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How to configures partitions inside autounattend.xml file


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Hello to everybody,

I'm trying to make an unattended installation of Windows 7 over a pre-existing installation of Windows 7. This is the autounattend.xml file I'm using :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<SetupUILanguage>

<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>

</SetupUILanguage>

<InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>

<SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>

<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>

<UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>

<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>

</component>

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<DiskConfiguration>

<Disk wcm:action="add">

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<WillWipeDisk>false</WillWipeDisk>

</Disk>

</DiskConfiguration>

<ImageInstall>

<OSImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

</OSImage>

</ImageInstall>

<UserData>

<AcceptEula>false</AcceptEula>

<FullName>Windows</FullName>

<Organization>Windows</Organization>

</UserData>

</component>

</settings>

<settings pass="specialize">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<ComputerName>Windows</ComputerName>

</component>

</settings>

<settings pass="oobeSystem">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

<FirstLogonCommands>

<SynchronousCommand wcm:action="add">

<Order>1</Order>

<Description>Fase4</Description>

<CommandLine>c:\reinstallazione\fase4.bat</CommandLine>

</SynchronousCommand>

</FirstLogonCommands>

</component>

</settings>

</unattend>

Now this is the problem I need to fix : Usually Windows 7 creates a 100 MB hidden partition instead to install itself in one only single partition. For this reason,the autounattend.xml file I created can't be valid everytime. Plus,I need to make the unattended re-installation of Windows 7 64 bit,and this is another reason why I need to use al least 4 different kinds of autounattend.xml files :

version n. 1) can be used if the old installation of Windows 7 32 bit hadn't created a 100 MB hidden partition. In this case :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

....

<ImageInstall>

<OSImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

</OSImage>

</ImageInstall>

version n. 2) the old installation of Windows 7 64 bit hadn't created a 100 MB hidden partition. In this case :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

....

<ImageInstall>

<OSImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

</OSImage>

</ImageInstall>

version 3) the old installation of Windows 7 32 bit had created a 100 MB hidden partition. In this case :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

....

<ImageInstall>

<OSImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

</OSImage>

</ImageInstall>

version n. 4) the old installation of Windows 7 64 bit had created a 100 MB hidden partition. In this case :

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">

<settings pass="windowsPE">

<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">

....

<ImageInstall>

<OSImage>

<InstallTo>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>

</InstallTo>

</OSImage>

</ImageInstall>

Since I can start the autounattended re-installation of Windows 7 only copying the autounattend.xml file in one only place,the root of the CD/ROM,because it is the only place where it is detected and because whe whole system will be loaded from there,my question is : how can I configure the file autounattend.xml to avoid the problem that I have explained above ?

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This is a solution that I have already thought,but since I'm creating a system that I want to sell to my customers,it is against the Microsoft EULA to re-distribuite Windows files,so I can do what you suggest only if I can take the necessary files from the customer's Windows Seven 32 or 64 bit DVD. Can you confirm that I can do it ?

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you said : you can't burn your own install DVDs : can you explain better what it means ?

You cannot make your own DVD that installs Windows 7. This can only be done by a Microsoft Authorized Replicator. And I mean this by legal terms! Of course you could make your own, but if MS catches you then say goodbye to your business! However, if you make a DVD with these extra options, then a Replicator can make them for you. This is really expensive to do.

I can't find specific Replicator info because it is different depending if you are using Educational, Open, Direct, Volume License or Embedded versions of Windows. If you have a Microsoft Partner account, you should get a rep assigned to you. They would be the best person to ask about this type of thing. If you aren't already, you can check it out here (use IE):

https://partner.microsoft.com

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