Has anyone here used Windows Automated Installation Kit to install an

[Sgt_Strider]

I'm getting the impression that this program will make things easier to install Windows XP unattended or I am wrong? I don't see many posts about this subject.

[cluberti]

The WAIK is for Vista, but you can make .WIM images of XP that you can then dump on machines via ximage. You still need to build a clean XP machine, sysprep it, and shut it down, before you can ximage it (just like Vista). However, it does not recognize or use any of the unattended files created by the WAIK (they're XML, and only used by Vista).

[Sgt_Strider]

The WAIK is for Vista, but you can make .WIM images of XP that you can then dump on machines via ximage. You still need to build a clean XP machine, sysprep it, and shut it down, before you can ximage it (just like Vista). However, it does not recognize or use any of the unattended files created by the WAIK (they're XML, and only used by Vista).

Didn't Microsoft released a utility for unattended installs not too long ago for Windows XP?

[cluberti]

No - it's either RIS or CD-based flat-file installs, sysprep, or riprep. You can find sysprep on the XP CD, and RIS/risetup can be installed on Server 2003 or 2000 Server.

[osm]

No - it's either RIS or CD-based flat-file installs, sysprep, or riprep. You can find sysprep on the XP CD, and RIS/risetup can be installed on Server 2003 or 2000 Server.

Will using a sysprep.inf answer file work for a syspreped XP image, captured in .wim format, using ImageX.exe? sysprep.inf was being used for ghost images, so may be should work for wim images now.

Has anyone tried it?

[cyprids]

Yes it will work but the sysprep.inf is part of the sysprepped wim image. Using imagex allow you to edit sysprep.inf inside the wim image post.

/cyprids