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Unattended Windows XP by Network/LAN


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heh..umm maybe thats what it is lol

I looked into the boot floppy/ramdrive's directory structure and saw smartdrv there so i automatically ASSumed that it was in there. Well ..we all know what assuming does. hehehe

any particular switches i should use?

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just execute smartdrv.exe twice

the second time it shows u what it has done to your disc

i placed smartdrv on the share, and execute it from there, is somewhat faster then a floppy method

i also use mem.exe for debugging the config.sys if nessesary

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ok i'm thinking i could have a problem...

now that the floppy is gone...

I've set all the 'other' install apps in runonceex to install off of Z:

hhmmmm....ok i don't think it's calling the unnattend.txt anymore

it's asking for everything now

is there a regkey to map a drive off the lan?

because i havent seen one :)

lol

or do i just put

//servername/path

? :rolleyes:

tell me that's it :D

Edited by yourtech
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what happens is this, when u start the winnt.exe u should type this...

winnt.exe /u:<mapping>:\<answerfile> /s:<mapping>:\<i386map>

mine looks like

k:\i386\winnt.exe /u:k:\i386\winnt.sif /s:k:\i386

If u start your unattended installation like that then install copy's all needed files to ure Harddrive and from the moment of execution and the "taking out floppy" the rest will be done magically unattended

Ai: i dig ure problem, u can specify a folder which will be copied to your local drive, and then all z:''s should be replaced by local paths...

from the below your winnt.exe execution might look like this

k:\i386\winnt.exe /u:k:\i386\winnt.sif /s:k:\i386 /rx:k:\i386\$oem$
WINNT.EXE

The winnt.exe program is used to peform a clean ("full") install of Windows 2000 from an MS-DOS or Windows 3.x environment. This can be an existing installation of MS-DOS/Windows 3.x or a boot disk. You cannot upgrade an existing version of Windows to Windows 2000 with winnt.exe.

This program takes the following form, where parameters are surrounded by brackets []:

winnt [/a:] [/e:<command>] [/r:<folder name>] [/rx:<folder name>] [/s:<source path>] [/t[:<temp drive>]] [/u[:<answer file>]] [/udf:<ID>[,<UDB file>]

Command line parameters explained:

/a:

Enables accessibility options.

/e:

Allows you to specify a set of commands that will execute when the GUI portion of Setup is complete. Typically, this parameter is used to execute a set of commands located in a file called cmdlines.txt. Ex: winnt /E:cmdlines.txt

/r:

Allows you to include one or more sub-directories of modifications to a Windows 2000 installation. For example, you might include a directory called /my_drivers under the i386 directory that contains drivers for devices that were not included on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM. You can use the parameter multiple times to specify multiple modifications folders. Ex: winnt /R:my_drivers

/rx:

The same as the /R: parameter except that Setup will delete the temporary modifications folder(s) when installation is complete.

/s:

Specifies the location of the Windows 2000 installation files (the i386 directory). By default, winnt will look for these files in the current folder. The source path must be fully qualified in the form of Drive letter:\Path or \\Server\Share\Path. Ex: winnt /S:C:\i386

/t:

Specifies the drive on which to place temporary files used by Setup during installation. Setup will typically create these files on the C: drive or another partition that has enough free space by default. On a dual-drive SCSI system, Setup will run faster if you place the temporary files on the drive that Windows 2000 isn't being set up on. Ex: winnt /T:D:

/u:

Specifies the name of the optional answer file that can be used by Setup to install Windows 2000 without prompting the user. This option also requires the use of the /S: parameter. Use of an answer file to perform installations of Windows 2000 will be covered in a future showcase. Ex: winnt /U:answers.txt /S:D:\i386

/udf:

Specifies a unique identifier (ID) that is used to modify an answer file used during installation. This prevents every unattended install of Windows 2000 from appearing to be identical. The UDB file (*.udb) contains unique values for each identifier.  If you use this option, the installation files cannot be on a CD-ROM. Ex: winnt /U:answers.txt /S:D:\i386 /udf:mobile_user1,mobile_users.udb

WINNT32.EXE

The winnt32.exe program is used to perform a clean ("full") or upgrade installation of Windows 2000 from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT only.

