Changes to the SP2 Winnt.sif

[DisabledTrucker]

Has anyone actually taken time to go through the new deploy tools ref.chm?

I was noticing that there were several features in there that I hadn't noticed before, recognizably there are some that are Server 2k3 specific, but there are a few that are mentioned that I thought could help in building a new Unattended version. Most notably, [Compnents] (New features inside this one?), [FavoritesEx], [Homenet], [iEHardening], [iEPopupBlocker], [OEMBootFiles], [OSChooser], [WindowsFirewall], among others. Now maybe they were there before and I never noticed them before, because they weren't something I was looking for at the time. But it seems that much of what we're doing in scripts can be done in the Uninstalled.txt (Winnt.sif) file.

Such as telling it where to look for our files and when/how to install them. I don't know but it seems that a lot of what were doing in scripts can be done right inside the unattended file now, maybe I am wrong, but I for one would love it if I could just forgo the scripts to do the same exact thing in my Winnt.sif file and not have to mess with it again. Maybe there is reasons that these things are being done the other ways and I am just not catching on to, (epilepsy makes me slow to catch on,) but why keep making scripts to do what can be done just as easily in Winnt.sif?

*EDIT*

To obtain a new copy of SP2 Deployment tools go Here

for the SP2 Support Tools go Here.

[jcarle]

winnt.sif offers very limited control. Sure it allows you to cleanly modify certain things for the install without XP Setup choking on something hazardly different then what it's used to, but there's a lot that could never be done with winnt.sif. It's mostly useful for some of the more basic things, such as choosing your network components, choosing some of the start menu items (though you still don't get to choose ALL of them) and setting your IE home page. Unfortunately, all the good tweaks require a lot of time, searching, testing and headaches to be able to intergrate nicely in a force-fed manner onto the CD.

As for new stuff in winnt.sif for SP2, just compare the ref.chm from the original DEPLOY.CAB on the XP CD to the SP2 deployment tools ref.chm. This talks about some of them: Changes in Unattended

[DisabledTrucker]

Oh, yea, I read all of that, is what made me finally go and decide to sit down and look at the actual ref.chm file to see what all was new to the SP2, once I went through it, (which has taken me more than a week btw,) I found some things that can be set through it, that would otherwise need a registry "hack" to do. Which led me to my question, and your answer. It just seemed to me that doing it in the Winnt.sif file, it would be quicker and easier than having to write a batch file with several other files to do that same thing, thus causing a lot less errors possibly. I'm sure I am wrong about this, but that's why I asked.

Don't get me wrong, I understand about some of the tweaks and stuff that you mentioned having to be done in scripts and such, but there seems to be more that can be done in the unattended and not having to resort to a "hack" to do it, than what is being outlined. Could just be me, and my epilepsy, but it just seems like it.

[Adiel]

mmm what u saying now that i need to make a new answer file with sp2 deployment tools?

?

[RealCato]

@DisabledTrucker

I think [CmpNents] corresponds to the 'compnents' folder in Sp2 in which 'netfx' and 'tabletpc' reside afaik.

Furthermore there are some new settings which apply to the new Xp firewall, security center and IE popup blocker. More details can be found at http://unattended.msfn.org/xp/sp2changes.htm

@Adiel

No he's not saying you have to remake your winnt.sif, he's just saying that there are some additional options introduced in winnnt.sif with SP2 and that it might be interesting to download the new deployment tools and look into these options

[Adiel]

oh.. so my question is -

it is recommended to make new answer file?

[argon007]

oh.. so my question is -

it is recommended to make new answer file?

No, you don't have to. You can just revise the winnt.sif file. I remebered that there is an option to revise the file in the deploy tools.

[Adiel]

u mean the "modify exiting file" option?

[DisabledTrucker]

I was just basically wanting to know if anyone else had looked into the new help file, ref.chm, and noticed that there were a few more things in it, that now can be handled with in the Winnt.sif, (unattended file,) that apparently wasn't there before. There seems to be more options in it, though it could just be me, that wasn't in the previous versions. The firewall, pop-up blocker, and security center aside, there seems like there is now also a way to install the apps inside this file, that didn't look like was there before.

Though as I said, with my epilepsy, sometimes I have a problem with understanding things, but wouldn't it be easier to just use the calls in this file than make several other files to do the same exact thing. I posted links to the developer tools as well as the support tools for anyone who was interested in looking over what I was talking about that didn't already have a copy of these files.

From what I have gathered the reason things are being done the way they are is for customization purposes, which can't be done inside the Winnt.sif file, for that reason I can understand why those items are done the way they are, but for the things that are possible through this, why that way isn't shown or explained as part of the unattended instructions. Maybe they are, and due to my epilepsy, I have not been able to put two and two together and realize it yet.

Sorry for all the confusion, but I hope this clears up what I was asking.