tjhart85

I use the standard silent commands, and where they don't exist, I use AUTOIT. AutoIT allows for you to silulate keystokes and mouse clicks and allows you to set a program up to your EXACT specifications. Its usually easier to take advantage of silent installs if they exist though. The other things that really help are ResHacker (allows DLL and EXE to be hacked/customized), and this forum of course. I would be NOWHERE without this forum!

You could create an AUTOIT script. Thats what I did. AUTOIT is a coding language designed exactly for this kind of stuff (unattended isntalls that do EXACTLY what you want them to), so you'll get what you want, and its really easy to use. This script turns off weatherbug, but leaves the WILDTANGENT GAMES thing on, i figured i might want to play them eventually. With a few simple mods, you can make it do exactly what you want. My script can be seen below. I would like to say "sorry" in advance for the lack of comments, but I don't see the point of commenting things out when i don't originally plan on releasing my scripts. Just goto google and look up AUTOIT, and download it, its a simple program. Run("aim553595.exe") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Software License Agreement") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Software License Agreement","&Yes","Button1") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Installation") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","&Next >","Button1") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Install Components") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Install Components","AIM WeatherBug (powered by WeatherBug)","Button4") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Install Components","&Next >","Button1") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Installation") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","&Next >","Button1") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Installation") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","I'm permanently connected through a LAN.","Button5") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","&Next >","Button1") Sleep(1000) Send("{TAB}") Send("90210") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","Make Netscape.com my homepage.","Button1") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","&Next >","Button2") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Installation") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","Install AIM icons to Start Menu","Button2") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","&Next >","Button4") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger Installation") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger Installation","&Next >","Button1") Winwait("AOL Instant Messenger") ControlClick("AOL Instant Messenger","&Next >","Button1")

Go to LogonUI and you'll find a program called LOGONUI, run it. Point it to the boot screen you use, and if the version doesn't match up, it'll convert it for you. It will probably make a copy of the file, and rewrite your BOOT.ini file, but thats not too big of a deal. The boot.ini file will point you to wherever LOGONUI places the new boot screen (it also renames it to KERNEL1). Find that screen, slipstream it into your disc, and you're in buisness. It really easy. Personally all i do is put my KERNEL1 file into my system32 directory, and set up a batch file that will rewrite my boot.ini file to point to KERNEL1, that way if for some reason the original is ever needed, it can be gotten easily.

I've had the same problem using crappy CD-R disks as well as CD-RW disks that hadn't had a full level format in a while. So, thats a message to everyone out there, if setup says it can't find a file, just try reburning it on more dependable media.

I looked for a while for this information, all that I can find is this: http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware/cdrom/cd_utils_3.shtml There are several methods, I don't know which if any would be compatable with the Unattended disc, and the information is a little dated, but hey, here's what I managed to find for you. If it works, please let us know!

Try it! You don't need to actually reformat windows or anything, just make the batch file, or type the commands into a DOS box and see if it works.

The only reason I have seen why the AUTOIT script would hang is becaues it didn't get a window it expects. If there is a command like WINWAIT("whatever") and it never gets that window, it'll keep waiting for it. My oponion is that you run the script in Windows, see if it hangs there, if it does, then modify the code.

You can do it relatively easily actually. At least i think this should work without a problem. $OEM$\$Docs\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Startup section of the unattended install disk. That way it'll run the first time the user logs on, and at the end of the BAT file, simply make it delete itself. That way it wo'nt run anymore.

