Edit unattend.xml offline after Sysprep has run

[Mahon]

Hi all,

Just starting to get to grips with Vista, Sysprep and unattended installations. I was wondering if it's possible to edit the unattend.xml file in offline mode after Sysprep has run? What I'm currently doing is:

1. Install Vista Enterprise

2. Configure system, install applications

3. Create unattend.xml file using SIM

4. Run sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:unattend.xml

5. PC shuts down, boot to WinPE, capture image

Once I've captured the image, I can mount it in offline mode and inject drivers using pkgmgr. Is it possible at this stage to edit the unattend.xml file, commit the changes to the image, so that when it runs, setup will use the new settings I've specified? Or have the settings from unattend.xml already been parsed into the system?

The reason I want to do it is to cut out the image capture part of the process (i.e. every time I want to change a setting in unattend.xml I'll have to recapture the image)

Cheers!

[solar]

Hi all,

Just starting to get to grips with Vista, Sysprep and unattended installations. I was wondering if it's possible to edit the unattend.xml file in offline mode after Sysprep has run? What I'm currently doing is:

1. Install Vista Enterprise

2. Configure system, install applications

3. Create unattend.xml file using SIM

4. Run sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:unattend.xml

5. PC shuts down, boot to WinPE, capture image

Once I've captured the image, I can mount it in offline mode and inject drivers using pkgmgr. Is it possible at this stage to edit the unattend.xml file, commit the changes to the image, so that when it runs, setup will use the new settings I've specified? Or have the settings from unattend.xml already been parsed into the system?

The reason I want to do it is to cut out the image capture part of the process (i.e. every time I want to change a setting in unattend.xml I'll have to recapture the image)

Cheers!

Good question.. typically no one replies

[nyoung21]

Excellent question.

I have come across this same exact problem on a Windows Server Core deployment.

Thus far I have tried editing the C:\Windows\Panther\unattend.xml with no luck.

Is there some type of way to replace the unattend.xml with a modified copy like we could with sysprep.inf?

- Nick

[graham6282]

Hi all,

Just starting to get to grips with Vista, Sysprep and unattended installations. I was wondering if it's possible to edit the unattend.xml file in offline mode after Sysprep has run? What I'm currently doing is:

1. Install Vista Enterprise

2. Configure system, install applications

3. Create unattend.xml file using SIM

4. Run sysprep /generalize /oobe /shutdown /unattend:unattend.xml

5. PC shuts down, boot to WinPE, capture image

Once I've captured the image, I can mount it in offline mode and inject drivers using pkgmgr. Is it possible at this stage to edit the unattend.xml file, commit the changes to the image, so that when it runs, setup will use the new settings I've specified? Or have the settings from unattend.xml already been parsed into the system?

The reason I want to do it is to cut out the image capture part of the process (i.e. every time I want to change a setting in unattend.xml I'll have to recapture the image)

Cheers!

That is a good question and one i have had trouble looking up, i wonder if you have tested if it works yet???

I am currently doing a laptop, with all apps installed, and drivers and with windows activated, although i let it run into windows after sysprep and shutdown. It never stored all the changes and it even asked for the key (i double checked i put that in there lol), once i got back into windows, for some reason, windows was activated?? Must store the reg key or something??

Anyways, i wanted to use the image for another computer but i wondered if it would keep the drivers installed?? or not?? also since it asks for the key, i was thinking of entering a different key for the other computer, but one thing gets me. Windows was activated?? If it stores that info, what other info has it stored that might corrupt the installation, or at least cause problems in the future, or performance issues.

I will try it, but have got a few things to do over the next few days so might not be this week so would be nice if you could leave feedback on what you done and if any errors occurred.

Cheers

edit: Actually, just thought, will have something to do with passes, so if you use settings at /generalize, then they WILL be applied. Don't know when specialize is run, but oobe is obviously not run until first login. Will look that up actually

Edited November 10, 2009 by graham6282

[gpglang]

For those still not knowing, the place to store your edited unattend.xml is:

C:\Windows\Panther\unattend\unattend.xml

Now it will work

Goog luck