How to clean GPT hard disk using Autounattend.xml

[richard]

Hi All,

i want to auto clean GPT hard disk after UEFI installation using Autounattend.xml, but system report error "could not format GPT disk", my system is windows 7 sp1 x64?

any idea would be appreciated, thanks!

[myselfidem]

Unattended Windows Setup Reference for Windows 7.chm

Type

Type specifies the type of partition to create.

Values

EFI

Creates an extensible firmware interface (EFI) partition type.

The EFI partition type configures the partition as an EFI system partition (ESP). This is a required partition for a GUID partition table (GPT)-based disk.

Only a single EFI system partition is required, regardless of how many GPT-based disks exist on a system. For unattended installations, it is possible to create more than one ESP on a hard disk. If there is already an ESP on the hard disk to which you are installing, and you create a new ESP in your answer file, two ESPs will be present on the computer. Two ESPs might be problematic for users, and they will consume additional disk space.

We recommend that you use the WillWipeDisk setting to erase all partitions on the disk before performing an unattended installation.

In attended installations, Windows Setup warns you that an ESP already exists on the hard disk.

Installation will be terminated if you specify Type as EFI and the format of the disk is of type MBR. Only GPT disks can have an EFI System partition.

UEFI-Based Systems

The following XML output for the DiskConfiguration setting shows partition modifications for a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)-based computer, including an EFI System Partition (ESP), the Microsoft Reserved partition (MSR), a recovery partition, and a Windows partition. The recovery partition is set with the Utility partition type, and does not appear with a drive letter in Windows.

<DiskConfiguration>
   <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
   <Disk>
      <DiskID>0</DiskID>
      <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
      <CreatePartitions>
         <CreatePartition>
<!-- Create the EFI partition -->
            <Order>1</Order>
            <Type>EFI</Type>
            <Size>100</Size>
         </CreatePartition>
<!-- Create the Recovery partition -->
         <CreatePartition>
            <Order>2</Order>
            <Type>Primary</Type>
            <Size>200</Size>
         </CreatePartition>
<!-- Create the MSR partition -->
            <Order>3</Order>
            <Type>MSR</Type>
            <Size>128</Size>
         </CreatePartition>
<!-- Create the Windows partition and fill the rest of the hard disk -->
         <CreatePartition>
            <Order>4</Order>
            <Type>Primary</Type>
            <Extend>true</Extend>
         </CreatePartition>
      </CreatePartitions>
      <ModifyPartitions>
<!-- Modify the system partition -->
         <ModifyPartition>
            <Order>1</Order>
            <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
            <Active>true</Active>
            <Format>FAT32</Format>
            <Label>System</Label>
         </ModifyPartition>
<!-- Modify the recovery partition -->
         <ModifyPartition>
            <Order>2</Order>
            <PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
            <Format>NTFS</Format>
            <Label>Recovery</Label>
            <TypeID>e3c9e316-0b5c-4db8-817d-f92df00215ae</TypeID>
         </ModifyPartition>
<!-- The MSR partition does not need to be modified -->
<!-- Modify the Windows partition -->
         <ModifyPartition>
            <Order>3</Order>
            <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
            <Format>NTFS</Format>
            <Label>Windows</Label>
         </ModifyPartition>
      </ModifyPartitions>
   </Disk>
</DiskConfiguration>

Edited November 22, 2011 by myselfidem

[richard]

thanks for reply.

i also reviewed the web link in your last reply, and created my own disk configuration file, as following, however, i still met “windows cannot be installed to this disk, the selected disk is of the GPT partition style”.

<DiskConfiguration>

<Disk>

<DiskID>0</DiskID>

<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>

<CreatePartitions>

<CreatePartition>

<Order>1</Order>

<Size>400</Size>

<Type>EFI</Type>

</CreatePartition>

<CreatePartition>

<Order>2</Order>

<Size>128</Size>

<Type>MSR</Type>

</CreatePartition>

<CreatePartition>

<Order>3</Order>

<Size>50000</Size>

<Type>Primary</Type>

</CreatePartition>

<CreatePartition>

<Order>4</Order>

<Size>50000</Size>

<Type>Primary</Type>

</CreatePartition>

<CreatePartition>

<Order>5</Order>

<Type>Primary</Type>

<Extend>true</Extend>

</CreatePartition>

</CreatePartitions>

<ModifyPartitions>

<ModifyPartition>

<Extend>false</Extend>

<Order>1</Order>

<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>

<Label>System</Label>

<Format>FAT32</Format>

<Letter>S</Letter>

</ModifyPartition>

<ModifyPartition>

<Extend>false</Extend>

<Format>NTFS</Format>

<Letter>C</Letter>

<Label>SYSTEM</Label>

<Order>2</Order>

<PartitionID>3</PartitionID>

</ModifyPartition>

<ModifyPartition>

<Extend>false</Extend>

<Format>NTFS</Format>

<Label>TACCBOOT</Label>

<Letter>D</Letter>

<Order>3</Order>

<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>

</ModifyPartition>

<ModifyPartition>

<Format>NTFS</Format>

<Label>TACC_2HD</Label>

<Letter>E</Letter>

<Order>4</Order>

<PartitionID>5</PartitionID>

</ModifyPartition>

</ModifyPartitions>

</Disk>

<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>

</DiskConfiguration>

Edited November 25, 2011 by richard

[myselfidem]

Unfortunately I can't test on my computer the UEFI-Based System using Oracle Sun VirtualBox, even if I can select this option with the Virtual Machine!

My computer is BIOS-Based System.

However, you can read the Unattended Windows Setup Reference for Windows 7.chm and see some examples:

http://www.microsoft...ls.aspx?id=2458

Always check your Autounattend.xml file with WSIM before to see if errors!

Image Enable EFI on Virtual Machine

Edited November 26, 2011 by myselfidem