winnt.sif on usb key

[kyiathedog]

I bought a wack load of machines to install all without floppies (they only have dvdrom drives)...I want to install them all with a winxpsp2 cd and a winnt.sif on a usb key. I've searched up and down and can't find an answer on how this is possible...maybe it's not...or maybe I'm just a crappy searcher.

I've tried changing the usb in the bios to floppy and forced floppy... it's a no go.

I've read of someone scripting mac addresses to ip and computernames but I'd rather not go that road route because I've got 50 machines to do... TIA

[Martin Zugec]

Dont know how to help you about USB, but if you got PCs on network, I could help you (method of having PC names + MAC adresses is really great!)

[CMan]

Does anybody have any ideas on this? I prefer to setup the users FullName, Organization, and Computer in Winnt.sif instead of using a reseal or minisetup but it's a pain to have to recreate and burn a new image everytime.

Being able to change the file on a usb key would be perfect... and I prefer usb as I've stopped using floppies

Thanks

[net_user]

how about hooking up an internal floppy during your setup?

then when your pc is all done installing....just yank out the floppy drive and hook it up to the next pc ...so on and so on....

during the setup...the windows cd looks for the winnt.sif on the floppy drive ..if the winnt.sif is not on the cd itself.

if you try to hook up a usb key...that key will not be the a: drive but more than likely the e: drive or some other letter.....

i would also look into cloning....like ghost

you set up your master image....sysprep it..take a snapshot of the image and reclone it to the other computers.....

you can reimage a pc in a matter of minutes with all the software...updates ect....

Edited February 20, 2006 by net_user