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Thread: Installing Windows the EZ way- hands free!

  1. #1

    Installing Windows the EZ way- hands free!

    http://www.voodoofiles.com/5546

    This utility will let you do hands free installs of Win98 through WinXP. Two qualms I have with this utility:

    1.) It seems you can only install Windows using a CD, as opposed to using the Win9x or i386 setup folder copied to a local drive which can be 3x faster.

    2.) It requires a serial number be entered before installation of the OS begins, and in the case of some Academic versions of Windows (I have an Academic Win2k and WinXP CD that do not need serials) this is not needed and entering information here may compromise the install.

    So for all you DIY'ers I'm also posting the method I use for doing unattended installs of Win2k and WinXP as well. I won't bother with Win98/ME since it can be installed in 15 minutes with today's hardware. For an unattended install, you need two files: an autoexec.bat, and unattend.txt. There are much more intricate ways of doing unattended installs involving the sysprep and setupmgr utilities, but I'll let you read up on them. For a crash course on doing unattended installs for Win2k.XP check out Axcel 216's site . Don't follow his unattend.txt sample word for word as several of the options (notably his autoexec.bat file) have been syntaxed wrong, and quotes do not need to be placed around every answer. For a complete guide with all options explained, navigate to the \SUPPORT\TOOLS folder on your Win2k/XP CD and open the DEPLOY.CAB file (Win2k/XP should have native support for viewing .cab files, if not you can use WinRar to open them). For Win2k you want to read the unattend.doc file in the .cab file and for WinXP extract the ref.chm file. Now onto the goodies...

    Autoexec.bat- needed to get the installation off the ground after booting in DOS. I suppose I forgot to mention that, you need a DOS boot disk to do this. You can start this process from within Windows with the winnt32.exe, but again, you can read up on that. Here's the autoexec I use:

    @ECHO OFF
    format c: /q
    d:
    CD OS\WINXP\I386
    smartdrv.exe c+ d+ e+
    WINNT /S:d:\OS\WINXP\I386 /U:d:\OS\WINXP\i386\UNATTEND.TXT


    As you can see it's fairly simple and straight forward. By typing winnt /? at the command prompt from within the i386 directory you can get a list of all switches, such as specifying a temorary directory/drive for install files during installation. The /S switch specifies the "source" of your Win2k/XP install files and the /U switch specifies where the unattend.txt is located. Make sure you have format.com and smartdrv.exe on your DOS boot disk.


    Open your text editor of choice and paste this text:

    [Data]
    MsDosInitiated= 1
    UnattendedInstall= 1

    [GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword= *
    OEMSkipRegional= 1
    OEMSkipWelcome= 1
    TimeZone= "035"

    [SystemFileProtection]
    SFCQuota= 0x01h

    [Components]
    accessopt= off
    chat= off
    fax= off
    dialer= off
    freecell= off
    hearts= off
    hypertrm= off
    indexsrv_system= off
    media_clips= off
    media_utopia= off
    minesweeper= off
    pinball= off
    reminst= off
    rstorage= off
    solitaire= off
    msnexplr= off
    spider= off
    zonegames= off
    msmq_ADIntegrated= off
    msmq_Core= off


    [Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents = YES

    [Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup= Workgroup

    [RegionalSettings]
    Language="00000409"
    LanguageGroup="1"

    [UserData]
    ProductKey= "xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx"
    ComputerName="BEASTPOUNDER"
    FullName="Powerslave"
    OrgName="POO"

    [MassStorageDrivers]
    "HighPoint Technology Inc. HPT366 IDE Controller"="OEM"

    [OEMBootFiles]
    HPT366.Sys
    HPT366.INF
    HPT366.CAT
    Txtsetup.oem

    [Unattended]
    AutoActivate= NO
    CrashDumpSetting= 0
    DisableDynamicUpdates= Yes
    DriverSigningPolicy= Ignore
    FileSystem= LeaveAlone
    NtUpgrade= NO
    OemPreinstall= YES
    OemSkipEula= YES
    Repartition= NO
    TargetPath= *
    UnattendMode= FullUnattended
    UnattendSwitch= YES
    WaitForReboot= NO
    Win9xUpgrade= NO

    [Display]
    BitsPerPel = 32
    XResolution = 1024
    YResolution = 768
    VRefresh = 75


    * This will install Windows to C: and assumes you're doing a clean install and not an upgrade from WinNT/9x/2k. Read the documents I mentioned above for dual-booting, repartitioning, and upgrading from an older OS.

    ** The Administrator account is set for no password and will logon automatically. You don't have to set up any sub accounts unless desired.

    *** If you do not have a SCSI card or IDE expansion card (or you do, but Windows already has native drivers for it), then delete the [MassStorageDrivers] and [OEMBootFiles] sections. Then set the OemPreinstall line in the [Unattended] section to NO.


    Go here for more detailed info on installing mass storage (IDE controller cards, SCSI cards... etc.) drivers during an unattended installation.

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2003
    Posts
    3,915
    Hey Hey,

    You posted an inappropriate joke that had to be removed... I consider that strike one.... You posted a tutorial that wasn't yours... That's strike two... How do we know that this... garbage.. is yours? I'm sorry but this isn't a tutorial... Explain what the config options do, don't just tell people to copy and paste.. then maybe you have a tutorial... This is fairly useless.... wait until you have something interesting to post.. or.. stop posting

    Peace,
    HT

  3. #3
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    United Kingdom: Bridlington
    Posts
    17,188
    Hmmmm,

    I think that a bit more on the general concept might be useful?

    Basically you can install from media (CD/DVD)
    Remotely over a network
    From .CAB files on a HDD

    Installation can also be "regular" or from an image.

    My comment would be that the "image" is generally fine for a home PC that you have prepared the image from. It really comes into its own when you are doing hundreds of installations on identical equipment.

    It can let you down when you are trying to do an installation in a mixed hardware and applications environment.


  4. #4
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    197
    meh. -ech0.

  5. #5
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2003
    Location
    Pacific Northwest
    Posts
    1,675
    We have us one heck of cut & paster here. Consistently he claims other people's work!!! This thread is just another example. It originated back in 2002.

    Once again this is not his work!!!

    Here



    plagiarize

    SYLLABICATION: pla·gia·rize

    PRONUNCIATION: plj-rz

    VERB: Inflected forms: pla·gia·rized, pla·gia·riz·ing, pla·gia·riz·es

    TRANSITIVE VERB:

    1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own.
    2. To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from (another).

    INTRANSITIVE VERB: To put forth as original to oneself the ideas or words of another.
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