How to remove final few annoying questions after install complete?

[benbenno]

Hi again.

Was wondering if its possible to prevent the XP install from asking those boring questions at the end where...

What are the user names?

Do u want to register this version of XP now?

Do you want to create an internet connection?

etc

etc

etc

You hopefully will say yes

But how exactly?

Cheers

[johnhc]

benbenno, yes. My install is completely silent. We need more information, so, please attach (not paste) your Last Session.ini. Make sure to always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders, do all your work in one nLite session and integrate only one SP. Please report when you have a solution, so others can benefit. Enjoy, John.

[Guest]

You have two options, benbenno:

1. You can add the following code to the [unattended] section of WinNT.sif:
   

   UnattendSwitch="Yes"

   
   

2. In nLite, you can tick "Skip OOBE" under Misc in the General tab of Unattended settings.
   
   

Edited December 25, 2009 by 5eraph

[benbenno]

hey brilliant 5eraph

so thats what that checkbox was for

I left it unticked thinkin XP might never ever validate,

But its jst to take away those questions hmmmm awesome, well not yet have to see if works lol

On ur other option : "UnattendSwitch="Yes""

What are the further benefits from doing this, like what else is gained

ie: It sounds like an install from start to finish, with zero questions.

A dream, but im sure XP will have to ask somethin, yeah?

Because a user account name has to be inserted at some point, or does it just use the default ADMIN account at log in

[johnhc]

benbenno, we need to see your Last Session.ini - please attach (not paste) it. I do no edit the winnt.sif file and you should not need to do so. I use Fully Automated under Unattended Mode of the General tab and I also define an account with administrator privileges with a password and auto log it. I also provide a PW for the Administrator account. I do not skip OOBE. All of this is why we need to see your Last Session. The only stop I get during install is when Setup asked you to define a partition to install Windows. Then completely unattended - i.e., no input required. Enjoy, John.

[Guest]

There should really be no reason to see "Last Session.ini", johnhc. No difference exists between the two options. nLite adds that line to WinNT.sif when the "Skip OOBE" checkbox is ticked. As a matter of fact, I'll bet nLite adds that line to WinNT.sif when you select "Fully Automated" as well.

Activation and registration are two different things. Activation is required on non-VLK editions of Windows and is anonymous. Windows installations that are not activated will show a nag in the system tray periodically for the first 14-30 days. Registration is optional and not anonymous. I never register.

You are correct, benbenno. If no other accounts are set up then the Administrator account will show on the Welcome screen by default. Once another account is created, the Administrator account will no longer appear on the Welcome screen unless the following registry entry is added:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList]
"Administrator"=dword:00000001

Edited December 26, 2009 by 5eraph

[johnhc]

5eraph, I suspect you well know that I almost always ask for the Last Session.ini and I want to encourage all posters to attach it as soon as it is available. It tells us many important details about what the poster is doing without asking 64 questions. I ask that you please don't discourage posters from attaching their Last Session.ini.

benbenno, I would still like to see you attach your Last Session.ini.

Enjoy, John.

[Ponch]

You are correct, benbenno. If no other accounts are set up then the Administrator account will show on the Welcome screen by default. Once another account is created, the Administrator account will no longer appear on the Welcome screen

AFAIK, this is only for XP PRO. XP Home won't complete install without other user creation, Unattended or at OOBE.

By the way, nLite Unattended section insists you create at least one account but still will create a "User" account aside yours regardless. That's a bug I think.

[benbenno]

hey ponch,

interesting with XP home.

I managed to tick OOBE lol and works great.

Its odd because although just having the default admin account only, im still asked to enter a user name and organisation string. Like what the hell are those details being assigned to if theres only the admin account.

I left this blank in nLite Config because friends may use my nLite XP disk, so i no want it configured just to my name.

If wasnt for this question (name & org), id have a unattended install start to finish.

If only the default admin account exists, where does the name & org details get assigned to?

Also, i thought it was a bug years ago, when realized there was the hidden default admin account, behind my standard admin user account.

But now this way, going straight to the default admin account (hence no redundancy) it seems preferable. But is it dangerous to not have a standard user account, and just sticking with this default admin. Could this cause problems down the track?

Edited December 27, 2009 by benbenno

[Kelsenellenelvian]

I left this blank in nLite Config because friends may use my nLite XP disk, so i no want it configured just to my name

This is a BAD move!

