of first. Maybe we can get this in the next release of Windows. :)


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: Are there going to be seperate media for the different SKU's or will the version be dependent on the product key entered?

A: it will be dependent on the product key entered


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: When can we expect to see an optimized version of the setup program so installs don't take 1.25 hours?

A: While speed optimization is an ongoing process, you should notice *big* speed improvements for Setup in the next build we release.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: How can you extract WINPE from the setup DVD (how do you create a bootable WINPE CD)?

A: this will not be supported. WinPE will now be broadly available for customers.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: does vista build 5270 have the ntldr file in it? . one of the two installs says, ntldr is missing. . i redownloaded the iso and burned to dvd at 1x speed. . i looked through the entire dvd and could not find, ntldr. thanks.

A: It seems for some reason old bootcode that looks for NTLDR is running on the boot partition. Try running "fixntfs -lh all". I am assuming you have ntfs running.

Thanks


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: -what- exactly is going to increase setup speed during installation in later builds?

A: We are using a new build process called staging, which in effect is that we are pre-sysprepping the builds internally before release so that we can cut down on a lot of the one-time action items that have to happen during setup. I average about 30 minutes on my staged build installs.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Is this setup team also owner of the Bcdedit tool? (soory if asked already, but I just arrived

A: Setup does not own this tool, my team, Kernel Platform Team owns this one, send your questions/suggestions my way.

Thanks.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Since the same DVD will be used for both server and client editions, will there be anything to stop someone from say Server 2003 upgrading to vista client or from xp to vista server?

A: setup will block unsupported scenarios.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: What causes the video to hang during the last stage of the installation? I have a box on which I never see the post installation configuration screen (the OOBE). The system is installed but it takes a reboot to find this out.

A: Hi Colin - We have seen this as well and there are two issues that will help alleviate this in future builds:

Both of these will be available in the next CTP.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: When can we have the WAIK tools for 5270, or at least the documentation, around unattended installs, sysprep, usmt etc... (forgot the ATE box)

A: The WAIK is not available for everybody, but we do plan on releasing a newer build. Once we do, those people who have access to it will be notified of this.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: re q94 does that mean customers will be able to get hold of WINPE 2.0 officially

A: We just posted something about this up on TechNet. We're making WinPE widely available -- there may be some restrictions on who can use it, but anyone should be able to download for evaluation and development.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Not that I have a preference - but will Vista be shipped on DVD and CD?

A: There should be both, spanned CD and DVD


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: 1. How has setup changed since Windows XP?

A: Simple answer, Vista is now image based


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: With your over view in numbers and lab availability for the teams that own parts of Vista, have you all seen any problems with dual booting XP and Vista 5270 (using separate partition) or any reasons not to do this?

A: Dual booting works best if you install XP first then install Vista. If not then you will have to utilize bcdedit to allow the system to dual boot


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: In 5270 there was no option to set the Administrator password during install. Is this option going to be put back in the next build? It is very bad that the administrator password is blank.

A: The information I have is that this should be implemented by beta 2. Possibly sooner.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: When entering in the Key either to install Server Core Edition or any other Edition (If not allready), will it give you a notice to tell you what Windows Vista Edition you are installing?

A: There will be no notice from Setup about this, because once we ship people will be quite aware of which edition they've purchased before they even enter it into Setup.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: Drivers drivers drivers - why are you guys not bundeling old drivers with these releases? I've got NIC cards that can't get identified, but in XP it was built into the OS installer and found them just fine.

A: We are including some legacy drivers and some we are not. We have established a certain bar of acceptable driver stability, and if the vendor is not willing to support / update their driver and hardware, we pull the driver from inbox. We will be putting alot of the legacy driver packages on Windows Update.

We look at hardware types and platforms and the direction of the technology. Windows XP does contain some drivers that might have been old and outdated to XP but still were included. As we move into the Vista timeframe, we are phasing out support for legacy hardware that is no longer being supported by the vendors or is discontinued, referring to including drivers INBOX.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Will Microsoft disclose specification of BCD format so that Linux tool can be used to create and modify it?

A: There are no plans to disclose BCD format. The interfaces available with Vista will be BCD WMI provider and bcdedit.exe. There will be documentation explaining the highlevel architecture of BCD.

