Trying to make an unattended install CD of Windows 98SE...

[TooMuchFreeTime]

I have already made a perfectly working unattended install DVD for Windows 2000/XP/2003 and I'm now trying to make one for 9x OSses.

I'm currently working with 98SE and I have one small problem:

The install itself is completely unattended except for this thing showing up:

Any ideas how to get past this thing without user interaction?

Here is my MSBATCH.INF if it matters:

; MSBATCH.INF
;
; Copyright © 1995-2000 Microsoft Corporation.
; All rights reserved.
;

[BatchSetup]
Version=3.0 (32-bit)
SaveDate=01-01-04

[Version]
Signature = "$CHICAGO$"
AdvancedINF=2.5
LayoutFile=layout.inf

[Setup]
Express=1
InstallType=3
OptionalComponents=0
EBD=0
ShowEula=0
NoDirWarn=1
TimeZone="Finland"
NoPrompt2Boot=0

[System]
Locale=L040B
SelectedKeyboard=KEYBOARD_0000040B

[NameAndOrg]
Name="*"
Org=""
Display=0

[Network]
ComputerName="Windows98"
Workgroup="WORKGROUP"
Display=0
PrimaryLogon=Windows

[OptionalComponents]
"Salkku"=0
"Laskin"=1
"Työpöydän taustakuva"=0
"Asiakirjamallit"=0
"Pelit"=1
"Imaging"=1
"Hiiriosoittimet"=0
"Paint"=1
"Tiedostonkatselu"=1
"Windows Scripting Host"=1
"WordPad"=0
"Helppokäyttötoiminnon asetukset"=0
"Helppokäyttötoimintojen työkalut"=0
"Internet-yhteyden jakaminen"=0
"Microsoft Wallet"=0
"Personal Web Server"=0
"Ohjattu Web-julkaisutoiminto"=0
"Web-Based Enterprise Mgmt"=0
"Varmuuskopiointi"=0
"Merkistö"=0
"Leikepöydän tarkastelu"=0
"Levynpakkaustyökalut"=0
"Levymuunnin (FAT32)"=0
"Ryhmäkäytännöt"=0
"Verkonvalvonta"=0
"Järjestelmänvalvonta"=0
"Resurssimittari"=0
"Outlook Express"=0
"Balttilaiset kielet"=0
"Keski-Euroopan kielet"=0
"Kyrillistä merkistöä käyttävät kielet"=0
"kreikka"=0
"turkki"=0
"Äänisignaalin pakkaus"=1
"CD-soitin"=1
"Macromedia Shockwave Director"=0
"Macromedia Shockwave Flash"=0
"Multimediaäänimallit"=0
"Ääninäytteet"=0
"Ääninauhuri"=1
"Kuvasignaalin pakkaus"=1
"Äänenvoimakkuus"=1
"Muut näytönsäästäjät"=0
"Lentävät ikkunat"=0
"OpenGL-näytönsäästäjät"=0
"Osoitteisto"=0
"Puhelinverkon ATM-tuki"=1
"Puhelinverkkoyhteydet"=1
"Puhelinverkkopalvelin"=0
"Suorakaapeliyhteys"=0
"HyperTerminal"=0
"Microsoft Chat 2.5"=0
"Microsoft NetMeeting"=0
"Numeronvalitsin"=1
"Yksityiset näennäisverkot"=0
"Baseball"=0
"Vaaralliset otukset"=0
"Tietokoneen sisällä"=0
"Viidakko"=0
"Leonardo da Vinci"=0
"Aina vain Windows"=0
"Mysteeri"=0
"Luonto"=0
"Tiede"=0
"Avaruus"=0
"Urheilu"=0
"60-luvun USA"=0
"Kulta-aika"=0
"Matkailu"=0
"Vedenalainen"=0
"Windows 98"=0

You may notice that there is no ProductKey parameter anywhere in my MSBATCH.INF... it is unnecassary because I made my Windows 98 a "corporate" version by editing setupx.dll that is found in Precopy2.cab...

Instructions:

http://www.msfn.org/board/98micro-ISO-t496...994#entry585994

Some other questions:

-When booting to the desktop for the first time I still need to logon once... any way to avoid this?

-To install programs during the OS-install I need to call a .bat file from MSBATCH.INF, right?

-Windows 95 & Windows ME... does the unattended installs work in same way?

[ShadeTreeLee]

Under your [setup] section, you have

OptionalComponents=0

NoPrompt2Boot=0

and mine has both of those with a 1.

You are also missing

InstallDir="c:\windows"

entry that mine has in the same section. I seem to recall that NoPrompt2Boot is your problem but it happened to me so long ago I really can't recall exactly what the fix is.

I just don't recall if there is a first logon workaround but Soporific's Unattended Boot CD project would be a real good place to start looking for one. If anybody's got one it would be that guy.

Calling batch files is just one possiblity, one can also call other inf files from MSBatch.inf, Soporific does both if I recall correctly. 95 and ME also use MsBatch.inf files so yes they do work the same within reason.

All that said, getting a truely hands off Windows install is quite a tricky thing to do in native english, there may be a Finnish foilble or two that just plain gets in the way. For example, EBD=0 or else you must answer a pop up box asking if you want to make a bootdisk. You also don't get an EBD directory if you have EBD=0 so it must be added later if you want to be able to make a bootdisk in DOS mode by invoking the bootdisk.bat file. Windows Add/Remove Programs|Startup Disk tab will still make one using it's own file list so not all is lost, but it's a hidden, unknown of hassle unless you've been this way before.

