un4given1

gosh: this does not change the color of the logon screen though. The method I posted above is exactly what needs to be done.

[HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors] "Background"="0 78 152" the #'s stand for R G B so if you wanted: black: 0 0 0 white: 255 255 255 red: 255 0 0 green: 0 255 0 blue: 0 0 255 get it? Good luck! Edit: BTW, if you want to add a picture just add a value named "Wallpaper" and if you put the file in a directory that already is part of the path you will not need to include the full path, otherwise you have to include the full path. "TileWallpaper"="1" will tile the image "WallpaperStyle"="2" will strech the image If you want to set the image in a specific location use the value "WallpaperOriginX" and set it to the number of pixels from the left side of the screen you would like the image to be centered on. "WallpaperOriginY" will set the number of pixels from the top of the screen. Later

This is easily done. You do not need SMS as someone else suggested, or AD. Just make sure the administrator passwords are all set to be the same, for ease of use. Disable simple file sharing. Copy the file you wish to launch to the PC using UNC paths. ( \\PCNAME\c$ to access c drive ) then create an AT statement on the PC with silent installation switches. You can do this manually or through a script... I prefer the latter. Lets say you want to install hotfixes. You could do it this way... This script will automatically determine what hotfixes you want to install by searching directories for the files and then doing whats needed. After you have run the script then you just clean out the directories and add new ones as they are available. Create directories for each type on your local PC and copy each type there. c:\hotfixes\win\1\ c:\hotfixes\win\2\ c:\hotfixes\ie\1\ then create a file with the name of all of your PCs you wish to update. pcs.txt COMPUTER1 COMPUTER2 Then create a batch script to do what it is you want to do. update.cmd @echo off title Hotfix script echo Enter time in the following fashion: HH:MM am set /p runtime=Please enter what time you wish to run hotfixes on PCs: :: searches for files dir /b c:\hotfixes\win\1\*.exe>>win1.txt dir /b c:\hotfixes\win\2\*.exe>>win2.txt dir /b c:\hotfixes\ie\1\*.exe>>ie1.txt :: creates script to copy hotfix files. for /f %%i IN (win1.txt) DO echo copy %%i \\%%1\c$\hotfixes\win\1\%%i>>c:\copyhotfixes.cmd for /f %%i IN (win2.txt) DO echo copy %%i \\%%1\c$\hotfixes\win\2\%%i>>c:\copyhotfixes.cmd for /f %%i IN (ie1.txt) DO echo copy %%i \\%%1\c$\hotfixes\ie\1\%% i>>c:\copyhotfixes.cmd :: creates script to run previous script to each PC for /f %%i IN (pcs.txt) DO echo copyhotfixes.cmd %%i>>copycmds.cmd :: creates script that will be run from network PC for /f %%i IN (win1.txt) DO echo c:\hotfixes\win\1\%%i /q:a /r:n>>c:\runhotfixes.cmd for /f %%i IN (win2.txt) DO echo c:\hotfixes\win\2\%%i -u -q -z>>c:\runhotfixes.cmd for /f %%i IN (ie1.txt) DO echo c:\hotfixes\ie\1\%%i /q:a /r:n>>c:\runhotfixes.cmd :: add previous script to copycmds.cmd script for /f %%i IN (pcs.txt) DO echo copy c:\runhotfixes.cmd \\%%i\c$\runhotfixes.cmd>>copycmds.cmd :: creates script to create AT statement on network PCs for /f %%i IN (pcs.txt) DO echo AT \\%%i %runtime% "c:\runhotfixes.cmd">>runat.cmd runat.cmd :: then you can add this if you want to reboot the PCs after it's done. shutdown -r -m \\computer1 -t 300 -f -c "The computer will restart in 5 minutes. Please save and close all programs. Thank you! Your Daddy" then you just run the update.cmd file when you wish to run all hotfixes in the directories on the network PCs. The file with prompt you for what time you wish to run the files on the network PCs so you coudl run this and not have files kick off until later. I spent a lot of time manually typing this out so please let me know what you think. I would check it for errors (if you are familiar with batch scripts). Please let me know if you do not understand something in the script. You can make any necessary changes to the script to install programs that you would like. Good Luck!

n.e.o.w.i.n does not have any periods. It's only posted this way because it's a forum site just like this. It's really lame that there is fighting between the two. Each has their own "specialty" Come here if you want to learn how to do unattended CDs, go there if you want to just BS about absolutely nothing. hehe Wonder what will happen when my site goes live, I'm sure they will all block it too.

you are wrong about not needing NTFS, and you REALLY shouldn't be changing default permissions on registry keys. If you feel that is a way for you to be in "control" then by all means, go for it. But I think you are teasing the beast.