Thanks.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: What is the "staged build" we hear about in hushed tones on the beta groups?

A: A "staged build" is a build that has been installed, sysprep'ed, and imaged. This is how most large customers (OEMs, Corporations, etc) deploy Windows. There are several benefits of this type of installation: consistency of experience (less moving parts), more reliable, and quicker install times.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Elliott : Even though it isn't supported, can you tell me how can you extract WINPE from the setup DVD?

A: We'd tell you but the men in black suits are threatening us at the door. :) But you can get the WinPE experience by booting to your product media and using option 3 on the first menu -- "system repair". Hit the "next" button on the first menu and the last option presented will be "command prompt". Now you've got the WinPE experience without the hassle of creating anything unsupported. For more details on getting legitimate WinPE copies see our recent announcement on TechNet.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will you be notifying us when a release is ready for testing with the WAIK?

A: We will be notifying those who have access to the WAIK builds, yes.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: can one create multiple items for legacy OS in bcdedit ( and with this boot.ini no longer needed) and getting multiple legacy startup options listed by the new bootmanager?

A: Yes you can create and list multiple items in the BCD


SamW [MS] (Moderator):
Q: How about a "power-user" mode that actually allows us to see what is being done? Sorta like booting to safe mode does?

A: There won't be anything specified in the setup itself. This is something that you would need to do with the Migration Tool or via an unattended setup Answer file.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will Vista play DVD movies without the need of installation of software like PowerDVD, ...?

A: No, you still need a DVD decoder


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: 5270 cannot be installed by booting from dvd (hangs immediately) and installing from within xp gives 'error copying files'. But it can be installed on virtual server'05 by using the same dvd in the same dvdrw drive. Why?

A: Well, that sounds like a bug, but not one I've seen before. I'd suggest filing a bug on each issue.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Thanks very much for the dual boot headsup. I'm about to do it and I would very much appreciate any other tips and particularly the size of partition or anything at all I can do to optimize my install.

A: I always like to keep dual boots on separate physical drives personally, other than that, keep the installs to different partitions and you will be fine. Install legacy operating systems like Windows XP first.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
to clarify, are you asking, when will setup support upgradews or when during the setup process we ask to do a upgrade?


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: Office 12 beta OK with Vista beta 1 or beta 2?

A: Vista 5270 is not a supported platform yet for Office 12 Beta 1. It might work, but you will run into issues with WRP issues. You can get around it, but as I understand it, the next release of O12 will be supported on Vista.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: In Q82, you indicated that sysprep is in 5270--where do we find it?

A: %windir%system32sysprep


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will beta testers be getting a free cd/dvd once vista is officially launched? :P

A: No final decisions are made on that.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: The Bcedit tool from the Kernel Platform team then will replace boot.ini from 5270 forward?

A: Yes. Take a look here for some more information on BCD: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/windowsvista/library/85cd5efe-c349-427c-b035-c2719d4af778.mspx


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: Drivers drivers drivers - why are you guys not bundeling old drivers with these releases? I've got NIC cards that can't get identified, but in XP it was built into the OS installer and found them just fine.

A: This is a great question. However, out of the scope of this discussion. I will mention, that there is a supplimental drivers disk that will contain know mass storage, video, and networking drivers that have high attach rates. This will certainly help out in most situations.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will the issue of install time be fixed so it doesn't take over an hour to install windows Vista

A: This is definitely something that is planned on being fixed, and you'll probably already notice big improvements in the next build we release to the TechBeta.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: When installing, does the Vista installer perform any checks on the harddisk before installing - checking for bad sectors etc. which could potentially cause setup to fail?

A: We have some checks in place to look for hard disk failures (these are limited to drives that report them via a certain framework) but we don't do a chkdsk-like process. While this was looked at, it took too long to get meaningful failure data and it didn't make a large difference in reliability.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Why is during setup asked if you are allowing to activate Vista during setup and never do this.

A: the checkbox to allow autoactivation will be working in future CTP releases


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: My biggest problem with the installation in 5270 is the lack of information. It's hard to tell if its doing anything. Could we maybe have a sort of "Copying xxx.dll" text? It would really help tell that the installation hasn't died.

