New to unattended application installs - recommendations needed

[-.-PhanTom-.-]

Hey all...

Just wondering which would be the best way for a newbie to unattended application installation to attack this "issue"?

Which method is the best/easiest to handle first hand?

RunOnceEx?

AutoIt?

pros/cons for both?

[ZenLord]

I started out with RunOnceEx, and am still using it. It is easy to grasp and once you get the hang of it, it can easily be updated to reflect version changes and stuff like that.

I will be looking at WPI in a short while, just to make it possible to chose wich programs on what computer I want to install without the need for a seperate CD(RW) everytime.

AutoIT is something that can be useful for some programs (like MSAS that just won't install silently without an AIT-script), but if I can avoid to use it, I will.

Just my 0.02 € of course...

Zl.

[MHz]

I use nothing but AutoIt. It can do quite very much anything. Some detail is here of my current setup. I started with RunOnceEx but now run an AutoIt script from Cmdlines.txt that makes the RunOnceEx concept seem too basic and look retro. Most of my AutoIt scripts use a silent install method, then automated if it needs to be. I do not have a list that is added to registry. All the software is installed in sequence from a selected folder by executing each AutoIt script in that folder by searching for it. Each software install is logged for exitcode and time taken. No third party command line tools are used as AutoIt can manage it all. Identify Installer in CMenu can create AutoIt installation scripts very quick.

My method is easy, but I am quite experienced with AutoIt. Only those who try to learn AutoIt are the people who will gain everything from it. It is a very powerful basic language indeed.

[yoyo92]

i started to undersand how to build an unattended windows: just windows+security patchs

after that,i tried to understand how to build a silent application with the parameters in a batch file

for example: trial.exe /s

after that i learn to use autoit scripts

after that i learn to make a self silent package (with 7zip method)

after that i learn to integrate to WindowsPostInstall (on this forum) and i always use this.

[Nakatomi2010]

I started out the same way as yoyo up top, but I skiped Autoit and switchless installers and went straight to WPI...

I'm a technician at 2 different computer stores and my multiboot XP DVD saves me ALOT of time, I can have Windows XP installed with all drivers, updates and basic software within an hour on a respectable machine...

My Multiboot XP DVD has Home (OEM, VLM Retail), Pro (OEM, VLM Retail) MCE2005 and x64 edition... I'm ready for anything... And I've still got a gigs worth of play space on the DVD...

Contents of my DVD are the OSes above, ERD Commander, UBCD For Win, and a second PE a friend of mine gave me, the NT Password changer, Ghost.

Software wise it's Ad-Aware, AVG, Adobe Reader 7, Open Office, XPize, Nero, Java, quicktime, MS Antispy, Google Earth, google toolbar, and firefox... I want to include Power DVD but I can't find a friendly way of doing it... I'm also looking for other freeware to use that would help id*** computer users...