This is what I don't get... people talk about not wanting to pay $15+ for a CD. They complain that CDs should be cheaper, yet they are willing to pay $.99 a song, when there are 15+ songs on a CD. The truth is guys... if you like an artist, then buy their music. If you do not want to buy it then you can wait for each time it comes on the radio. But, anyone who has ever bought a CD knows that the best songs never make it to the radio. Let me ask all of you this. If you made music or webpages or graphics or software would you want to give it away for free? I know all of you are going to chime in and say "I already do that for free" but I have to say you do not do it nationwide to millions of fans so that doesn't count. Everyone has offered services for free, but when they are in demand we all know we charge for those same services. Stop whining and BUY the music, any way that you have to.

Set FullUnattended and remove the info for CDkey and name. It WILL prompt you for anything that is unanswered by the SIF file.

Rahbas: The reason for this is that the default profile is the one that is being used during cmdlines.txt. Some of the files are in use and can not be replaced. That is why everyone uses reg keys.

Here... this is how you do it. Create a directory with the windows XP files in there. Configure it almost the same way you would a CD, but you want to make sure that you do not have windows format the drive. You will probably want to convert to NTFS however at some point. That will work. Format the HD with an old DOS version and create an autoexec.bat file that will launch the winnt.exe file on first boot as an unattended installation.

gosh: your method is just the CD version of what I do using RIS. It's great because I have created scripts to the point of only having to drop a new hotfix into a directory and I'm done. Software isn't much harder. I create a directory for it in the software directory and drop the EXE in there, and then I create a cmd file in the software directory with switches. The scripts automatically find all of these files and install them just like that. Everyone talks about "slipstream" everything, but why even go that far? That's just to prove that you can do it, that's all. I guarantee that my method is easier to administer than any other method you will find anywhere else. Gosh, I didn't know that you were launching that from the first login. For some reason I thought you were launching that from cmdlines.txt. I don't know where my mind was.

Microsoft has an OEM utility that allows you to run a "mini setup" to install all drivers. try http://oem.microsoft.com Maybe you can find it there.

DaveXP: You can do it that way... Just create a boot disk that points to your second drive and launched winnt.exe from the i386 directory. Run it with a /? switch to see the options available. Just get yourself an old 2GB HD for just that purpose That would be perfect, right? I myself use RIS because I deal with more than 500 PCs, but that's not a solution for the normal home user.

check the forum guidelines buddy... this is stricly forbidden. You will not find help here to crack that file, be it "legally" or not.

I understand the thought process, but the problem with this could be that someone might only have one drive, or maybe this CD is used in a corporate environment of some kind so access to these drives may be impossible. We all know that during the setup process network resources are not available so that idea is down the drain. here's your fix for the A drive problem. If it doesn't exist you will get text in your script that will say "The device is not ready." if it is unfound, but there is no prompt. dir a:\apps.bat>nul && IF exist a:\apps.bat goto aapps This will use the "dir" command to check if a disk exists. if it exists then the output will be redirect to NUL, if it does not exist it displays "The device is not ready." The "&&" command is a conditional statement saying "if the first part has no errors then run the second." There are many other conditional statement options such as: & runs each command after another && run each only if the one preceeding it was successful || runs a command only if the command preceeding it fails These are statements that very few people are even aware of. You can also chain these statements: This would run each command after the next a.cmd & b.cmd & c.cmd This would run each command only after the previous were successful a.cmd && b.cmd && c.cmd This would run each command only after the previous failed a.cmd || b.cmd || c.cmd You can also use grouping (a.cmd && b.cmd) || c.cmd This would run a.cmd and if it's successful, run b.cmd. If both a.cmd and b.cmd are successful then c.cmd does not run. If either of a.cmd or b.cmd fails then c.cmd would run. Here's some more examples: ((a.cmd && b.cmd) & (c.cmd && d.cmd)) || notepad.exe this would run a.cmd and only if it were successful it would run b.cmd. Then it runs c.cmd no matter what and if c.cmd is successful it runs d.cmd. If any of the whole process files then it would launch notepad.exe Lets assume that a.cmd, b.cmd and d.cmd exist... This statement would run a.cmd and b.cmd (because a.cmd exists). It would not run c.cmd because it does not exist, and because of that it would not run d.cmd either. Because one part of the whole process failed it would launch notepad.exe. If you changed the "||" to && then it would only launch notepad.exe if the whole process was successful. One step further... ((a.cmd && b.cmd) & (c.cmd && d.cmd)) || (notepad.exe || e.cmd) assuming the same as above, e.cmd would only be launched if notepad.exe did not exist. It would not be launched if it does not exist. ((a.cmd && b.cmd) & (c.cmd && d.cmd)) || (notepad.exe || e.cmd) || f.cmd f.cmd would only launch if part one failed and part 2 failed. ((a.cmd && b.cmd) & (c.cmd && d.cmd)) || (notepad.exe && e.cmd) && f.cmd f.cmd woudl only launch if part one failed and part 2 was successful. Grouping works the exact same way it did back in math. (we all remember those days, right?) I hope this helps!

