Newbie issues

[Csimbi]

Hi all,

I am new to this forum - I found it accidentally: another unattended guide referred to it. Then I found out that this web page contains a lot more info than the one I started with, so here I am.

I read through the web site, and created my first unattended image, then fine-tuned it with the various tweaks I found on the forum.

It's an XP image with SP2, pre-SP3 hotfixes, and a few app and driver installs.

I have a few issues, and I am looking for solutions. I searched the forum about these, but did not find a solid and working solution to these.

Here is my question (wish) list, thank You for any feedback that You might be able to provide in advance.

1. User account.

a. creating it

Here is the batch file that is supposed to create it:

@ECHO OFF
TITLE Please wait...
ECHO Creating default user.
NET user Cs cs /add /expires:never
NET localgroup Administrators Cs /add
NET accounts /MAXPWAGE:UNLIMITED
REGEDIT /S AUTOLOGN.REG
EXIT

It creates it all right, but when XP starts some weird dialog comes up saying that it could not log me in. Since it is during the login phase, I can't create a screenshot. Any ideas what might be causing it and how to get around it?

b. using it

I have some files in the $DOCS\Cs directory, and these files get properly copied, however the user dir created in step a. (see above) is not "Cs" - it is Cs.MachineName. Is there any way to remove the MachineName from the directory name so that the files would go to the right directory (and be independent from the MachineName)?

2. Custom drivers.

I am testing the image under VMWare.

I assume the drivers (chipset, ATA, net, video) are not installed correctly because VMWare hides all the hardware, and uses some emulated hardware only, right? So basically if there was no error, it will work in the real environment?

3. Creative Audigy 2 Platinum drivers.

I did not find a solution that is able to install a custom set of drivers/applications - this means that I want to install some apps from the Audigy CD, and then add the hotfixes to those.

4. Special dirs.

I want to change the location of the following directories: "Program files", "Program files\Common files" and "Documents and settings". I found guidance on this in the forum, however it does not work. Only changing the DLLCache dir works.

There is my WINNT.SIF file (removed user-related info though):

;SetupMgrTag
[Data]
    AutoPartition=0
    MsDosInitiated="0"
    UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[Unattended]
    UnattendMode=FullUnattended
    DUDisable=Yes
    DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
    FileSystem=*
    Hibernation=No
    KeyboardLayout="Finnish"
    NtUpgrade=No
    OemSkipEula=Yes
    OemPreinstall=Yes
    ConfirmHardware=No
    OemPnPDriversPath="DRIVERS\00INTEL; DRIVERS\01PROMIS; DRIVERS\03REALTK; DRIVERS\05XCARD"
    ProfilesDir="%SystemRoot%\PROFILES"
    ProgramFilesDir="%SystemDrive%\PROGRAMS"
    CommonProgramFilesDir="%SystemDrive%\PROGRAMS\COMMON"
    Repartition=No
    OverwriteOemFilesOnUpgrade=No
    TargetPath=WINXP
    UnattendSwitch=Yes
    WaitForReboot=No
    Win9xUpgrade=No
    CrushDumpSetting=1

[GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword=*REMOVED*
    EncryptedAdminPassword=Yes
    OEMSkipRegional=1
    TimeZone=125
    OemSkipWelcome=1

[UserData]
    ProductKey=*REMOVED*
    FullName=*REMOVED*
    OrgName=*REMOVED*
    ComputerName=*REMOVED*

[Display]
    BitsPerPel=16
    Xresolution=1024
    YResolution=768
    Vrefresh=100

[TapiLocation]
    CountryCode=358
    Dialing=Tone

[RegionalSettings]
    InputLocale=040b:0000040b
    InputLocale_DefaultUser=040b:0000040b
    LanguageGroup=1,2
    SystemLocale=00000409
    UserLocale=00000409
    UserLocale_DefaultUser=00000409

[Branding]
    BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes

[URL]
    Home_Page=http://www.google.com
    Search_Page=http://www.google.com

[Proxy]
    Proxy_Enable=0
    Use_Same_Proxy=1

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup=NMPTAM

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents=No

[NetAdapters]
    Adapter1=params.Adapter1

[params.Adapter1]
    ConnectionName="ADSL"
    INFID=*

[NetClients]
    MS_MSClient=params.MS_MSClient

[NetServices]
    MS_SERVER=params.MS_SERVER
    MS_PSched=params.MS_PSched

[NetProtocols]
    MS_TCPIP=params.MS_TCPIP

[params.MS_TCPIP]
    DNS=Yes
    UseDomainNameDevolution=No
    EnableLMHosts=Yes
    AdapterSections=params.MS_TCPIP.Adapter1

[params.MS_TCPIP.Adapter1]
    SpecificTo=Adapter1
    DHCP=Yes
    WINS=No
    NetBIOSOptions=0

