First Time Unattended ... Almost There :)

[rjalex]

Dear nefound friends,

thanks to some guide guide I found here I managed to solve my problem:

slipstream SP2 on my XP SP1a Pro CD and above all slipstream my Abit NF7-S SATA drivers since I do not have a floppy on my machine (plus a nice nLite trimming of XP itself).

THANK YOU ALL !!!

But now the problems:

1) The reason for which I had started all this is to get to the recovery console (press "R") and fix a:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing:

\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

problem.

Now, I got so carried away by the "unattended" stuff that this screen was silently bypassed and I got more than I wanted: a fresh new installation

I am appending my WINNT.SIF file at the bottom and I would be grateful if you could help me edit it so that the recover console option is presented (all the rest of an automated install is fine though !!!)

2) As a result of my "super-unattended" inst, instead of a fix of my XP I got an inst of a second instance. Now I have two XPs:

a) a freshly installed one

B) my older but heavily customized (user settings, installed proggies etc.)

I am afraid I have a lot of duplicated stuff now

Can you suggest the best way to proceed ???

Thank you very much,

Bob

------------------- WINNT.SIF -----------------

;SetupMgrTag

[Data]

AutoPartition=1

MsDosInitiated="0"

UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[unattended]

UnattendMode=FullUnattended

OemSkipEula=Yes

OemPreinstall=Yes

OemPnPDriversPath="Drivers\006\SI3112"

TargetPath=\WINDOWS

UnattendSwitch="no"

DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore

[GuiUnattended]

AdminPassword=(...removed...)

EncryptedAdminPassword=NO

OEMSkipRegional=1

TimeZone=110

OemSkipWelcome=1

[userData]

ProductKey=(...removed...)

FullName=(...removed...)

OrgName=(...removed...)

ComputerName=Fenice

[Display]

Xresolution=1280

YResolution=1024

Vrefresh=60

[RegionalSettings]

LanguageGroup=2

[identification]

JoinWorkgroup=RJA

[Networking]

InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

PS

Is there a way to also create my users via WINNT.SIF on this system (myself, and other three ids) ?

[erik_demon]

1. If you want to install the recovery console, you need to use winnt32.exe

winnt32.exe /cmdcons

Translated form Dutch:

With this switch you can install the recovery console as a start-up function.

For more info about this, read the winnt32 help file in your i386 folder

2. That is nasty. Atleast your unattended install went well

I don't know if it is the only way, but I would recommend you to format your drive and reinstall the OS (agian)

The P.S. question,

Yes, there are some ways to create user. See the link below:

Adding users

[rjalex]

1. If you want to install the recovery console, you need to use winnt32.exe

winnt32.exe /cmdcons

Sorry be patient but you must be talking to the dumbest of all users

Did not understand.

If I use my original XP CDROM (XP Pro with SP1a) I will be given the option of pressing R and use the recovery to chkdsk etc.

Now probably because of my WINNT.SIF I am skipping this question whether I want to press R or Install XP ... I just want that white char/blue screen question again ...

Hope I have managed to explain myself in this exotic language

Thank you very much,

Bob

[erik_demon]

Sorry be patient but you must be talking to the dumbest of all users

No problem, I will explain it some more.

When you install unattended, the recovery console is disabled, so you can't press "R"

You have to install the utility yourself.

I have to say that I never tried it before, so it was a good experiment for me

Actually it is very simple. once you are inside windows, use the following steps:

1. Insert your unattended disk

2. open CMD

3. type in D:\i386\winnt32.exe /cmdcons
    (assuming D:\ is your CD drive)

4. Let the setup utility do it's stuff (I believe you need an internet connection)

5. Reboot

6. You can now use recovery console

I tested it, and it worked

Good luck!

[rjalex]

Sorry be patient but you must be talking to the dumbest of all users

No problem, I will explain it some more.

(... snip ...)

1. Insert your unattended disk

2. open CMD

(... snip ...)

I tested it, and it worked

Good luck!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

My dear friend,

thank you very much. Now I understand much better. You are very kind (and of course very knowledgeable).

I will try out.

Bob