Windows 11 Post-Setup install, stuck on "Just a moment"

[lucas29466]

Hello everyone.
I'm trying for hours to make this iso with some apps that I want to install silently and several drivers (because this ISO is for 2 diferent hardware). No matter what, the process gets stuck on "just a moment". Tried several parameters and I also tested them all on CMD.

 

[Hellbovine]

When building an image it's best to test things in layers, to save yourself time and headaches like this, because troubleshooting in reverse is more challenging than testing it from the ground up as you go.

For example, there's 3 big layers here, one being the component removals and tweaks in NTLite, then another layer is all the drivers, and the last layer is post-install apps. Split this up into 3 separate images and test those individually, such as making an image that *only* has your drivers integrated, then install that. If no problems exist, add your NTLite component removals/tweaks, and test that. If there's still no problems then add your post-install stuff and test that.

Build images in this manner going forward and it'll be easier to figure out where the culprit is since the problem will usually be in whatever tweak you added most recently. If you are still struggling to find the issue after this, then post your XML and explain the situation and it'll be easier to troubleshoot because there won't be so many variables to evaluate. Or, if you've already done all the above, let us know that in more detail so we aren't wasting time looking at things that you've already ruled out.

 

[preiner]

Hi,
I am by no means an expert but I have been experiencing the same symptom as you for days on end. This is probably my 20th attempt. I am about to post a somewhat related bug report.
I have eliminated everything except the post-setup stage and when I remove the offending line, setup completes. Even so, I cant figure out what is wrong with the command.

However I have learned several things that might help you chase this down.

1) Any item in the post-setup (machine) phase that fails to complete or for some reason requires a user response such as (yes/no), will hang setup with the "just a moment" message. It seems imperative that each line in this stage completes successfully to avoid the message
2) Since you cant press f10 to open a cmd prompt and poke around, you have to essentially create a log for each command so that you can see which lines succeeded and which line its actually hanging on

I found that adding " > c:\line<xx>.txt 2>&1" appended to the parameter field of every line in the post-setup machine will record any stdout and stderr messages. Just be sure to replace <xx> with the actual line # so that each command you execute creates a unique log #

3) Once you get stuck at the "just a moment" message, stop the vm. Then mount the vhd file and you use explorer to view all the files and hence the log files.

If you are running setup on a physical machine, then boot windows from a PE image or Window to Go or linux or whatever. Just so that you can view the filesystem of the failed setup.

(IF this is too much of a pain, you can alternatively edit the setupcomplete.cmd file that is created on the iso and remove all lines except one. Run setup and see if it works. If it does, reedit setupcomplete.cmd and enable the second line. Keep going one line at a time until you find the one that it gets stuck on)

In one of my cases, it turned out that the app installer was written to run under the admin account and it got confused because setup runs it under "local system".

Sorry this response was long.

Hope this helps.

If you find a better way to debug this, please post back

 

[lucas29466]

HI,

I tried with drivers and settings only, and It went well. Next, I tried with the post-install components. Stuck on "just a moment" again, so it is indeed the post-install. Tried several parameters, I'm on the trial n# 15 already.

 

[Necrosaro]

HI,

I tried with drivers and settings only, and It went well. Next, I tried with the post-install components. Stuck on "just a moment" again, so it is indeed the post-install. Tried several parameters, I'm on the trial n# 15 already.

Install Windows normally and then just do a live removal with Ntlite. Might be easier seeing the problems you are having. Just make sure you backup before removals.

 

[Hellbovine]

Preiner noted that he is using the "Machine" execution for post setup commands. Are you also using that? Try switching to "User" and see if it changes anything.

Also, to make this more efficient, remove all but 1 app in the post-install for testing purposes, because it's quite possible that some apps are installing properly, while just 1 or 2 is failing. We want to eliminate as many variables as possible when troubleshooting, so if it were me I'd make an image that has absolutely no tweaks at all, and only 1 app in the post-setup stuff to silently install, and get that working before I then add the other apps, and other tweaks, so I can figure out why it's failing and how to fix it.

 

[layer8tech]

When building an image it's best to test things in layers, to save yourself time and headaches like this, because troubleshooting in reverse is more challenging than testing it from the ground up as you go.

For example, there's 3 big layers here, one being the component removals and tweaks in NTLite, then another layer is all the drivers, and the last layer is post-install apps. Split this up into 3 separate images and test those individually, such as making an image that *only* has your drivers integrated, then install that. If no problems exist, add your NTLite component removals/tweaks, and test that. If there's still no problems then add your post-install stuff and test that.

Build images in this manner going forward and it'll be easier to figure out where the culprit is since the problem will usually be in whatever tweak you added most recently. If you are still struggling to find the issue after this, then post your XML and explain the situation and it'll be easier to troubleshoot because there won't be so many variables to evaluate. Or, if you've already done all the above, let us know that in more detail so we aren't wasting time looking at things that you've already ruled out.

As hellbovine said, it's better to create your iso in "versions". I've taken to doing it this way after losing progress on a broken image.

I keep 2 previous versions iso saved until I know the image installs correctly.