Winxp Unattended Install - Advice Needed

[pengo]

G'day

How can I setup an unattended install, so that only the gui portion is unattended and the text mode portion isn't? Unfortunately setupmgr only has an option for the reverse ie GUI is attended and the text mode portion is automated! DOH!

Basically, I'd like the text mode to be attended, so that it will allow me the choice to setup partitions or if I don't want to mess with my existing partitions just format C:\ for a clean install.

Is this possible or do I need some sort of modified winnt.exe/winnt32.exe/setup.exe file?

Also how can I create a boot image like the recovery console that I can add to my boot menu? This will make it easy as for reinstalling windows xp pro whenever its required. As all I'd need to do is reboot, and select the setup from the boot menu and after specifying if I need to partion/format windows will go ahead and install itself.

Also based on this thread here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=9478

I can ensure my file copy times are reduced as its only copying files that are required.

Well hopefully someone can help.

[pengo]

I think this will solve my file copy times issue:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=9478

Just need to figure out how to boot into setup from the boot menu from a custom boot image. For which that custom boot image will format c:\ thus getting rid of any existing C:\windows & C:\Documents & settings. Then proceeding to run an unattended install with my answers file.

[bryanh]

You can accomplish EXACTLY what you want with the following information

under [unattended] in your winnt.sif file.

Repartition=No

Specifies whether to delete all partitions on the first drive of the client computer and to reformat the drive with the NTFS file system automatically.

FileSystem=*

If you prefer to manually choose a partition during text-mode setup with full control on choice of filesystem, add this entry to your winnt.sif file.

I do this for my installs. The only question I have to answer is what partition to put the install in, and what file system I want. After that it's all unattended. Then I use WAIT (see my sig below) to select which applications I want installed.

[pengo]

g'day

thanks!

Will that let me format c:\ in the text setup and choose the filesystem?

Also can I tell it to format c:\ and not nuke any other paritions and set the c:\ partition to NTFS?

From what I've read I can get it to autoformat it to NTFS but in doing so it'll kill the rest of my partitions and setup one big NTFS partition.

I'd like to either manally or automatically have setup format c:\ to ntfs and leave the other partitions in tact..

The reason I need to be able to format C:\ and not re-partition. Is whenever I need to reinstall windows xp from winxp at the moment ("quick clean install"). I find since there is an existing C:\Documents & Settings\ setup will setup its folders in there as .Windows or .NT Authority ie "All Users.Windows" and "Local Service.NT Authority". So the only solution I've come up with to ensure setup installs windows with default settings is to get it to somehow (auto)format C:\.

[bryanh]

yes - it will accomplish what you describe.