WPI installation guide

[explore.exe]

Hi to all my friends.I made a xp profession integrated with sp2 successfully.Now i want to use wpi method but i don't know from where to start with.there is no specific guide in the forum abt this.Well i understand what the wpi is and download all the tools needed for it.is it necessary to make batch file and runonceex files for wpi.can anyone tell me the step by step procedure for this.

Thank in advance

[Lost Soul]

have you tried reading the site yet for tips and hints

http://wpiw.net/

and also if you load up the program youll notice it has a manual, just hit the manual button to pull it up

Edited January 22, 2007 by Lost Soul

[duhblow7]

I'll have to agree with explorer.exe.

The site is confusing. I think WPI is the program I need, but from the site, all I know is it's a hypertext application that's supposed to give me choice.

I've been looking for a program help me automate the installation of software on multiple computers and WPI appears to be it. I mean, if it gives me choice, apparently it can make me breakfast right? I choose breakfast.

So I've been looking for the readme all over. I found a change log, but that's of no help. One would imagine that in order to find help you would click on the giant HELP icon on the main site. I am now looking at directory structure. This directory structure looks awfully familar, I think i've downloaded an archive with a similar directory structure. This is of no help. Ok, so I guess I launch the program. Maybe I need to install WPI before I can use it, but the install folder is empty. Perhaps this is where i would place software I want installed. Maybe I don't need to install anything to begin using WPI. In the root folder of the download, i found yet another CHangelog.txt, but this doesn't help. Ok, there's this WPI.hta file. I've read of security vulnerabilities from George Guninski's website back in like 2000, or at least ways of creating executable HTA files. Perhaps I should run this WPI.hta file. OK, i'm gunna run it. I run it, but i get a full screen window that tells me something will be installed in 59 seconds and it begins to count down. ughm, WTF? Ok, maybe this is WPI installing, or maybe this is how i would install software once WPI is configured. The latter seems correct.

Basically I want to automate Microsoft Office and Acrobat installs. If I'm in what i believe to be the WPI configuration window, there are about 20 or so options i need to fill out. I have yet to find a single bit of documentation on any of WPI.

This seems like a great project that a select few have figured out. It seems like this would save me literally 10+ hours a week, although I've already spent 5 hours reading these forums, the official site and playing with the program. I can't afford to spend more time on WPI and not make any progress. In the same amount of time I've managed to figure out nlite, i've created 8 ISO's and burned and installed them all. I've perfected my nlite ISO cd, and yet i cannot even figure out where to begin with WPI. I've actually gotten closer to creating my own add-ons for Office and Acrobat for N-Lite than I have with WPI.

So, yah, this is just my rant. I spent so much time researching WPI to no avail, i figured i'd spend a fraction of the time detailing my frustrations. Perhaps this is a reoccuring problem with WPI users, and perhaps WPI developers will have time to develop to documentation, or perhaps a WPI power user would step up after reading enough posts of rants to help with documentation. Sorry for the long post. I really did give it a shot.

[Kelsenellenelvian]

Now that you got that out of your system. You simply needed to read the main post where you can download WPI from (Or the supplied manaul). All of the nessecary files needed to run WPI unnatended are in the option $oem$ download (runonce.cmd). Also in the first post is this extremly simple guide to ad an app to WPI:

Here is a small tutorial on how to add an app to WPI!

Ok this is a sample (Very simple) configuration for Windows Defender Beta 2

This assumes you have all of the WPI files either in the WPI folder at the root of your Windows cd or all of the WPI folders (Common, Graphics, WPIScripts, Tools, Install and Themes) and the file WPI.hta at the root of your cd.

Remember this is just the most basic and required entries for a program!

#1 Place the desired app in the install folder. (In this case WindowsDefender.msi)

#2 Run WPI.hta and choose “Config”

#3 Choose at the very top above the config section “Add”

#4 Enter in the name section “Windows Defender” ßNo quotes! Then click on any other section of the config area to activate the rest of the wizard.

#5 You will notice the Unique ID section gets automatically configured for you.

#6 All apps are selected to be installed by default right from the start so if you don’t want it selected by default you must uncheck this box.

#7 Choose a category for your app to be displayed in. If you want the app to be displayed in a category you don’t see simply chose other and a box will appear that will allow the entry of you choice.

#8 In the Command 1 section browse to the installation package you want to have installed. You will get "%CDROM%\WPI\Install\WindowsDefender.msi" Please modify this to read %wpipath%\install\windowsdefender.exe for the simplest runonceex setup.

#9 Add the necessary switches for the program to run silently i.e. %wpipath%\Install\WindowsDefender.msi /qn (The new U.S.S.F. feature can assist you in finding the switches for most common apps)

#10 Select the Save button and then the Exit button and you have now configured your first app!

The manual is a slowly progressing work but dont hold your breath for too long because we have already made it as simple as we can. It can't wipe your butt. All you really need to do is get your hands dirty and do it. It is rather simple to configure once you get used to it.

[duhblow7]

Now that you got that out of your system.

Ahhhh, I wanted to come back and apologize for my rant. I think I just needed to sleep on it and come back today much more open minded. Thanks for the explanation and help, rather than defending WPI. I'll take a look at the post you've suggested and play with WPI a couple hours today and hopefully if I have any posts they will be much more productive.

Thanks.