Disabling Components

[bfletch]

During the install I thought I edited my Components in my winn.sif file correctly so Windows will not install the following programs, but it didn't work: MSNexplorer, MSN messenger, and Outlook Express during setup.

Here is my Winn.sif, Do you see anything wrong or needed so I will be able to?

Great appreciation to all

;SetupMgrTag

[Data]

AutoPartition=1

MsDosInitiated="0"

UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[unattended]

UnattendMode=FullUnattended

OemSkipEula=Yes

OemPreinstall=No

TargetPath=\WINDOWS

Repartition=Yes

[GuiUnattended]

AdminPassword="$"

EncryptedAdminPassword=NO

AutoLogon=Yes

AutoLogonCount=1

OEMSkipRegional=1

TimeZone=20

OemSkipWelcome=1

[userData]

ProductKey=$

FullName="$"

OrgName="TRRA"

ComputerName=W-EFM*

[Networking]

InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[shell]

DefaultStartPanelOff = Yes

DefaultThemesOff = Yes

[Components]

msmsgs = off

msnexplr = off

OEaccess = off

[WindowsFirewall]

Profiles = WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall

[WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall]

Mode = 0

[Tokyudo]

[Components]

msmsgs = off

msnexplr = off

OEaccess = off

Should be like this:

[Components]

msmsgs=off

msnexplr=off

OEaccess=off

No 'spaces'.

Hope that works.

[bfletch]

Well, I tried it both ways and it doesn't work

[leijiamin]

i think it's ok for me. i use the same compents setting as yours, and it works. my xp is sp2 and chinese simplified edition.

[SyKik]

yeah seems to be hit and miss for my unattend installs too...

cant remember the last time it worked now...last time i managed to get those components not to install is after i used nLite to totally strip the components...

[Tokyudo]

I've never had a problem with mine. BTW, I didn't use nLite for anything on my unattended dvd.

[BlueMe]

Maybe The Order Is The Fault...I Mean u've put [Components] at the end of u're winnt.sif ..maybe at that time they allready got installed...i got the same probl. like u...i'll try now my way ...and be back...after a couple of hours.... C`ya !

[ven42]

Has anyone figured bfletch's problem out?

I'm experiencing the same issue: winnt.sif is processed except for the [Components] section. This is really bugging me, since the only reason I ever created a winnt.sif file was to prevent Messenger and other things like that from installing. I have no great need for a fully unattended install, so I created this minimal winnt.sif for my XP Pro OEM slipstreamed SP2 install CD:

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

[Unattended]
UnattendMode=ProvideDefault

[Components]
msmsgs=off
msnexplr=off
media_clips=off
IEAccess=off
OEAccess=off
WMAccess=off
zonegames=off

[WindowsFirewall]
Profiles=WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall

[WindowsFirewall.TurnOffFirewall]
Mode=0

I'm a complete newbie with unattended installs, but I've been reading a lot of posts and the guide here, and I still can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. My file is very definitely named "winnt.sif" and is in "I386" on my burned CD. XP appears to be processing it, since it turns off the firewall during the install, but all seven of the "components" I've listed remain installed for some reason.

Any ideas/suggestions are very much appreciated. Thanks.

[erik_demon]

It is strange, for some people (like me) [Components] is working, for other people, it does not. Is [Components] depending on another alue in the winnt.sif in order to work?

[pinion]

A few weeks ago, when looking for an answer to this very same problem, I came across a Microsoft KB article that mentioned something along the lines of the [components] section not being supported (i.e. it is ignored) in the WINNT.SIF file when starting up an unattended CD. It is only parsed when used in UNATTEND.TXT and called as a commandline parameter for WINNT32.EXE with the /u:UNATTEND.TXT switch. It is also supported in WINBOM.INI when used with SYSPREP.EXE.

I accepted that as fact and decided to do it the other way. I unpacked SYSOC.IN_, edited SYSOC.INF to comment-out ( the lines of all components I didn't want installed, and then and repacked to SYSOC.IN_. This worked and I haven't looked back. Of course, it wouldn't be the first time a Microsoft KB article has been wrong so perhaps [components] *is* supported in WINNT.SIF. But I never got it to work and it appears I'm not the only one.

