How to automate formatting a partition for windows XP

[sridatta]

hi all...

I would like to make a completely unattended windows XP CD... i m a newbie in this..

The problem is that.. I want the setup to install windows XP in the partition where windows already exists, the setup should format the partition with NTFS file system and install fresh copy of windows there..

If setup couldnot find any windows versions installed, then it should format c drive and install..

I have got some info that this can be done using diskpart but could not proceed further..

pls help me...

[CodeName56]

you can do it by editing your winnt.sif file see this user data

[Data]

AutoPartition=0 make it 1

MsDosInitiated="0"

UnattendedInstall="Yes"

it wil format your c drive but disadvantage is if any one having a data it wont ask you it will directly format your c

[sridatta]

very thanx for the reply...

This clue is more than enough for me to fullfil my requirement bcoz most of us will install windows in C.. and what u said is what i desire.. setup s'd not ask whether to format or not.. i want the installation to be completely automated ...

is there anything to include in a similar way that instead of formatting C drive, the setup formats the partition on which the windows is already installed previously....

[sridatta]

@CodeName56

i have found the following info from ref.chm file...

AutoPartition

Value: 1

Installs Windows to the first available partition that has adequate space for a Windows installation and does not already contain an installed version of Windows. Either omit the AutoPartition entry from your answer file or set the value of AutoPartition to 1. If AutoPartition = 1, the /tempdrive command-line option of Winnt32.exe is ignored. If you do not set the value, text-mode Setup installs Windows on the partition where $WIN_NT$.~LS is located.

i was confused.. this part says it installs windows in the available partition that do not contain windows if i set AutoPartition = 1

pls clarify..

[troxy]

You will have to use the Repartition entry in the [unattended] section.

Repartition

Specifies whether to delete all partitions on the first drive of the client computer and to reformat the drive with the NTFS file system.

[Unattended]
Repartition="Yes"

Edited October 15, 2006 by troxy

[sridatta]

oops.. i dont want to format the whole drive.. I want just the partition that containing windows to be formatted

[cluberti]

At that point, you need to look into using WinPE and a winbom.ini file to accomplish what you seek, as the Windows text-mode installer doesn't have the smarts to do exactly what you are looking to do.

[MGadAllah]

Any expert around can give us a hand here with this issue

It is a cool thing to do it all unattended B)

Thanks

[sridatta]

@cluberti

please explain how to do in detail.. i m a newbie in this automation thing...

if it is difficult to get at a single shot, atleast guide me how to format c drive and install windows there...

[pmshah]

If you are prepared tpo experiment what you can try is using gdisk partitioning software which runs under dos. Under dos you can do a whole lot of testing to do what you require. Once the necessary formatting is done you can theoretically start winnt.exe with necessary switches to start windows installation.

BTW I have never been able to install xp from any version of dos. Always got some error message or other.

What I have worked out is a method to completely automate installation of xp on a fresh machine with a new hard disk, also partitioning it exactly as I want in the process. All I need to do is set the boot order in bios & 1 key press when the machine boots from cd.

Of course this is possible only by creating a custom boot/install CD.

[MGadAllah]

Well...!?

After reread the winnt.sif reference, I've found two entries talking about that point but it does not do what I want

1st one is:

[Data]
 AutoPartition=1

(Installs Windows to the first available partition that has adequate space for a Windows installation and does not already contain an installed version of Windows.)

2nd one is:

[Unattended]
 Repartition = Yes | No

(Specifies whether to delete all partitions on the first drive of the client computer and to reformat the drive with the NTFS file system.)

but I did not find any entry to directly choose to format C: partition with NTFS and then install XP to partition C: without any touch to any other partitions in the same drive

I do not want to repartetion my Drive, just want to format C: partetion, as the normal way user do in text mode portion of the WinXP setup

Edited January 4, 2007 by MGadAllah

[mazin]

AFAIK, WINNT.SIF does not help in this.

However, there are solutions here: http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showforum=82

[cluberti]

The instructions for how to use the WinPE disc and it's components are in the ref.chm file that is on the CD and can also be downloaded from oem.microsoft.com. It can also be accomplished by following this post:

http://www.mcse.ms/message1142291.html

Google is your friend, and read the help files.

[sridatta]

thanks for all.. i'll try them

[AHRIMANSEFID]

Me Need Config For Find C: And Format C:

Thankyou For Code