A: This is being looked into. Unfortunately no concrete information at this time.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: if you reduce your inbox driver support significally you loose a big advantage over Lx, how do you respond?

A: We are not reducing inbox driver support. We have added many new devices and have dropped some legacy drivers, but they will still be available on Windows Update.


SamW [MS] (Moderator):
Q: There is something wrong with the chat. IU have been trying for a half hour to log int and couldn't. Please advise

A: You can eamail me directly about this and I'll see if I can forward it to the proper people, but chances are that we won't be able to diagnose what might have been happening. Sorry for the inconvience.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: What are the chances of seeing some sort of mini-browser during the setup so if users need to have 8 GB free, they could browse the partition from the setup and delete a few files to get it down to an installable size?

A: There will not be a mini-browser available but you can press "SHIFT-F10" while the OS is installing. This will open a command prompt and allow you to remove files and leisure.


SamW [MS] (Moderator):
Q: Sam: This isn't exactly related to Setup, but will it be possible to get a chat with the UX/Sidebar team?

A: I'll see what I can do. Send me an email so I don't forget. :)


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: Drivers as everyone knows are the main problem. Microsoft can build any software they like but suppliers like HP cannot or will not write drivers for the 64 bit OS of XP so why should our customers look forward to installing Vista?

A: As 64 bit becomes more mainstream the drivers will come around; please trust that we are doing everything we can to motivate the marketplace to make this happen. In this case (as you mentioned) we're in the same boat as you -- we have to wait for the market to deliver.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: When I went to install Windows Vista of Dec build, it would not let me reazd the release notes. It told me that they are not found. Will this be fixed in future builds

A: We haven't encountered this problem or heard of anyone else encountering this problem. However, the release notes will not be in the same place or in the same form once we ship.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Srivista [90] See the setup iand installation newsgroup for worries anbout bcdedit

A: I am tuned in to setup and migration newgroup. It would be great if the questions are posted in a consolidated way. I know that Vinny had created a seperate thread for bcdedit.exe issues.

Thanks.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Could you make BCDEdit an option for users who do not want it?

A: BCD will be our new boot environment moving forward


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be a change for name of the install of Windows Codename Longhorn to Windows Vista? When will this be taking place

A: There's been no decision made on this yet, so it's still up in the air.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: ... old partition. Would it be possible for this feature to be part of the Windows-based Setup?

A: Sorry, your question is not clear. Can you clarify and repost? Thanks.


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: In the 5270 build documentation stated that it included both Vista and Longhorn server...How do we get to longhorn server on the installation media?

A: This easiest way would be to use the same imagine you currently have, and enter the server product key, instead of the Vista key, when prompted. This should install server for you.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Am I correct in think that 5270 is not feauture complete? Is it planned for the next build to be feature complete?

A: It is largely feature-complete, but we're still trying to get some of the last planned features in.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: Why do Vista setup leave a copy of build on the harddrive? I believe they are duplicate from DVD.

A: Some pieces come into place later than others and the cleanup code usually lags. We're going to do a better job of pruning the directories installed on your machine during the next CTP and look for this to continue to improve as staged builds come online (soon-ish) and we continue to look at this.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will Vista support upgrade from one Build to another?

A: build to build upgrades are not typically supported. However, for each externally dropped build guidence will be given on what paths will be supported.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: Will it be possible for third parties to write "Boot applications" that BOOTMGR would load (similar to the memory tester boot app?)

A: This will not be possible with Windows Vista. But the design of Boot Environment does allow for such an extension in the future.

Thanks


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: I wanted to install a clean Vista ontop of an old Longhorn on a separate partition. I was disappointed that the Windows-based Setup did not offer the "Advanced" button the boot-from-DVD Setup had that would allow me to delete and re-create the ...

A: This is something we're discussing internally -- there are a lot of concerns about complicating some rollback scenarios, etc, but this is certainly functionality that we want to provide. I'll go add another request to the pile under consideration.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will the next build or the final copy of Vista be just on DVD or maybe on CD

A: Vista is currently only available for DVD while other formats have not been decided. It may depend on demand for a spanned media installation.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: In the next CTP build will the Vista boot screen be changed to reflect the actual name of the OS? :)

A: yes


Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: Can be media center enabled on normal PC? I downloaded and installed the update, but I still get the "expiration" message. I use 5270 build.

