I did a search and looked around the forums and the other guides here, but there isn't a guide for general application installs.

What I mean is that if I have something like FileZilla I want to install, I can find the silent install switch (/S) but how do I configure it so that it doesn't install certain components like the Source Code or how do I chooese to use it in Secure Mode with the XML file.

If there was a general guide for automating application installs for unattended installs, it would rock. I appreciate guys like RyanVM putting prepacked installers for us, but I like to do things manually and create my own. So I need a guide and ways to get started...thanks.

I would check the applications section of http://unattended.msfn.org and also http://www.appdeploy.com

These sites may help you get started.

Thanks tguy.

I read the guide (http://unattended.msfn.org) once on the web and once after I printed out the PDF!

Alot of programs I want to install aren't on the Application list in the guide. Programs like Winamp or FileZilla. Yes, I could do a search for these applications on the forum, but then I don't want to do that for every funky application that I install.

There has to be a general way to script or automate an application to include certain options! Like in Winamp, I want to install it silently but without Winamp Agent. In FileZilla, I want to install it silently, but in secure mode with the XML file. These are just two examples from the hundreds of applications out there.

I just want to know the general way people are doing things to automate their application installs AND configure the application options at the same time.

did you try autoit yet?

If you want things to be that precise, I really hope that most of your apps use install shield otherwise Charmin Deluxe is right, AUTOIT is pretty much the way to go.

As for what I was talking about with InstallShield, you can go here, it explains things much better than I could.

There is also an app that will tell you what switches should work with your application. I haven't used it, but I've heard good things. This program won't give you the amount of control you want over your applications though.

For that, you WILL need InstallShield silent installs, or AUTOIT.

GOOD LUCK!