[eirogge]

keep in mind that the *Access (IEAcccess, OEAccess etc.) only dont create visible shortcuts to the programs but the programs are installed.

i have [Components] in winnt.sif under [GuiUnattended] and it works like a charm but that shouldnt matter as the winnt.sif is parsed completely at the end of the text setup and is not parsed step by step in graphical setup.

[Marthax]

I checked the official MS deploy file for any information about this and I found a long list with all programs that can be removed and I noticed one difference between the thing that you guys have been using and the commands that MS tell us to use. All services begin with a capital and perhaps this is why it's not working(i think that these kind of files are case sensitive).

Msnexplr = Off

not

msnexplr = Off

The space doesn't matter as MS uses it. Try it out and see if it works

Edited June 16, 2005 by Marthax

[eirogge]

hmm i dont think so. in the windows world nearly nothing is case sensitive

here's my complete list:

[Components]
    accessopt=Off
    calc=On
    certsrv=Off
    certsrv_client=Off
    certsrv_server=Off
    charmap=On
    chat=Off
    deskpaper=Off
    dialer=Off
    fax=Off
    fp_extensions=Off
    fp_vdir_deploy=Off
    freecell=Off
    hearts=Off
    hypertrm=Off
    IEAccess=Off
    iis_common=Off
    iis_ftp=Off
    iis_htmla=Off
    iis_inetmgr=Off
    iis_nntp=Off
    iis_nntp_docs=Off
    iis_pwmgr=Off
    iis_smtp=Off
    iis_smtp_docs=Off
    iis_www=Off
    iis_www_vdir_printers=Off
    iis_www_vdir_terminalservices=Off
    iisdbg=Off
    indexsrv_system=Off
    licenseserver=Off
    media_clips=Off
    media_utopia=Off
    minesweeper=Off
    mousepoint=Off
    mplay=Off
    msmq_ADIntegrated=Off
    msmq_Core=Off
    msmq_HTTPSupport=Off
    msmq_LocalStorage=Off
    msmq_MQDSService=Off
    msmq_RoutingSupport=Off
    msmq_TriggersService=Off
    msnexplr=Off
    mswordpad=On
    netcis=Off
    netoc=Off
    objectpkg=Off
    OEAccess=Off
    paint=Off
    pinball=Off
    rec=Off
    reminst=Off
    rstorage=Off
    solitaire=Off
    spider=Off
    templates=Off
    TerminalServer=Off
    TSClients=Off
    TSWebClient=Off
    vol=On
    WMAccess=Off
    WMPOCM=Off
    wms=Off
    wms_admin_asp=Off
    wms_admin_mmc=Off
    wms_server=Off
    zonegames=Off

[Marthax]

then forgot what I said.

EDIT:

@eirogge:

I'm pretty sure that these settings are case sensitive but, what I said was partially wrong. Check this out:

Calc
freecell
hearts
mswordpad
paint
spider
TerminalServer
TSWebClient

If it doesn't matter if you use a capital or low-case letter, then why does MS show us only a few of these programs with capitals and not all? This gotta´ mean something.

Another thing I noticed just minute ago.

[Components]Answer File = Unattend.txt and Winbom.ini

These are the words of MS so I guess that you guys that wanna use [Components] with winnt.sif are pretty screwed. I mean, if the deploy information file tells us to use this with unattend.txt, what else can you do if it doesn't work?

BTW, isn't Unattend.txt the same as Winnt.sif? I really don't understand this.

Although the answer file for Setup is commonly called Unattend.txt, for a network preinstallation you can name the file anything you like. For a CD-based Setup, you must name the answer file Winnt.sif.

Edited June 17, 2005 by Marthax

[eirogge]

for a setup from cd the answer file is winnt.sif and for a setup from hdd or network it is unattend.txt

but the files are the same.

Edited June 18, 2005 by eirogge