WINNT.sif file question

[Ruahrc]

I recently made an unattended setup CD with the latest SP2, updates, drivers, and everything like that when I last set up my PC in April. I even created up a WINNT.sif file which included my XP CD key and username, etc- so that the setup would be completely unattended.

I want to burn a new XP Setup CD for my dad- but want to remove my XP CD-key and name from the CD so he can use his. I want to leave it blank too so that he will be able to use the same CD with all theh updates, etc. already installed on multiple machines.

Is this merely a matter of erasing the CD-key from the WINNT.sif file? I copied all the contents of my XP Setup CD to my hard drive and edited the WINNT.sif file for a friend, so I know how to create a new bootable image and burn the iso and everything... but when I did it for my friend he put his own CD key and username into the .sif file. What I want to do now is make it completely blank.

Could someone let me know if this would work? Just erasing those certain entries in the winnt.sif file? Here is a copy of my winnt.sif file (personal info removed of course)... just want to make sure it works!

---------------------------------------------------------

;

; Generated by nLite 0.99.9 beta

;

[Data]

Autopartition = 0

MsDosInitiated = 0

UnattendedInstall = Yes

[unattended]

UnattendMode = FullUnattended

UnattendSwitch = Yes

OemPreinstall = Yes

OemSkipEula = Yes

FileSystem = *

WaitForReboot = No

NoWaitAfterTextMode = 1

NoWaitAfterGUIMode = 1

TargetPath = Windows

Hibernation = No

[Display]

Xresolution = 1024

Yresolution = 768

BitsPerPel = 32

Vrefresh = 75

[systemRestore]

MaximumDataStorePercentOfDisk = 10

[GuiUnattended]

AutoLogon = Yes

AdminPassword = *

TimeZone = 04

OEMSkipRegional = 1

OemSkipWelcome = 1

[shell]

DefaultThemesOff = Yes

DefaultStartPanelOff = Yes

[Components]

[userData]

ProductKey = "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" <--Can I just make these fields empty or have a * in them?

ComputerName = XXXXXXX <--

FullName = "XXXXXXXXXXXX" <--

[RegionalSettings]

Language = 0409

[Networking]

[identification]

JoinWorkgroup = MSHOME

------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks

Ruahrc

[bledd]

yeah just leave them blank and it will ask for them when it usually would

[oioldman]

beat me to it bledd.

Do that, have the fields in you winnt.sif, just no information in them and it will pause at each stage, your enter it and it continues.

[bledd]

yeah, I found this out by accident because I forgot to add my username once, now I leave username, computername and password blank each time

[Ruahrc]

Thanks for the answer! Do I need to put two quotes in it still or just nothing?

For example:

ProductKey = ""

ProductKey=

Ruahrc

[oioldman]

i dont even have the section in my winnt.sif for computername. It is missing no pointer no quotes nothing.

[Takeshi]

If you want the user to add his own info during Setup then omit the entries altogether. Adding XXXXX is not the correct way to do it.

[aspenjim]

You could just copy the winnt.sif file to a floppy (if you still use floppies) and make appropriate changes and it will look first to the floppy for setup information, before it looks to the i386 directory. It's a PITA to type in product keys and user information during an unattended install. That kinda defeats the purpose of it being unattended.

just my 2 cents

aj

[vakhal]

isn't the product key the same,i mean...if your making a copy of your unattended xp cd, then your key would be the same as your fathers key ??

[Ruahrc]

Well that's the point- so he can use this XP CD to set up his computer(s) (each with their own keys) and not have to use a separate CD for each. He is also on dialup so having SP2 and hotfixes and drivers integrated will really make things easier for him and speed things up.

It's not really about the unattended aspect of the CD, but moreso for these updates.

So deleting the entire [userdata] section will prompt the user for a key and name, etc. when it is set up?

Ruahrc

[vakhal]

arrr...i thought all the win xp cd's had the same product key.

[nikseresht]

hello

Can we have more than one winnt.sif in our installation cd for

having more installation style?

[htc]

Yes you could have them if you understand howto(I've made such one last year):

1) put winnt.sif, winnt.sif, winnt.s2f for 3 diff. setup configurarion.

2) binear(hex) modify the setupldr.bin(and possiblly something else) to change the reference of winnt.sif/.sif/.s2f, save them in setupldr.b2n and setupldr.b2n

3) again, modifiy the boot sectors to change the reference(...).

4) create multiboot cd to load diff. boot sectors.