[Components]
Deskpaper=Off
Media_clips=Off
Mousepoint=Off
Msnexplr=Off
Msmsgs=Off
Pinball=Off
Zonegames=Off

[IEPopupBlocker]
BlockPopups=No

[Shell]
DefaultStartPanelOff=Yes
DefaultThemesOff=Yes

[SystemFileProtection]
SFCDllCacheDir="%SystemRoot%\DLLCACHE"
SFCShowProgress=1

[ComputerSettings]
Hibernation=No

[WindowsFirewall]
Profiles=WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall

[WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall]
Mode=0

5. Environment variables.

I found a way to update the TEMP variable in the forums - that works fine, but that does not append to the variable, but overwrites it. Is there any way to append entries to the Path EnvVar?

6. Registry tweaks.

a. Adding them.

I found a great deal of tweaks in the forum. I am importing those registry entries from the CMDLINES.TXT during installation. All of these keys refer to HKEY_CURRENT_USER. Do I need to also update the keys with the same values in HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT? Or changing the HKEY_CURRENT_USER is sufficient and will apply to all users anyway? (I remember reading something like that somewhere, but I don't remember where.)

b. Which ones.

Are all of those tweaks supposed to work by importing from CMDLINES.TXT? I mean it does not matter that some of those are HKEY_CURRENT_USER, some are HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, and some are HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, they will all work if I import those via CMDLINES.TXT, right?

7. Additional app installs

I am using the packages that install acrobat reader and wmp10. Is there a guide available somewhere that explains how to extract installers, and re-create them in the form of silent installation package?

I understand it is Christmas time - people are happily chilling out with their loved ones - so I do not expect a fast response, I would rather wait for a sophisticated one.

Merry Christmas to all of You and Your loved ones!

Huge thanks to all of those people who contributed to this web site and forums!

Cheers.

[Alanoll]

that's alot of questions...let's see how much I can remember off the top of my head (there's alot as I'm rewritng the Guide now)

1.a Check the AUTOLOGON.REG and make sure the Username and Password inside there is correct.

1.b The only folders you should use in $Docs is All Users and Default Users. The reason for this is that they're system folders and ALWAYS CREATED as such. However, any additional ones are checked before creating. Basically, when creating a user, if there is currently already a folder with that name present it creates one with a different name (typically %Username%.%ComputerName%). You will have to copy the files over manually in one of your batch files.

2. Correct

3. I thought Creative's stuff uses InstallShield. Try using the Installshield methods...

4. I never used, so I can't comment.

5.

SET PATH=%PATH%;C:\NewPath

Will append C:\NewPath to the current %PATH% value. It you wanted to use another variable, just use a different one. I'm don't believe that the value will retain once you close the batch file however.

6. HKEY_User\.Default is the account of the User when NO USER is currently logged in. But keep in mind, some keys when entered during CMDLINES.TXT will NOT stick. Typically it's the HKCU ones, but I suggest importing them PRIOR to user creation. HKClass_Root might stick, and should, but I'm not completely sure.

7. http://greenmachine.msfnhosting.com/ on the bottom left, with IEXPRESS examples. IEXPRESS is probally what the Acrobat uses. It's simply a packer into an EXE that extracts then CAN run a program. As for extracting programs, it's probally just easier to repackage them using IEXPRESS and in the command to call after extracting uses the silent switches. Keep in mind you CAN'T USE subfolders.

[Csimbi]

That was quick, thanks a lot!

Gonna take me some time to read through it and implement it.

One more question popped into my head though:

Is there any way to apply permission settings to registry entries during the unattended setup (or from a batch file @T-13)?

[tguy]

As for the logon problem, try changing:

EncryptedAdminPassword=No

I could not get mine to work until I did this.

[Incroyable HULK]

4. Special dirs.

YOUR ProfilesDir IS IN THE WRONG SECTION OF WINNT.SIF

If you want to move the default location of:

Program Files

Common Program Files

Documents and Setting

you have to partition and format the drive BEFORE running the Unattended Setup because only the Windows destination drive gets formated.

[Unattended]
    ProgramFilesDir="D:\Program Files"
    CommonProgramFilesDir="D:\Program Files\Common Files"

[GuiUnattended]
    ProfilesDir="E:\Documents and Settings\"
OR you can use environment variables
    ProfilesDir="%SYSTEMDRIVE%\Documents and Settings\"

[Incroyable HULK]

2. Custom drivers.

You can test the driver part by adding the WMware drivers provided with the program

Just extract the VMware drivers in the ISO you will find installed in the WMware Program folder:

Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\windows.iso

Open the ISO file and extract the drivers you will find here:

CD\program files\VMware\VMware Tools\Drivers

Thanks to prathapml for pointing that out to me!