To make EBD files show up as per a normal install, I add in this stuff:

[install]

CopyFiles=EBD.Files

[DestinationDirs]

EBD.Files=13,EBD

[EBD.Files]

io.sys,winboot.98s

aspi2dos.sys

aspi4dos.sys

aspi8dos.sys

aspi8u2.sys

aspicd.sys

autoexec.bat,autoexec.ebd

command.com

btcdrom.sys

btdosm.sys

config.sys,config.ebd

drvspace.bin

ebd.cab

extract.exe

fdisk.exe

findramd.exe

flashpt.sys

himem.sys

oakcdrom.sys

ramdrive.sys

readme.txt,readme.ebd

setramd.bat,setramd.ebd

The [install] section already prexists so don't make MsBatch.inf have two of them, just add the "CopyFiles=EBD.Files" line to yours. It doesn't matter which order it is in. That's all I got, good luck.

[TooMuchFreeTime]

Importing this registry entry during installation seems to get rid of the logon screen when booting to the desktop for the first time:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Network\Real Mode Net]

"AutoLogon"=hex:00

About the Date and Time Properties Dialog Box:

I tried OptionalComponents and NoPrompt2Boot with 0s and 1s... I didn't see any difference at all.

Do these parameters actually do anything?

Anyway the Date and Time Properties Dialog Box allways appears at the end of installation ruining my otherwise unattended install... any ideas how to get past it?

[ShadeTreeLee]

Importing this registry entry during installation seems to get rid of the logon screen when booting to the desktop for the first time:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Network\Real Mode Net]

"AutoLogon"=hex:00

Thanks, I'll put that tip into my notes on msbatch stuff.

About the Date and Time Properties Dialog Box:

I tried OptionalComponents and NoPrompt2Boot with 0s and 1s... I didn't see any difference at all.

Do these parameters actually do anything?

They are supposed to. OptionalComponents controls your installed Optional components like WordPad, Paint, themes, etc. NoPrompt2Boot controls whether or not you get the timed "About to boot" prompt box or not.

If neither of these are having any effect then you are not making the changes to the msbatch.inf file that is in charge of the installation which means you are doing it wrong somehow?

Anyway the Date and Time Properties Dialog Box allways appears at the end of installation ruining my otherwise unattended install... any ideas how to get past it?

I wasn't kidding when I said - that's all I got. So no, I don't have a clue at this point, but someone else may still join the thread.

You might try it with US mountain time set because that's where I am and I DON'T get the Date/Time Properties Dialog box showing here when I run a msbatch.inf installation. There may be a difference in our time zone setup files that is causing this?

[TooMuchFreeTime]

I changed the TimeZone= parameter from "Finland" to "Mountain" and the Date/Time Properties Dialog box didn't show up... THANKS!

My install is now completely unattended except for it asking for monitor.inf when booting to the desktop for the first time but this can be avoided by having your monitor turned off at this stage.

Now I need to think of a way to install to install programs during OS-install... unfortunately I'm not very familiar with .inf files:

Can someone show me an example of calling a .bat or .inf file from .inf file?

[ShadeTreeLee]

Good Deal! As I first suspected, there is probably something slightly out of kilter with the Finnish time zone files and that is what is really triggering your Date/Time Dialog box. OR perhaps just a line or two is missing from the "Finnish registry" in the Time Zone area - perhaps you can discover what it is and supply the lines to effect a custom fix?

Monitor.inf should be supplied normally as it's found in the Windows\INF folder. That is curious why it can't be found.

See the help file for WillyPad. And see the \TOOLS\RESKIT\INFINST folder of your 98 installation CD itself. The sample Resource Kit can be installed from the \tools\reskit\setup folder and that would get you inf file and msbatch info as well. It is in the \tools\reskit\help folder as the rk98book.chm file.

My example comes from msbatch.inf file itself. After it has booted once, the msbatch.inf file is supposed to be in the Windows folder but it lacks any method for putting itself in there which is an oversight on MS's part but nonetheless, it is supposed to then delete a MSN icon from the Desktop. It does that by invoking itself and "installing" the named section (RunOnce.BatchDelay) like so:

[install]

AddReg=RunOnce.BatchDelay,Run.Installed.Components,Skip.PCMCIA.Wizard,Registry.WinUpdate

[RunOnce.BatchDelay]

HKLM,%KEY_RUNONCE%,BatchRun1,,"%25%\rundll.exe setupx.dll,InstallHinfSection Delete.MSN.Icon 4 %10%\msbatch.inf"

[Delete.MSN.Icon]

DelReg=MSN.Icon

[MSN.Icon]

HKLM,SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{4B876A40-4EE8-11D1-811E-00C04FB98EEC},,,

Each section is placed in an order such that one can see that the previous section deals with or "calls" the next section - this ordering is not required, it is only used here to help you see how the "inf" methodology works.

At the next boot up, the RunOnce key in the registry will run the section of the msbatch.inf file where the MSN.icon section is deleted from the registry and that key deals with the NameSpace of the registered GUID number starting with 4B876... Which if existing in the registry causes the MSN icon to appear on the desktop - if it's not in the registry, the MSN icon is not on the desktop.

You could just as easily have named a supplied batch file or even a separate inf file and your inf file can launch other inf or batch files as needed. It seems the INFINST.exe method will work in concert with msbatch.inf also which is something I did not realize before this either. So there again is yet another way to launch custom application installations.