Program to Do all of the unattended stuff.

[eangulus]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was a program that did everything. I see there are progs for doing some parts of it and when placed all together they do a great deal of the work for an unattended disk but I have yet to find an All in 1 program.

If there isn't then can I suggest something.

Can the programmers that are making the "other" programs all get together and start a project that basically does the major stuff like slipstream a SP and adds post hotfixes and updates etc. But on top of it all allow plugins so others can make wizards to make other changes like changing the setup process look or another one I noticed amongst the post was ways to add shorcuts to your quicklaunch during install and even place shorcuts on your desktop AND tell windows were you want them (bottom left etc).

If I was a programmer myself I would start it all.

I hope this is a good idea and even more so hope that someone starts something rolling.

[Nephilim]

Well I think that would be a great idea, too. But you know these programmers everybody is unsatisfied with the otherones doing and they cannot get along with each other. ;-)

I think the biggest problem would be to find a common programming language. Some stuff is written with .net, most likely C#, others is not. I have heard that some other stuff is Visual Basic and maybe some is even written in Delphi. The problem is, that you cannot mix these things.

[clair]

Hi,

I was wondering if there was a program that did everything. I see there are progs for doing some parts of it and when placed all together they do a great deal of the work for an unattended disk but I have yet to find an All in 1 program.

If there isn't then can I suggest something.

Can the programmers that are making the "other" programs all get together and start a project that basically does the major stuff like slipstream a SP and adds post hotfixes and updates etc. But on top of it all allow plugins so others can make wizards to make other changes like changing the setup process look or another one I noticed amongst the post was ways to add shorcuts to your quicklaunch during install and even place shorcuts on your desktop AND tell windows were you want them (bottom left etc).

If I was a programmer myself I would start it all.

I hope this is a good idea and even more so hope that someone starts something rolling.

Balder Multiboot is the ideal tool for the system admin. It allows you to make customized installs of Windows NT based operating systems and is very easy to use. You will save a huge amount of time deploying operating system installs.

You can have up to 24 operating systems on one CD or DVD and our program uses a special optimization, saving possibly huge amounts of space so you can have multiple operating systems on CD/DVD’s.

Inbuilt CD/DVD writing assures that it is quick and easy to burn your ISO image onto a CD/DVD!

You can integrate hotfixes, drivers, software installs and unattended scripts to your installs as well as slipstreaming hotfixes, SCSI/RAID drivers and service packs.

Integrated drivers and software installs apply to all operating systems so you don’t need to add them more than once. For integrated software installs you have the ability to select what software installs should be installed to each operating system with the help of checkboxes and in what.

Other features include backup and the ability list the drivers and updates on your local machine and any networked machines. You can make driver packages of the drivers found and search the internet for information and/or downloads for all the updates found. Many other features and tools are available as well

http://www.balder.ms/multiboot/

[visaversa]

@clair, **** you breat me in a fraction

I suggest to look at XPCreate for the major stuff like slipstream a SP and adds post hotfixes and updates etc.

and then somehow to automate the unattende software install

1 XPlode

2 WIHU to complete.

There is a program that does all that already but its a commercial one:

Balder Multiboot does it really all from a---z

I have a license copy but there is a one user/OS limited demo

http://www.balder.ms

[eangulus]

Well thankyou for the link and spill on the Balder Multiboot program.

My only issue is:

1. Its a paid program. No good unless I want to do ones commercially.

2. If a way of doing something is worked out (ie they are working on finding how to preset the quicklaunch width) then the feature to do it would have to be added and the program updated and that also makes us wait on your time.

3. It doesn't support plugins so others can write a plugin to do the fresh new thing they have just worked out.

and 4. This doesn't support all the cool things like changing the way your Setup looks and stuff like that. I would imagine the a Custom Setup plugin could be built that would let you just add the pictures and it would create the file and embed it for you ready for use.

Sorry for being picky but I wouled live to see an all in one that the MSFN community can control, contribute, and create it all start to finish.

If I could learn programming and had the right software to learn it then I would start this myself. How hard is it to learn anyway? I already program advanced stuff using PHP.

[fungun_007]

Hi there,

I was also thinking of the idea, maybe we can get started with such a prog. I experienced in java.

Fungun_007

[eangulus]

Good to hear. If we ncan drm up enough support it could just take off.

I would love to mark it under the MSFN banner with refereces to anyone involved and their respective activities.

[big_gie]

I'm not sure it would be possible.

Not that I don't want. It could be a good idea (though I won't use it).

There is just to many ways to install things. Whiles windows is installing, you can run programs @ t-39, t-13, t-12, t-9, and from many many way at the first user logon!!!