Plus your arrogance is really quite annoying!

#1 you insult anyone who tries to help you because the answers they give are not simple enough for you.

#2 you can't seem to use the search feature

#3 you admit to sharing your UA XP disk, which is rather against the rules here...

Edited December 27, 2009 by Kelsenellenelvian

[benbenno]

thanks Kelsenellenelvian, ur contribution has certainly enhanced my skills as a nLite developer

especially where removing final few annoying questions after install is complete

being a simpleton means not knowing what to do. But now i feel 10 fold evolved, advanced, and ready to direct any new simpletons to areas of sheer complexity that you and i both now comprehend. Cheers

The disc made is a version that will not be validated by microsoft. So hence in the $OEM$ folder i place on the desktop the "Microsoft Key Update Tool" and running a batch file saying u must enter ur own key using Microsoft Key Update Tool.

So next time i help out a friend (not you) and reinstall XP for them and ignite their computing experiences with a fresh OS rather than the 5 year old unworkable heap of muck their currently using my instant assistance will be be truly adored.

Or actually i might make 1000 dvds copies of my iso file and distribute a version to everyone in my suburb.

Thankyou for ur ventilations.

[Ponch]

Its odd because although just having the default admin account only, im still asked to enter a user name and organisation string.

...

I left this blank in nLite Config

Very odd indeed , me thinks nLite should have some sort of guessing/random function for blank fields. Also for the key, that would come very handy.

Seriously, don't call yourself "nLite developer" when you struggle to qualify as user.

Installing nLite, you have agreed that it is for personal use only, not for distributing to "friends". And please change your attitude and irony, or you'll soon get banned.

[benbenno]

that would be awesome. like maybe hav a random guessing string for all blanks fields and hav like a just totally lottery XP setup where who knows what you''ll get.

"Microsoft Mystery XP"

- for all non developers, all non users, and only for losers

Be init 2 neva winit

[Martin H]

If only the default admin account exists, where does the name & org details get assigned to?

It's not related to accounts. It populates the 'Registered to' section seen when pressing Win+Pause...

But now this way, going straight to the default admin account (hence no redundancy) it seems preferable. But is it dangerous to not have a standard user account, and just sticking with this default admin. Could this cause problems down the track?

I myself prefer to use the default admin account as only/primary account. It's generally not recomended to do that, since then you won't have a backdoor into the OS if anything goes wrong, and also since you can mess things up if not knowing what you're doing, but as i frequently make backup images of my system partition and store all data on a second partition, then i don't see the point in making an extra "redundant" account...

I'm not recomending to do that, but just explaining my motives behind it...

[halofan]

Hello, I wanted to comment about the forum and how refreshing it is to listen to people fighting openly. Usually Im told its not acceptable to use stronge language when I phone 'experts' or try to talk about anything IT. I love computers although I have no use for one. Since 2003 I have approx 7 laptops and recently got two PCs one with 8GB ram, the other is broken from the extreme heat and dust in these parts. I download porn. For some reason the computers break. I've learned to format the hard drive and load Windows. I was downloading porn the other day (I think I have some sort of delusion of making some grand movie one day) when nLite came on the screen. I gave it a go on an old iSeries ThinkPad but I think the best course is to use VMWare? I first got myself a Nokia nine thousand series Communicator back in 1998 (666+666+666=1998, theres a lot of parionia out there, why) and have stuck with it ever since. The only problem with the early Communicators was not enough memory. So I thought I would save the memory on a small secondhand Acer laptop. Didn't work. But I've talked to lots of people about 'stuff' and no one knows.. I think strong language is possibly the only way most people can describe their IT problems. Problem is so many different cultures? And the problem is everyone thinks they have evolved from apes. I don't think we have evolved that much really? Show me one intelligent person. We are all pretty much a bunch of stupid animals (stupid=unintelligent). I'd reckon the first humans were identical twin apes (boy and girl). You've heard about the mental bond twins have? THATS the bond we ALL share today being decendants of that first two. Love is communication. Simple. Not rocket science. Yet educated people still think they are some kind of super evolved high tech god like creature? The other day I was reading a posting from May last year for nLite and it was very amusing. You could really feel the stress as people were tryting not to go bullistic and still make their point and stay on top. You people are interesting. Oh I do't want any special treatment, our football season is about to start. Oh! I especially liked the way one member could express it as f'n, f'd, etc. Neat.