A: There is an update for MCE on the Connect Site, that can be downloaded, that should fix that expiration problem.


Dougall [MS] (Expert):
Q: couldn't try for myself, does 5270 support installing/booting from removable drive. If it doesn't will it support at RTM?

A: Yes it does, but the BIOS has to support booting from a USB device.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: Are we going to be able to build our custom vista installations with XIMAGE and burn them on to a DVD that we can keep, and install like the stock vista?

A: Yes Vista will support the ability to create sysprepped images that you can deploy via various methods(network, dvd, etc...)


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: When Vista Ships will their be significant differences in the F8 Menu in XP (the Windows Advanced Options Menu with the different Safe Modes and Last Known Good? Will repair install booting from the CD or DVD be in a context of wider fix no boot options?

A: The boot options part of this is a little unclear, but we've broken our repair scenarios into a few different places. The update to the old Command Console is called SRT, a much-more-functional text console that is based on WinPE -- this offers the ability to repair bootsectors, fixup boot options (bcd stuff) and repair non-boot problems. The old in-place-upgrade functionality is available for times when the OS is broken but bootable.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
Q: Im in the UK, and my keyboard defaults to the US keyboard layout. Will there be an option to change this in setup, as less experienced users may find it daunting to change control panel options on first boot?

A: yes this should be enabled for beta2.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: Would it be possible to make the Windows Feature component in Ad/Remove Programs a part setup, so we can pick and choose whats installed?

A: As part of the push to reduce complexity we removed this in XP -- today (as then) the functionality will be made available through Unattended install parameters, but we do not plan to resurrect this UI.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will we see the boot screen reflect the name Windows Vista?

A: Usually this is done later in the development process. I'd hazard a guess that it'll be in place in the final release, but even that I'm not 100% certain of.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: Installshield routines that spawn additional processes appear to fall foul of UAP and are blocked - is there a reccommended way of launching these so that they install ok (have tried running eleveated and also command line installer options to no avail)

A: Paul - unfortunately, this is out of scope for this discussion. This would be answered better during a LUA discussion.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Will their be a gui version of BCEDIT which I think is a variation of Leen's question that has been requested on the news groups?

A: I dont beleive there will be a GUI version of BCDEDIT, but of course, we're still in beta, so thats only a guess. There are GUI ways to edit information in the BCD but not to the extent that you can in BCDEDIT


SamW [MS] (Moderator):
We have about 10 minutes left in the chat session.


Elliott [MS] (Expert):
hey everyone, I need to take off. this has been fun. thanks.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will the format/and partion part of the install be imporved to be quicker and easier to use

A: What sort of results are you looking for? So far, it's pretty fast.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: will vista allow drivers in the setup phase to be loaded from a removeable device other than a usb mapped as the floppy drive ? most pcs now dont include an A:

A: Absolutely -- in build 5270 you can load drivers from any removable device -- USB keys, CD-media (eject setup, provide drivers, re-insert setup media) or floppy. Your drivers need to be in the root of the device or in platform-specific subdirectories (i386, etc) to load.


jeffpatt [MS] (Expert):
Q: is ipv6 enabled by default in vista?

A: Yes, both IPv6 and IPv4 are enabled by default.

Dean Frost [MS] (Expert):
Q: When will we be able to upgrade build instead of doing a clean install each time?

A: Upgrade from Win XP, 2000 should be available in beta 2. Upgrade from build to build is not something we support. Sometimes updating from build to build is not blocked in setup, but doing so creates an invalid testing scenario and invalidates any related bugs.


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: as an addon to the bootable vista floppy question, is/will there a way to format a USB thumb drive to be bootable?

