Unattended Upgrade Install

[twizt3d]

Arite Im tinkering with my own little project now, Im trying to make a cd that will do an unattended install a full and upgrade version of WinXP, the cd works when u boot it as full, and if u just install winxp from the setup.exe on the cd, it does install, im trying to make a .cmd file that will call winnt32.exe and call it unattended, then reshack the setup.exe file to call winnt32.cmd instead of winnt.exe when install windows is clicked. I started by modifing the unattended.bat file that setupmngr creates. This is what I have so far,

@echo off
ECHO Scanning for cd rom drive
IF EXIST D:\CD.txt set CDROM=D:
IF EXIST E:\CD.txt set CDROM=E:
IF EXIST F:\CD.txt set CDROM=F:
IF EXIST G:\CD.txt set CDROM=G:
IF EXIST H:\CD.txt set CDROM=H:
IF EXIST I:\CD.txt set CDROM=I:
IF EXIST K:\CD.txt set CDROM=J:

set AnswerFile=%CDROM%\i386\winnt.sif
set SetupFiles=%CDROM%\i386

start %cdrom%\i386\winnt32.exe /s:%SetupFiles% /unattend:%AnswerFile%

I didnt include an exit command because the comp will restart sometime during the instalation anyway. I get an error, setup was unable to build the list of files to be copied. The system cannot find the path specified.

Any suggestions?

[twizt3d]

anyone have any ideas about this?

[twizt3d]

no one has any ideas on this???? Im getting desperate...

[tguy]

You could create a DOS based boot menu that would allow you select the type of install you wanted to based on your selection.

My DOS skills in this area are rusty but I think you would need to edit the autoexec.bat to include a menu.

Check http://www.robvanderwoude.com for help on DOS commands.

[twizt3d]

thankyou for the reply but maybe i should clarify my question, I dont want to upgrade windows through dos, I want to modify the setup.exe file so that when run through windows <the autorun menu> when you click on install windows xp, it installs it unattended. I think that I can modify the unattended.bat file generated with setupmngr to make this work, but im having problems doing this, any additional help is apreciated.

[twizt3d]

any other thoughts on this?

[twizt3d]

<bump>

[gunsmokingman]

Have You Tried This Cmd

It will List All The Options For Installing

\i386\winnt32.exe /?

[MAVERICKS CHOICE]

The upgrade option may be a prob unless of course you have a full previous ver to validate an upgrade. I know I did a similar thing in my multiboot for ME, I basically pointed it to the 98se files for it to install UA & it worked a treat. Don't know bout XP though only messed with the full retail version LOL?

[twizt3d]

after a deeper analysis on this topic I have decided doing an upgrade install of the same cd would be a bad idea seeing as i reformat the drive anyway lol, so scrap this idea.

[twizt3d]

but thank you all for your input

~twizt3d

<topic can be closed>

[JOhnCro13]

after a deeper analysis on this topic I have decided doing an upgrade install of the same cd would be a bad idea seeing as i reformat the drive anyway lol, so scrap this idea.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, this is really something of interest to some of us, so i'd like to re-open this thread.

Here's what I've got for you.

I created a custom slipstreamed XP cd that installs XP just fine and once complete, autoexecs to the runonce program so I can install multible progs afterward at my discression.

I don't want complete automation at this point. If I did, I'd set the runonce timer to 1 sec and make all my programs default. Are you with me so far?

To recap: once the XP install is done, it opens the install command that was copied over to the C drive and runs it through the clever use of

[GuiRunOnce]

%systemdrive%\install\install.cmd

in my winnt.sif file. (from the \$OEM$\$1\ folder on the CD)

NOW, what I also did was copy the contents from the WPI subfolder in that very same folder directly to my CD root. (before burning, of course.) I then edited the config.js file in \$OEM$\$1\Install\wpi\wpiscripts and added:

prog[pn]=['Windows XP']

uid[pn]=['WINDOWSXP']

desc[pn]=['Install XP']

ordr[pn]=[1]

cmd1[pn]=['%cdrom%\\SETUP.exe']

cat[pn]=['Install']

pn++

Then I edited autorun.inf in the CD's root to look like this:

[AutoRun]

open=run.cmd

icon=setup.exe,0

and created a run.cmd file that looks like this:

@ECHO OFF

rem The following line hides the command window ...

common\cmdow @ /HID

ECHO.

ECHO Calling WPI

ECHO.

start /wait WPI.HTA

exit

SO, long story short, when burn the CD and pop it into a computer already running, say, windows 98 or ME, I get that awesome custom Windows Post Installer prompt instead of the generic windows setup prompt.

The PROBLEM, however, is that above, in the config.js file, where I put

cmd1[pn]=['%cdrom%\\SETUP.exe']

What do I have to put there instead to customize the install. I already have my winnt.sif file, and the unattent.txt file is exactly duplicated, save the GuiRunOnce section.

running winnt32.exe /? under cmd gives me this:

"/unattend[num]:[answer_file]

Performs a fresh installation in unattended Setup mode. The specified answer_file provides Setup with your custom specifications.

Num is the number of seconds between the time that Setup finishes copying the files and when it restarts your computer. You can use num on any computer running Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP."

Does that mean my WPI should read:

cmd1[pn]=['%cdrom%\\i386\\winnt32.exe /unattend5:unattend.txt']

?

[Dahi]

Does that mean my WPI should read:

cmd1[pn]=['%cdrom%\\i386\\winnt32.exe /unattend5:unattend.txt']

?

Yes, that should work. But you might have to add the full path to the unattend.txt file

cmd1[pn]=['%cdrom%\\i386\\winnt32.exe /unattend5:%cdrom%\\i386\\unattend.txt']