WAIK help needed

[NobleSir]

Background

I have created a customized automated install of office 2007. It's a silent install so all you see is a window that comes up and shows setup initiating and then it disappears and office installs.

I need some help using WAIK for the automation features with Vista.

Question:

How do you have an unattended vista install - install an unattended office 2007 automatically - once vista has loaded?

- I have tried, but the WAIK stuff is greek to me.

- I know that vista does not work like XP with the winnt.sif

Simplified: Is there a way to make Office 2007 part of the vista install? (WAIK or vlite)?

Any help would be appreciating please and thanks.

-Noble

[Minus30]

I install apps with 2 xml files. The first Autounattend makes your Vista installation unattended.

In the Oobe Pass of this one, you simply add a Reseal to boot into Audit mode (don't know exactly which module without seeing it)

Then in the AuditUser Pass of the first XML, you add Synchronous Commands

First you have to specify a folder. You can do this by putting a txt file names AppsRoot.txt in the root of your DVD. Also make a folder named Install, where you put all your installation files.

The first Sync Command should be:

cmd /c "FOR %i IN (C D E F G H I J K L N M O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) DO IF EXIST %i:\AppsRoot.txt SETX AppsRoot %i: -m"

To specify the root of your DVD as %AppsRoot%

Then to install programs, use code like this:

cmd /c %AppsRoot%\Install\Office\Install.exe [+parameters] like you would do an install with a 'run' command in windows.

btw, I got all this info from the nice little Guide Firegeier wrote from us on this forums:

http://www.msfn.org/board/Vista-unattended-Guide-t95462.html

[cjoyce1980]

you could try using BDD2007, its a great way to deploy your desktops

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb490308.aspx

[NobleSir]

Thanks for the help!

I'm going to try the WAIK way first and if I can't figure that out, I will try BDD2007.

Minus30 - Does the guide in which you found the information start from scratch? For example - start the WAIK program, then do step A, B..etc? I looked on that other page but I could not find where you got the info. Can you post a direct link? Thanks

[Minus30]

The guide I gave start from scratch yes. It's how I learned to make a vista unattended with minimal experience (I've made an unattended XP once before )

The link is to a forum thread

You want to look at the first post. It's the index of the guide. Just click the links you see there

[NobleSir]

Yea, I think I am no longer a novice user of WAIK =p. I followed the guide, but it needs to be updated for SP1 - especially when it comes to booting to audit mode and not having the network window come up upon first boot. Also, when going in to audit mode to install my apps and then rebooting into real mode, the prompts for user name and language, etc appear. I tried to create the other unattended xml file to have it pass those settings, but I couldn't get it to work. Everything else works though =).