A: The ability to boot a thumb drive is based on the motherboards BIOS abilities....not Windows. If your motheboard can see the drive as bootable, we will see it.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: why isn't setup restartable at certain stage, will that remain until rtm

A: We're going to make setup so fast that failures simply rollback to your old OS and tell you what bad thing prevented the process from succeeding.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: [124] BCEDIT is hard to use / we ask for some convenient tool (may be not a simple as editing boot.ini, but way easier than bcdedit (this is it in a nutshell)

A: bcdedit.exe was designed as a tool to make use of extensible design of BCD. As this is the only generic tool available for editing boot configuration bcdedit.exe had to support almost all the capabilities of BCD and had to cater accross a diverse consumer base. Any tool that is designed to be as versatile will tend to be complex than necessary. For Vista bcdedit.exe, startup and repair properties and MSCONFIG will be the tools available to edit Boot Configuration.

Thanks.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: If I copy the contents of the setup DVD to the harddrive of a machine I want to install Vista on, could I boot Win PE and then launch the install from the harddrive?

A: Yes. Make sure that you use a version of WinPE that is based on Server Sp1 or Vista for this to succeed, and make sure you have lots of free space. :)


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
Q: Joscon [234]: I was wondering about the actual formating of the USB Thumb drive

A: You know, I havent tested that myself.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: Hello everybody.. I want to know is planned for Vista some kind of "All in one" about languages, instead of have one version of Vista for each language, with the option to choose language during setup? (sorry my english)

A: There are plans to make the top tier languages available per piece of media. What this means is that a product will be shipped that contains, for example, the EN-US language. There are other media types that will be regional and have multiple languages available. Through attended Setup, the user can select one language to view Setup and to install on the system. You will be able to install multiple languages through the unattend file.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: [124] Vinnie sort of gathers info, but there has been little feedback on status after 2 months of practically silence from MS site ;-)

A: The process of getting feedback into the builds and getting those builds released to you with that feedback in it is not always as quick as we'd like, but please trust that Vinnie is very vocal and a good advocate for your scenarios here. He has a lab that he uses now to recreate these failures and makes everyone watch the issues. Thanks.


Srivatsa (Expert):
Q: After installing Vista (on a separate partition) and attempting to dual-boot with XP Pro we are unable to boot into Vista and simply get a black screen; we can use fixboot to get XP back up and running, but any suggestions for getting Vista working?

A: Try fixntfs -lh all. This will update the Vista Bootcode that will look for Vista Boot manager.

Thanks


Joscon [MSFT] (Expert):
good to know, what kind of drive was that?


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will there be a lanuage support for Hebrew?

A: Yes.


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Q: I have tried to install Windows Vista 5270 in Virtual PC...with no luck in recognizing the disk. Is this a current limitation?

A: That should work although you usually have to start the Vista setup, format the drive, then restart the Vista DVD and run setup again.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is my mother-in-law on TAP? She always seems to know when I'm home. I know they get futuristic components that we don't.

A: [m-i-l] Yes I am so watch what you say... :)


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: What will happen to the setup in the next release?

A: It will get faster and prettier, more functional and increasingly stable.


James [MS] (Expert):
Q: Will this chat be posted to the system after this chat is over? What about private protection?

A: Yes. I understand Sam has something to say on this in a little bit. I'm not sure what you mean by "private protection," but if you're referring to whether or not Private Messages will be posted, those won't be posted.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: What is the performance expectation of Longhorn/Vista install/setup? I have not seen an install that can be completed within an hour. We understand that it will be improved build to build. But will the installation time for Vista shorter than W2k3?

A: The goal is for this to be less than XP at time of release -- look for this to improve dramatically when staged builds come online.


SamW [MS] (Moderator):
Thanks for joining us today. This chat transcript will be posted shortly to the beta newsgroups as well as on the Connect site.


Richard [MS] (Expert):
Q: Is it possible for the Windows-based Setup to offer the same "Advanced" features the DVD-boot Setup offers, such as managing partitions?

A: Not really -- we're worried about scenarios where customers ask us to format their system partition (maybe not their Windows partition) etc. So we restrict disk behavior when setup is run from downlevel and push you to do the disk config tools in your downlevel OS.


Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Q: SamW is this chat under NDA?

A: Sam's machine is not responding, so I will answer. No, this is not under NDA (per SamW)

 

Stephen Lodwick [MS] (Expert):
Thanks all!


Scottmca[MS] (Expert):
Thanks for all the great questions today


Srivatsa (Expert):
Thanks a lot for bringing questions and suggestions. Appreciate it!