Calm down, man, just cause your a NOOB doesn't mean that you have to get hysterical! I am a NOOB too, I only found out about Unattended Installs because I downloaded a program called MARCELLEXP, and was intrugued by it. It took me a long time to find out what it was cause everytihng was in French! Since then I have been working hard and reading a lot. If you just read you will find the answers to almost all of your questions. Like they said earlier, go here: http://unattended.msfn.org it solved most my problems. Between that site and this forum I have had much help. Now you say that your floppy controller doesn't work, correct? Is your motherboard capable of booting off of the CD-ROM? If it is, then you just follow the guides, they all show you how to create a bootable CD-ROM using CDIMAGE. Also, if you would have gone to http://unattended.msfn.org you would have realized that pretty much the first step is Slipstreaming SP2 onto your disc. You say that you have tried different methods, but at the same time don't know what the folder's do, or why they are there. You need to SLOW DOWN, take a DEEP BREATH, and try to LEARN what you are doing. If you know what you are doing, it makes troubleshooting that much easier. Being a NOOB is no excuse at all for going into a forum and just demanding results without reading. I started this 2 weeks ago, and its been constant reading and upgrades to my disc (as well as constand reformats of my hard drive [i prefer not to use VirtualPC]). Anything worth doing is worth working for.

I keep mine stored on my server. I simply have a bath file map the drives, then xcopy the favorites over. Real simple and effective, if you have a server (a crappy PII will work really well).

I don't beleive that you can only install 20 at a time. My really long AU3 file installs 24 without any problems. So far its worked great, but I do plan on eliminating a script that is completely dependent on the extentions I already have. If for some reason I have a funky version of Firefox and you should normally need to quit firefox after 20 extentions, you could always (I could be wrong, i don't have much experience with AUTOIT scripts, my ideas here are based on my knowledge of C++) make a loop that runs till 20, exits firefox, runs firefox again, and statrs up where it left off. PSEUDOCODE EXAMPLE. FOR (INT X=0, INT Y=0; X IS NOT EQUAL TO WHEN AUTOIT SAYS END.; X BECOMES X+1, Y BECOMES Y+1) { IF (Y IS LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 20) THEN INSTALL FIREFOX EXTENTIONS ELSE IF (Y IS EQUAL 20) CLOSE FIREFOX Y GETS RESET TO 0 OPEN FIREFOX } AND THEN IT JUST CONTINUES ON ITS MERRY WAY. Sorry if thats hard to read, it won't let me tab everything out like i wanted. I tried to color code it. I also tried to make it as simple to understand as possible. I tried to take out my C++ jargon. Everything within the {brackets} is controlled by the FOR loop The BLUE shows everything in the IF The GREEN shows everything in the ELSE IF I haven't had the time to study up on the AUTOIT scripts enough to know if this is actually possible, but it seems like a relatively straight foward concept All this only matters if indeed, you actually can only install 20 at a time, which I don't beleive is true. As for the feedback window, well, you have everything encapsulated within a while loop, correct? Well, simply simulate the user hitting ENTER everytime the while loop starts. Firefox doesn't seem to flip out when you hit ENTER when there is no dialog box, so it should work fine, and should eliminate the box when it shows up. I haven't actually had this problem with the box, so I could be mistaken though.

@Nologic To tell you the truth, I didn't know those functions existed! I am new to the AUTOIT language, and that was only my second script. I will definitely try and integrate your recommendations into my own script though. Thank you! Yeah, the help file is a joke, but its definitely better than nothing. That code definitely looks a lot more flexible than what I have, thats for sure!

I created one using "AUTOIT v3", excellent program. I also made it go through and install all my favorite extentions, its a major time saver. I will post a RAR file with the script for the Silent Install, the EXE for the silent install, as well as my script that installs all my extentions for anyone who wants to modify it to suit their needs. Don't worry, its only 84k not a large file. One thing to note, the FireFox installation needs to be in the same directory as the silentfirefox.exe, and it NEEDS to be named: Firefox Setup 1.0PR.exe EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention. When you are writing your BATCH file, simply call SilentFireFox.exe and it will start Firefox Setup 1.0PR.exe by itself FireFox.rar

That would be very easy, all you would have to do is make an unsattended script like normal, and make AUTORUN call that script. This will make it install as soon as you put the DC into the tray (assuming you allow AUTORUN to work). If it doesn't work like its supposed to, all you have to do is double click the batch file. Simple, and pretty much bulletproof.