Windows95 Unattended Installation

[DukeBlazingstix]

I've just installed VirtualPC 2007, and I'm having alot of fun revisiting past Windows Operating Systems, with the eventual plan being to keep ISOs of all my OS discs auto-booting, with the product keys built into them, so I can quickly set up a new system from scratch, then test whatever software I'm writing on all of them.

So I've been working backwards through WinMe, and Win98, and now I'm at Win95.

With alot of research, and a little hacking, I've managed to make myself a bootable Windows95 installation CD, that even works like the Me/98 ones (where it'll give you the option of booting from the CD, or the HDD), and the only thing I'm stuck on is auto-inserting the Product Key.

I tried using the same method I did for the Windows98SE disc, using the MSBATCH.INF file, and the following:

[Setup]
ProductKey="XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX"

but the problem is that my Win95 key is an OEM key that looks like "XXXXX-OEM-XXXXXXX-XXXXX"

and I can't figure out how to enter that into the MSBATCH.INF file in a way it understands.

Any help?

[Petr]

Windows 95 Resource Kit does not describe ProductKey but ProductID:

[Setup]
ProductID=999999999

I have not tried if also "XXXXX-OEM-XXXXXXX-XXXXX" works. Apparently not, see Q263281: Entering OEM Product Key Information When Running Msbatch.inf

This is behavior is by design and cannot be changed.

OEM computers use the OPK (OEM Production Kit), not Msbatch.inf, to initiate multiple unattended installations of Windows

Does anybody have/tried the OPK?

Further discussion is here: Experts Exchange: Silent Win95 Installation ProductID-Problem

Petr

Edited December 2, 2006 by Petr

[erpdude8]

When installing any version of Win95 (especially the OSR2 versions) I prefer using ProductType=1 setting in the SETUPPP.INF file. that prevents Win95 setup from asking for a Product ID. I read this somewhere in Sean Erwin's Win95 OSR2 FAQ (no longer found at Compuclinic site)

[submix8c]

When installing any version of Win95 (especially the OSR2 versions) I prefer using ProductType=1 setting in the SETUPPP.INF file. that prevents Win95 setup from asking for a Product ID. I read this somewhere in Sean Erwin's Win95 OSR2 FAQ (no longer found at Compuclinic site)

MSBATCH.INF - No more info...

[setup]

CCP=0

ProductType=1

ProductID=123-1234567

As far as I have been able to tell, the ProductID is derived from (your example) -

XXXXX-OEM-XXXXXXX-XXXXX

xxxxxx123-1234567xxxxxx

Edited October 8, 2007 by submix8c