Unattended install through network

[mjm1231]

@NorthWood: I also have tried formatting the disk with gdisk and was having the same (or similar, I can't remember exactly) problem. What exactly did you do to get it to work? I've switched to using Partition Magic (unfortunately, not the pro version so I have to do this step manually). I'm using Ghost 2003.

@baliktad: About the WinPE solution, I very much like the idea, as it would solve the long filename problem as well as several other problems. However, my experience with Bart's WinPE (vanilla, no modifications of my own) is that it takes quite a long time to boot up. It's great for running diags and stuff. But it doesn't seem to me that the install time using winnt.exe is that much slower than using winnt32 (running from CD). Especially since (I think) the gui part of the install is all from the hard drive anyway. Does it really speed the network install up that much?

[jmedwid]

@Northwood - I do a lot of work with unattended installs of Windows XP off a network share. I have used Microsoft's BDD solution as a starting point. It should help you get past your initial problems you are having.

You can find the BDD solution at: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/desktopde...ddoverview.mspx

Download the Standard Edition -- it should suffice to get you started.

Let me know if you have any further questions.

john

[baliktad]

Of course my evidence is anecdotal, but I've seen it time and time again. DOS is the way of the past, WinPE is the way of the future. Ditch DOS and winnt.exe now, jump on the WinPE bandwagon and try it out.

One of the reasons WinPE can take a long time to boot is if it's loading nic drivers unnecessarily. If you don't need network access, you shouldn't configure the network to auto start. This will save you as much as a minute from the boot time. Other than that, yes, WinPE will take longer to boot than a DOS disk, but look at what you're getting: native NTFS access, and a full 32 bit network stack. The net gain is worth it.

Microsoft has already made it clear that Longhorn will not support winnt.exe anymore. In fact, WinPE was designed for Longhorn - everything we have now is officially classified as "Interim WinPE", meaning "you ain't seen nuthin' yet!"

[NorthWood]

Dear Mjm1231 as I wrote before once connected to the network share I launched a first batch file in my DOS context:

lh smartdrv

gdisk 1 /y /del /all

gdisk 1 /y /cre /pri /for /q

Then, using gdisk I obtained a C: drive with a FAT32 partition

After that step I launched a second batch:

\i386\winnt.exe /s:\i386 /u:\i386\unattend.txt

Now I guess that I can merge together the two batch (leaved alone only for testing purposes) and put everything in the autoexec.bat so that this operations goes straight-forward without any user intervention. I finally discovered the reason for the strange behaviour (files not found) due to the Nlite "hidden to me modifications", now, to obtain a fully working unattended installation I just need to use a clean copy of Win XP SP2 and to pay attention in writing my unattend.txt since it'e easy to make mistakes. Anyway I'll let you all know, thanks to jmedwid for giving me the Microsoft link, I just downloaded and I'll read it later.

P.S. I guess baliktad it's right, once I'll have some free time I'll start to check winnt32/winpe or BartPe alternatives...I'm also thinking about putting a complete BartPE or WinPE on a USB stick, even if I should find out how to boot from a USB disk

[NorthWood]

A silly question:

I'm not able to figure out the reason why now my setup jumps all the $oem$ contents and the whole unattend.txt section...it install's just the operating system without any customization....surely I'm making some silly mistake...but where?

[chiners_68]

created boot disk from http://www.netbootdisk.com/

I keep getting

the syntax is incorrect

for help, type NET LOGON /?

basicall this is at the password section.

All I have entered in the menupref.bat is the

workgroup=ebnet

username=my name

password=my password

any ideas?

im not getting a menu screen like this

http://www.netbootdisk.com/images/screen3.gif

[Telenut]

Ok guys, I've made a couple of attempts,

now, still using gdisk  , I'm able to launch setup but I'm still obtaining the same **** error, that's what I'm doing:

I have a first bat

lh smartdrv

gdisk 1 /y /del /all

gdisk 1 /y /cre /pri /for /q

Then I have a C: drive with a FAT32 partition (not too bad, isn't? especially if I will convert later on an NTFS partition)

After that step I launch a second batch on my mapped network drive:

\i386\winnt.exe /s:\i386 /u:\i386\unattend.txt

But all that I can obtain is an annoying error which tells me that I don't have enough space...the important thing is that if I launch from i386 winnt.exe WITHOUT any parameter it works and it starts the installation!!! Obviously is not my preferred behaviuor since I want an unattended setup ...ideas??? Suggestions? Now I'm at a no-return point....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

same problem here...