This program takes the following form, where parameters are surrounded by brackets []:

winnt32 [/checkupgradeonly] [/cmd:<command line>] [/cmdcons] [/copydir:<folder name>] [/copysource:<folder name>] [/debug[<level>][:<file name>]] [/m:<folder name>] [/makelocalsource] [/noreboot] [/s:<source path>] [/syspart:<drive letter>] [/tempdrive:<drive letter>] [/udf:<ID>[,<UDB file>]] [/unattend[<seconds>][:<answer file>]]

/checkupgradeonly:

This parameter prevents Setup from installing Windows 2000 and simply verifies whether the current operating system can upgrade to Windows 2000. Ex: winnt32 /checkupgradeonly

/cmd:

Allows you to specify a set of commands that will execute when the GUI portion of Setup is complete. Typically, this parameter is used to execute a set of commands located in a file called cmdlines.txt. Ex: winnt32 /cmd:cmdlines.txt

/cmdcons:

Adds a Recovery Console option to boot.ini so that you can enter this command line mode to repair a failed installation or non-booting system.

/copydir:

Allows you to include one or more sub-directories of modifications to a Windows 2000 installation. For example, you might include a directory called /my_drivers under the i386 directory that contains drivers for devices that were not included on the Windows 2000 CD-ROM. You can use the parameter multiple times to specify multiple modifications folders. Ex: winnt32 /copydir:my_drivers

/copysource:

The same as the /copydir: parameter except that Setup will delete the temporary modifications folder(s) when installation is complete.

/debug:

Creates a debug log file at the specified warning level (0 to 4, where 0 is severe errors, 1 is errors, 2 is warnings, 3 is information, and 4 is detailed information) . When this option is not specified, Setup creates a log file with a warning level of 2 (that is, all errors of level 2 or lower are written to the log). Ex: winnt32 /debug:4:setup.log

/m:

Specifies an alternate location for setup installation files that will be used instead of files in the default location. In other words, you might have a default installation set location of D:\i386 but specify an alternate location of D:\SP1. On a file by file basis, Setup will look in D:\SP1 first: If the file isn't there, it will use the version in D:\i386 instead. This option will become more important as Service Packs and other updates to the Windows 2000 installation set become available. Ex: winnt32 /m:d:\SP1

/makelocalsource:

Copies all installation files to the local hard drive so that the CD-ROM can be removed during the first reboot. This option is handy if the CD-ROM becomes unavailable for some reason during Setup.

/noreboot:

Instructs Setup to not reboot the computer after the initial phase of Setup is complete. This will allow you to execute other commands before rebooting. Ex: winnt32 /noreboot

/s:

Specifies the location of the Windows 2000 installation files (the i386 directory). By default, winnt32 will look for these files in the current folder. Unlike its winnt.exe equivalent, this parameter can be used multiple times to specify multiple source locations, which will speed installation when you are installing over a network. The source path must be fully qualified in the form of Drive letter:\Path or \\Server\Share\Path. Ex: winnt /S:C:\i386

/syspart:

Allows you to prepare a hard drive for the installation of Windows 2000 so that the drive can be moved to another computer to finish installation. This parameter will mark the disk as active, copy the installation files to the drive and execute the first phase of Setup. After you move the drive, you can complete Setup on the new system. This parameter must be used with the /tempdrive parameter, and both parameters must point to the same partition. This parameter can only be executed on a system that is running Windows NT or Windows 2000. Ex: winnt32 /syspart:D: /tempdrive:D:

/tempdrive:

Specifies the drive on which temporary files will be placed during the installation of Windows 2000. Setup will typically create these files on the C: drive or another partition that has enough free space by default. On a dual-drive SCSI system, Setup will run faster if you place the temporary files on the drive that Windows 2000 isn't being set up on. Ex: winnt32 /tempdrive:D:

/udf:

Specifies a unique identifier (ID) that is used to modify an answer file used during installation. This prevents every unattended install of Windows 2000 from appearing to be identical. The UDB file (*.udb) contains unique values for each identifier.  If you use this option, the installation files cannot be on a CD-ROM. Ex: winnt32 /udf:mobile_user1,mobile_users.udb

/unattend:

Upgrades the previous version of Windows in unattended mode so that no user interaction is required. If you specify the answer file option, Setup will run in unattended mode but obtain its user-definable settings from an answer file you supply. This will be covered in a future Technology Showcase. The optional seconds option, for use only on Windows NT 4.0 upgrades, specifies the number of seconds Setup will wait to reboot after it finishes copying files. Ex: winnt32 /unattend:unattend.txt and winnt32 /unattend

Conclusions

Sure, you can simply run setup.exe in the root of the Windows 2000 CD-ROM, but there are a lot of advanced options you can explore by checking out the command line parameters for winnt.exe and winnt32.exe. I'd like to keep this page as up-to-date as possible: If you know of any inacuraccies here, especially missing parameters, please contact me and I'll make any necessary changes.