Each of theese have there own positive and negative points. For example, you can't install things @ t-39, but you can extract your drivers. @ t-13 (svpack.inf) there is some limitation (some hotfixes needs a profile to install) and you need to edit a .inf file, which is more complex then a batch file. I think the simpler is @ t-12 which is run from cmdlines.txt but as for t-13, some hotfixes needs a profile. But installing things there will make all users have the same program/tweaks/settings because they will be applyed to the defaul user, which new created users get based on. Then you have GuiRunOnce/RunOnceEx which execute after the first user loged on, but is only run once. Also, there is a RunOnce key that can be imported for "Default User", so all users will execute this on their first logon, a RunOnce in "Local Machine" so everyone will execute this on first logon. Those RunOnce wont show a window like RunOnceEx. But if you install a program with the RunOnce* technic, then if the program creates shortcut on the desktop, chances are that those shortcut will be created only for the current user which executed the installation procedure.

As you can see, unattended installation is much more complex then it looks. And each needs is different from someone to someone else. I prefer XPlode @ t-12 over svpack.inf, but thats a personnal preference. I also use RunOnceEx to install some hotfixes and other programs.

Making a tool that will let you choose over all those technics would be great, but this is a hell as a job!!!! Not sure its really worth it...

I was wondering if there was a program that did everything.

There is no such thing as "a program that do everything". It can help you, but there will always be limitations.

If you want to lead the path, I wouldn't mind helping a bit

[fungun_007]

Good,

I''ll get started with a basic interface so long.

Windows XP look maybe?

any thoughts?

[mbrock5532]

I understand the frustration. I have written some utility programs using Borland Delphi to help me with some of the more tedious stuff, but I agree that the problems of implementation of this idea most likely won't work.

Look through all the forums threads. You have several people who have different ways of doing things, and their techniques don't mesh very well. Then, look at issues of making things work. I have one type of SATA set up, someone else has another. They post a guide that says, "SOLVED! The absolute definitive way to make your SATA drivers work in Textmode!" Well, their great method works wonderfully with their brand of SATA controller, but when I follow the instructions with my brand, it doesn't work! How do you fold all the different methods into one program so it will work with everyone's hardware setup?

Then, as mentioned previously, what about the language problem? I don't write anything in Visual Basic, and I don't like it very much. The VB guys mostly feel the same way about Delphi (even though they are wrong! ) I'm not going to learn a different language just to integrate with someone elses code.

I have basically built a baseline Unattended Install setup that contains everything I want done in every computer. Then, I have a folder that contains the $OEM$ folder structure and and I386 folder. I put in the drivers and apps that are specific to the machine I am setting up. My custom program gets the user or users inforrmation and creates the cmd file to add them during set up with the proper groups, passwords, etc. Then, it scans my Driver folder and creates the OEMPnPDriversPath line so I don't have to type it in manually. It creates the cmd files to install drivers, hotfixes, apps, etc. automatically for me, puts in the Install Key, Users Name, Company, etc. Then, it stores all the information in a database so I can recreate it at any time if need be, copies everything to the baseline set and then creates the custom CD. I have an Epson R200 that prints directly onto a CD, so I use a nice background and print a CD with Windows XP SP!, the customers name, the system identifier, my name and email address and the install key. It looks nice and professional and gets a lot of comments from my customers.

This has worked well for me. It took awhile to get the baseline system working, but now it only takes me about 15 minutes to create a custom installation for any new system. The exception is when I run into something like the new Shuttle SFC system for the Athlon 64 chip. It only holds one HDD and if that HDD is SATA, you have to hang a floppy to read in the drivers. So, I have to tweak that setup more to integrate the SATA drivers so Windows seeis it in text mode without needing a floppy. I used a bunch of different guides before I finally got it to work.

If you go ahead with this, good luck! It should be a daunting effort but probably a lot of fun. I know I have a lot of plans for my custom program, but it takes time!!

[eangulus]

That sounds like what I am talking about. Add on a plugin system to add other features easily and also allow for manual tweaking of txt files and placing drivers etc and you are covered for pretty much everything.

In terms of making things automated its easy. Only make the most popular stuff automated, eg SATA driver for the top brands, then if you fall outside of this you can then either download a plugin that someone else may create for a new brand, or do it manually within the program.

What do you think?

[fungun_007]

Sounds great, I will come up with an structure...

[MHz]

A batch script is located at http://berns.cae.wisc.edu/pages/wincdman.asp for doing unattended cds and muliboot cds. Intregates hotfixes, reg files and other files. I found a couple of errors in the script, which i corrected and now works fine.

He is actually working on version in C++, but seems to be taking awhile. Worth a peek.

[jowaju]

Actually Blader Multiboot 0.88 is Freeware, and works just fine for me for just about everything. If someone would like a copy, let me know, I have it somewhere here.

[urie]

A batch script is located at http://berns.cae.wisc.edu/pages/wincdman.asp for doing unattended cds and muliboot cds. Intregates hotfixes, reg files and other files. I found a couple of errors in the script, which i corrected and now works fine.

He is actually working on version in C++, but seems to be taking awhile. Worth a peek.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Windows Compact Disc Program (WINCD 2.0)

new link

http://berns.cae.wisc.edu/