WinSetupFromUSB, Unattended Source

[vipernicus42]

Hey Guys,

Okay so I have this awesome source that I've made and tweaked over the last three years which I use daily as the user and desktop support tech for a staffing firm. Details below:

XP Pro SP2

Used nLite to add RyanVM Update Pack, DirectX and WMP Add-ons

Used DriverPacks from Driverpacks.net to add drive support

Used nLite to setup an Unattended install

So basically when I put the disc in, I hit enter once, and then it doesn't bug me until it gets to the computer's name (one part of the winnt.sif I left blank so it would prompt me), then I fill that in and it doesn't bug me until it hits desktop.

I can give more info on how I made it if it's needed to help get me an answer, but that should give you a basic idea of what my source looks like.

We got a bunch of machines without optical drives and I'm using WinSetupFromUSB to get my source onto an 8GB USB stick so that I can get these machines up and running.

My simple question is how do I get Unattended working with this? I tried searching in this subforum and reading the main two threads, but with both of them being 20+ pages long, I was hoping someone could just give me a straight-up answer of "change this file to say that and it will use the winnt.sif from your source and you'll be good" or something like that. I just need it to do exactly what my source does. Install, prompt me for the computer name, but other than that don't bug me.

I use this daily, and really can't spare the time to manually answer questions for the windows setup! I've included my Winnt.sif (with some sensitive information obviously omitted) in case anyone needs to see it. This is what works on my CD version.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,

Jon

Winnt.sif

[submix8c]

Sorry, but from what I understand (haven't used it), but it appears to be two different worlds. You can't just "change this to that".

Rough (real rough) explanation -

Procedure appears to be to Begin Installation (somewhere - a VM/VPC?), halt/do not reboot after a certain point (after Copying Installation Files?), Properly format the USB stick (methods given in the forum; a special "tweak" is necessary to make it properly boot), copy the halted installation over, modify whatever is necessary (this and last - order probably reversable), then carry the USB Stick to the PC and boot from it (will finish the installation).

You have to do a little reading to understand this, as you probably had to do to set up an Unattended CD.

P.S. the SIF file has (almost) nothing to do with it.

Again, sorry, and HTH

Edited March 17, 2009 by submix8c

[vipernicus42]

I have to apologize to the awesome folks here... It looks like the newest version did the trick. I was running an older version of WinSetupFromUSB.

I still have to do the partitioning part of the install right at the very beginning, but I found in one of the threads that you can't make it do that part automagically (I had it set to just wipe the first hard drive and make a giant NTFS part, but if I have to do that part manually it's not a big deal)

Thanks for the help,

Jon

[jaclaz]

Procedure appears to be to Begin Installation (somewhere - a VM/VPC?), halt/do not reboot after a certain point (after Copying Installation Files?), Properly format the USB stick (methods given in the forum; a special "tweak" is necessary to make it properly boot), copy the halted installation over, modify whatever is necessary (this and last - order probably reversable), then carry the USB Stick to the PC and boot from it (will finish the installation).

You have to do a little reading to understand this, as you probably had to do to set up an Unattended CD.

You too need some more reading, what you described is almost but not quite, completely UNLIKE the way WinsetupfromUSB works.

A rough explanation is the following :

• Start the app
  
• Insert a stick
  
• Choose options PROPERLY
  
• Run the app
  
• Remove the stick
  

This stick, once booted from on any machine, is capable to install XP on it, just like a booted CD would do.

Once the XP has finished installing, you can carry the stick to another machine and install XP to it.....and so on.

I have to apologize to the awesome folks here... It looks like the newest version did the trick. I was running an older version of WinSetupFromUSB.

No need whatsoever to apologize, the main thing is that you succeeded in what you wanted to achieve.

jaclaz

[submix8c]

Erg... guess I need to get a USB stick for testing. I did say "rough" and "appears". Just attempting to guide the OP to the correct resources (via "seek-and-destroy" - that widdle box at the top) for further digestion.

(sheesh!)