Unattended Build Script

[n00dles]

I started a new job recently and found there was no standard process in house for doing unattended builds, so I whipped one up ala the script in the attached .txt file

Here's what you need

*Windows PE / Bart PE

- with script support enabled (i use winpe personally - for just building boxes, you don't need all the other nice stuff that Bart gives you).

- with a RAM disk (doesn't have to be big. 1MB would be plenty)

- with ScriptPW.dll registered (I have a post somewhere about how to do that. Search!)

- with any necessary mass storage and NIC drivers

*A distribution share with the following structure

- <root>

|

----- 2000unattend.txt

|

|

---- $OEM$

|

------ ADV

| |

| ---- I386

|

----- STD

|

---- I386

There is only one variable you need to modify really, if you have that structure, being strDistShare on line #392

*2000unattend.txt

- an unattend.txt file something like the one attached

Took me about a week to write the bulk of it and then an extra 2 weeks putting the final touches on (it's always like that, ain't it!). It's geared towards 2000, but can easily be modified for 2003.

Please don't email for any kind of support - if you don't know vbscript or how to do unattended builds, use google and technet and learn yourself. That's how I did it!

Oh and thanks to likuidkewl I think for how to reboot PE... best.hack.ever

<edits> Crap I can't get that directory structure to format correctly... I'm sure you can work out what I mean! 2000unattend.txt, $OEM$, STD and ADV all sit directly under the root, then the I386 directories sit underneath STD and ADV.

BUILDSOE.txt2000unattend.txt

Edited July 21, 2005 by n00dles

[Lost Soul]

what do you mean by the words "in house" ?

[n00dles]

As in everything was previously outsourced to HP, but then the company decided to bring everything back in house... ie in-source

[joetroba]

joe.trobaugh@wellsfargo.comHow did you get the ram disk work in WinPE? What version of PE are you using?

[dman]

As in everything was previously outsourced to HP, but then the company decided to bring everything back in house... ie in-source

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Man, that's a story I would like to hear more often!

[Jito463]

I know what you mean, n00dles. I'm the only one at work who creates our preinstall discs. Right now I've got them preinstalling from the disc, but I'm considering going back to a network preinstall method. Main reason I went with a DVD based install was at our old location we had 3 seperate networks, each with their own internet connection. Now that we're at the new location with only one network, it may be simpler to do.

[n00dles]

@joe

You can get the RAM disk working by downloading the WSSRA Deployment kit and using the ramdrv.sys from there, and there are many posts around that will tell you what mods you need to make to winpesys.inf to get it working. If you still need a hand reply to this post and I'll post up how I do it.

@dman

Amen to that!

I also have a massively updated version of this script... it's weighing in at close to 1000 lines now. It includes stuff like the ability to install W2K or W2K3, some better IP address handling code, and also I have separated out the distribution share credentials from the domain join credentials... anyway, if anyone is interested let me know and I'll post it up.

[SyKik]

sorry having troubles finding the answer to this problem...

but does your file structure mean that the $oem$ folder gets copied as it should?

cos as a quick test, i simply mounted a PE Bart iso in drive, and mounted my UA DVD XP in another, booted the VMWare on the PE, and tried to run thru the UA, using winnt32 and appropriate switches, but it didn't copy across...only difference i can see, is that i use reference winnt.sif from within i386, and not from the root...