I already have a RIS server with Windows Server 2003. One of the prereqesites of RIS is AD, so you can assume that I have that as well. The method you suggested is what I already do using batch scripts, but it requires me to manually run the script after the install is complete and answer a bunch of questions. I am wanting to place these questions in the CIW. I am just wanting to find a way pass variables from CIW to a completed windows build. Using Active directory to push out software is not an option. The PCs are configured per "position" and not user. There are sales, managment, support, developers, accounting, and a few others that each have unique software. Some of these PCs sit behind 256K lines so pushing software to them at any other time than the build is not possible. Thank you for your suggestions darph.

Ok, I have been comming here for a couple months now and I have helped and helped, but now I am going to ask my first question. For those of you who I have not run across yet, "hello!" I love forums, and finding this one has really been a treat. I know just about anything you could imagine about RIS and chances are that this is not even possible... During the Client Installation Wizard of a RIS installation is there any way to pass a variable from CIW to the environment variables or anywhere else? The idea is to be able to select a "usertype" during the CIW and once the setup is complete, set a GuiRunOnce instance to gather the variable(s) and install certain softwares dependant on this. Unfortunately in order to keep legal I have to install certain versions of different items on different PCs. This is a corporate environment and I am the administrator on the server. It is our software installation point for all of our software and our office administration points. This server services over 500 PCs and we are gearing up for a company wide rollout of Windows XP. RIS is the only option that we wish to use. Other methods just don't give us the flexability that RIS does. Using RISPrep images are not the course I wish to follow either. I want a batch script to disect the variables passed to it, and for each "usertype" to use the same image. Now, in the past I have asked questions about RIS and I have NEVER received a reply (on different large forums). I know that there are others out there who use RIS so if you can please just give me any information you have regarding this issue I would appreciate it. To those of you who are "pros" at unattended Windows XP CDs, please understand that RIS is a completely different beast. The CIW that I speak of is not the text mode setup, it is even before that. It's a series of stripped down HTML files that walk you through a series of questions such as username, login, computername, and image. While I appreciate your help, please do not post replies such as "just create an unattended CD" Thank you for your time everyone! Please, if you have any questions about RIS that you would like answered please let me know. I would be more than willing to help you out. I am working on a page at this time that will detail a lot of the information I have come across and figured out for myself. While creating a RIS image is not much different than a CD, there is so much more that you can do. Please let me know if I can help, or if you can help me! Edit: HAHA.. just noticed my join date... it hasn't even been one month! Time flies when you are having fun, huh? Oh, I forgot to mention. The server is Windows Server 2003. The image is Windows XP SP1. Please let me know if there are anymore questions.

login as user and configure internet explorer to deny internet access. You could enable QoS on a system but I do not believe there is a way to disable it per SYSTEM. Even with active directory you would be unable to do these items. This would call for some 3rd party software or a nice cisco router of some kind, and yet still that would be per machine and not user. Good Luck

You will find that this method works just as well, and keeps with the consistency of all of your other reg hacks. BTW: the reason for the two values in the same key is because one works with SP1 and the other one works with preSP1. It does not hurt to have both. The second value is all that is needed for SP1 and above. They changed the key in SP1.

If you are using active directory you can add it to their login script. If you are not using active directory you can use the NET SEND command to send a Messenger box to their PC. (NET SEND * Go to hell!) This is granted that you have not turned off the Messenger service. Maybe a little more information and details about what you are trying to do?

I hate it when someone is the first to reply to a post and they quote the original post. It's like, "DUH, you id***! Of course that's what you are replying to! It's the only thing you COULD be replying to!" Also, I do not feel it is necessary to quote a post that happens directly before yours if it is a one question post. One question=one answer. It's a bit different when someone asks 5 questions and you want to answer each seperately, or if you are answering questions across multiple posts.

RD will delete hidden files as well.

I have a quest for you... Figure out how to push variables from the CIW in RIS to GUI mode (or to the registry or anywhere else it can be extracted from later). That's what I want to know. You know if this is possible?

instead of using a delete command, use the RD (remove directory) command RD /Q /S c:\applications RD /Q /S c:\drivers RD /Q /S c:\install I guarantee that this will work

gosh: Windows update looks only at history. It does not scan file versions and such. If you delete the history from your computer (not IE history, but hotfix histories) then your computer will think that none are on there. You SHOULD use qchain.exe, but as you said it will soon be a worthless utility.

A better method is to use the IEAK (Internet Explorer Administration Kit) to make a company specific package. This allows you to control just about every aspect of browsing you can imagine like chaing the homepage, modifying the title bar, and completely configuring the look of it. There are thousands of options. Give that a go. You will be glad you chose to use IEAK instead.