rcurtis

After running down the wrong path (with WinPE) for what I really needed to achieve, I have come to the realization that I just need to be concentrating on a plain-jane unattended process. (My apologies to the guys over in the WinPE section!) I have followed the unattended guides posted...all I'm after is a VERY simple install which allows for installation of Server 2003 to a folder other than the default \WINDOWS folder. I KNOW how to accomplish this with the WINNT.SIF file. Here's my problem...I created an ISO using the process outlined in the unattended guide and using CDImagePro (after editing the cmd file appropriately for pathnames and such.) I get a CD that will successfully boot, I get a short (2 second) display of "Setup is investigating your hardware..." or similar line and then the display goes totally black. It sits there for about 4-5 minutes and then the normal SETUP blue text screen finally appears and everything appears to run as expected from that point. I *thought* that maybe I had a problem with the xpboot.img file as supplied from the CDImagePro download since I am working with Server 2003 instead of XP...so I used ISOBuster to get the "real" img file from my Server 2003 original CD. Using that file, I used the same process (CDImagePro) but pointed to this new img file. This gave the exact same results as method #1...a long pause and then SETUP starts. Granted...I have yet to try either of these created CDs on other hardware...but my original Server 2003 CD does not exhibit this delay...it fires right up as expected. Any ideas?

Perhaps I am barking up the wrong tree... I am trying to develop a WinPE CD that boots and also has the original Server 2003 distribution files (or at least the i386 folder) to start an unattended install. How do I include the extra folder on the ISO image? I believe I have the correct syntax for the command to start the unatteded process...but where do I put it? Everybody seems to have a very unique piece of this puzzle...but there does not seem to be a single document anywhere that LITERALLY leads someone by the hand in setting up this process. It appears that I am having to go "around the world" just to achieve an installation of Server 2003 in a folder other than the default \WINDOWS folder. (I've tried the Microsoft article that says to just create an answer file called WINNT.SIF on a floppy and insert it just as the blue SETUP screen appears. I CANNOT get this to work...even though this appears to be the simplest method of achieving what I'm after.) Someone....PLEASE HELP!

This will be a new unattended install...I just need to get it into the \WINNT folder instead of the default \WINDOWS folder.

Sorry guys...I know most of you are way beyond what I've been able to pick up from reading through the forums. I *promise*...I HAVE read the postings before I posted this. I am a valid (legal) user for PE (SA contact). I need to start up an unattended install for Server 2003 Standard. The *only* thing this needs to do is allow me to install to the old \WINNT folder as a number of our 2K servers had inplace upgrades. For disaster recovery purposes, (as you know) the OS would have to be installed back to the original working folder. I have my answer file as created with SETUPMGR. I just don't know where to go from here. Does anybody have this documented every step?