--Paul Thurrott

December 31, 1999

Should be in here :):rolleyes:

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ok but i don't see much of a difference between these two...

set AnswerFile=.\unattend.txtset SetupFiles=Z:\i386
Z:\i386\winnt /s:%SetupFiles% /unattend:%AnswerFile%

and

k:\i386\winnt.exe /u:k:\i386\winnt.sif /s:k:\i386

look kinda the same to me :)

and yes unnattend.bat is on the root of the mount point (Z:) :rolleyes:

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ok but i don't see much of a difference between these two...

set AnswerFile=.\unattend.txt

set SetupFiles=Z:\i386

Z:\i386\winnt /s:%SetupFiles% /unattend:%AnswerFile%

k:\i386\winnt.exe /u:k:\i386\winnt.sif /s:k:\i386

they look kinda the same to me :)

well, it's practically the same, i just use them without the variables...

it's because i execute them without a batch file, and when my research is done i will add the line to a batch with some comments etc.

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Ai: i dig ure problem, u can specify a folder which will be copied to your local drive, and then all z:''s should be replaced by local paths...

Ok, but here's the thing,

aside from what xp has to have i don't want anything (else) installed from local drives :)

and that includes office :rolleyes:

so...where did the unattend go...

because it's still asking :D hehehe

and sup mdes! :D

so should i just change everything to \\path? and will that even work?

Edited by yourtech
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Ok, but here's the thing,

aside from what xp has to have i don't want anything (else) installed from local drives :)

and that includes office :rolleyes:

here's the hard part, i believe that's impossible, because after the 1st reboot there's no connection with the server anymore, scince XP copied all files locally to your harddrive my guess is that u should do the same with office etc. with the /RX: specification that should be possible, the files will be copied to your hardrive in a matter of a few minutes and will be available for install while the XP installation isn't done... after the installation the files will be deleted...

otherwise u could distribute the software with the AD, if u set the software to be assigned, the computer will recieve all assigned software on the 1st logon on the network...

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so are your saying there can be no connectivity at the 12-13 minute mark?

and that you would have to run your runonceex after the 1st reboot :D

but really there should be a way :)

a reg key that makes the mount emmediately after the network can intitialize?

Please? hehehe

Anyway I'm pretty sure there is a way to make the admin acct have no password for a boot (could have another key set the pass at the next shutdown or next boot?)

otherwise u could distribute the software with the AD, if u set the software to be assigned, the computer will recieve all assigned software on the 1st logon on the network...

ok i don't quite understand that part :rolleyes: well i do but what does AD stand for and i hope it's included and takes 1 second to implement lol :D

anyway wouldnt RunOnceEx be capable of doing that? or no

your scaring me again

Edited by yourtech
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ok i don't quite understand that part :) well i do but what does AD stand for and i hope it's included and takes 1 second to implement lol :rolleyes:

AD stands for active directory, i assume that u know what ppl can do with the AD?

U can deploy office by using it's MSI files, u can set a deployment policy in the active directory to organisational units (OU), add your computer to a certain OU after u logged it onto the AD, and then log on again, the assigned MSI files will be installed automatically... but that's after the unattended installation

Anyway i further don't know if there's any network connection after the initial copy process, if so someone else here in this board should provide u that answer...

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oh great a week on this and now its Active Directory lol. argh

Actually i know of Active Directory just didn't clue in to the abbreviation :)

And don't you need Server or Advanced Server to run AD?

Anyway, I don't know but wouldnt there be a registry entry or two

for what someone would have currently mounted?

(a registry entry or entries for the mount point)

And if we could export that registry key

and have it load in runonceex!! ?:rolleyes:

And the mount coold be made if acct had the same password no? :D

question would be when it would be made tho eh? Anyone know?

Or anyone know if this is possible?

Edited by yourtech
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