[NorthWood]

Happy (???) to know, telenut, that I'm not the only one that obtain this unexpected behaviour...but someone has an idea on how to solve this problem? Why my setup ignore the unattend.txt that is in the i386 folder ? By the way the $oem$ folder has been placed inside the i386 folder...network unattended installers guy please advice

P.S. to chiners_68, this behaviour of the networkbootdisk is strange, for me has worked at forst attempt, try to build again your network boot diskette without any modifications and see if it works

[Telenut]

I don't even get to the unattend.txt part. Always the not enough free space error. Strange thing: When I try to access the C: drive after booting up with the networkdisk, I get an error. When I boot with a normal win98 floppy I have an empty c: formatted fat32. When I try again with the networkbootfloppy, it works and copies al of the needed files to the HD. Then it reboots, and ... then I forgot to put out the floppy :-) I test it again tonight

[jmedwid]

My first suggestion...

look at the Microsoft Business Desktop Deployment solution. It will get you up and running for a network-based install in no time. The documentation refers to using a WinPE boot disk. You can substitute a BartPE boot disk instead. I did and created my own plugin to launch the HTA file Microsoft uses to start their build.

If you want to continue with your current setup. You should add a drive letter to your winnt.exe line.

Change:

\i386\winnt.exe /s:\i386 /u:\i386\unattend.txt

to

\i386\winnt.exe /s:q:\i386 /u:q:\i386\unattend.txt

I don't believe winnt.exe knows where to pick up your unattend.txt file. If you read the help for winnt.exe it states you need to specify full path using a drive letter for \\server\share form.

If that doesn't work... move away from your network bootdisk and switch to a bootable CD [bartPE] so that you can use winnt32.exe. I haven't had a problem with it yet.

@telenut -- I don't believe the partition you are defining with gdisk will be visible without a reboot. That is why I use a BartPE CD so that I can run DISKPART.exe from Microsoft. I don't believe DISKPART can be run in 16-bit mode -- you could try. The advantage to DISKPART is that the created partition is availabe for use when you exit DISKPART. Again, Microsoft's BDD solution has the DISKPART script file included in it.

john

[Telenut]

@telenut -- I don't believe the partition you are defining with gdisk will be visible without a reboot.  That is why I use a BartPE CD so that I can run DISKPART.exe from Microsoft.

Indeed, I have to reboot to make the C: visible.

Would it be possible to check this in a bat file? (so I only run gdisk when the HD has to be formatted, after that, reboot and run winnt...) I know a way to do it by writing files to a share after gdisk, and when they exist...

BartPE CD... I have tested it one, cool tool, but most of the pc's here don't have a CD-rom drive... So it has to work over a network.

[jmedwid]

I have done the gdisk reboot test in the past many years ago. I believe I relied on checking the C: drive's label. I do remember using some other tool and redirecting it's output to check the state of C: but I can't remember anymore.

I will try and find my old bootdisk. I may still have a copy somewhere.

Since you don't have CD drives on most your PCs and you are on a network... look into PXE booting your computers. That way you don't even need to carry floppies around.

john

[Telenut]

Only the recent pc's support PXE booting. And I have no idea how to set up a windows installation with PXE (using unattended.sourceforge.net is not an option at this moment)

[NorthWood]

I made my attempts using network boot disk and changing winnt string including also the drive letter, but all that I was able to obtain is a never ending loop in which files are being copied on my hard drive. At this point I guess that I'll read carefully MS documentation and I'll move to a different solution CD or PXE based, to be honest I would prefeer a PXE solution (more elegant and comfortable) but I have issues in implementing in my environment since a DHCP is already in place and it's "untouchable", so any advice both for CD or PXE solution will be welcome.

[mjm1231]

I solved my problem by updating my gdisk version through LiveUpdate. The one I was using was from 2001!, the new one is from 2003. Now it can create the partition and begin the install without rebooting. Previously, it would begin setup and copy files, but on next reboot would hang with a blinking prompt. The unattend network install is working like a charm, I just need to iron out a few apps and tweaks.

The out of disk space message sounds like it might be the one you get when you have MsDosInitiated set to the wrong value (at least this happens with CD installs). Why don't you post your unattend.txt so we can see if there are any obvious problems?