PROCEDURE FOLLOWED IN MAKING UP MY
WINDOWS XP UNATTENDED INSTALLATION DISC
For Slipstreaming Guides see
Windows XP SP2 Slipstreamed for 32-Bit Windows XP and
Windows XP Professional X64 Edition SP2 Slipstreamed for 64-Bit Windows XP
THE TOOLS USED
It is recommended that you first “Slipstream” the latest service pack (SP2) into Windows XP before creating an unattended install. If you haven’t already done so you can download it here
WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe
Microsoft provides most of the tools one needs for the Windows XP Unattended Installation – here is the link to the necessary
Deployment Tools
Other than those tools, I found the following ones really helpful to extract or collect drivers and applications for inclusion in the Unattended Install Disc:
1.
Driver Collector – by Bassam Himmo downloadable from Major Geeks
2.
Winrar – from RARLab
3.
ISO Buster – from Smart Projects
1. SLIPSTREAMING XP SP2 INTO YOUR WINDOWS XP DISC
1. Create the following
folders on the root of your hard drive
XP
XP-SP2
XP-BootImage
2. Copy the entire contents of your XP CD to the XP folder (make sure that you have changed View in Tools>Folder Options>View to show Hidden files and folders and that you have unchecked Hide Protected operating system files.
3. Copy the XP SP2 file you downloaded to the XP-SP2 folder
4. Open the Run command box and enter the following command C:\XP-SP2\WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe -x
If you get the following Security Warning, select Run (you should only get this security warning if you are doing this from a system to which SP2 has already been applied)
The following dialog box will pop up – just let it extract the files to that directory
Once Extraction is complete, again open the Run command box and now enter the following command C:\XP-SP2\i386\Update\Update.exe -S:C:\XP
You will see that SP2 is being merged into the Windows installation (i386) folder
If all you are wanting to do is slipstream SP2 into your Windows XP setup installation disc, then go to step 6 from here.
2. THE PROCESS TO CREATE THE UNATTENDED INSTALLATION DISC
Open Windows Explorer and set folder options to “Show hidden files and folders”.
Also, Unselect “Hide extensions of known file types” and Unselect “Hide protected operating system files”
On C Drive make the following folders:
C:\XP
C:\XP-BootImage
C:\XP-Tools
(I do this simply so that everything I will need is close at hand and grouped together).
A. Copy the contents of Windows XP CD to C:\XP (Preferably slipstreamed with SP2)
B. Extract the Microsoft Corporation.img file to C:\XP-BootImage
C. Extract WindowsXP-KB838080-SP2-DeployTools-ENU.cab and copy setupmgr.exe and ref.chm to C:\XP-Tools
In C:\XP create the followingfolders:
i386 doesnot need to be created - its already there
Run setupmgr.exe and make the following selections:
New or Existing Answer File = Create New
Type of Setup = Unattended Setup
Windows Product = Windows XP Home / Professional
User Interaction = Fully Automated
Distribution Share = Set up from CD
Accept EULA and fill in CD Key and anything else you may want to do.
Setupmgr.exe will then create two files and let you know where it has placed them.
You only really need Unattend.txt. which is known as the Answer File
Change the name of this file to WINNT.SIF and place it in the i386 folder
I’ve made the following changes to my Answer File:
;SetupMgrTag
[Data]
AutoPartition=0
MsDosInitiated="0"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"
[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
OemSkipEula=Yes
OemPreinstall=Yes
TargetPath=\WINDOWS
UnattendSwitch="yes"
FileSystem=*
OemPnPDriversPath="Drivers\003_sound"
DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*
EncryptedAdminPassword=No
OEMSkipRegional=1
TimeZone=140
OemSkipWelcome=1
[GuiRunOnce]
"%systemdrive%\install\AcrobatReader.cmd"
[UserData]
ProductKey=XXXX-XXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX
FullName="gmas
OrgName="Private"
ComputerName=GBUS
[Display]
BitsPerPel=32
Xresolution=1024
YResolution=768
Vrefresh=85
[TapiLocation]
CountryCode=27
Dialing=Tone
AreaCode=021
[RegionalSettings]
LanguageGroup=1
SystemLocale=00001c09
UserLocale=00001c09
InputLocale=0409:00000409
[Branding]
BrandIEUsingUnattended=Yes
[URL]
Home_Page=http:\\www.moneyweb.co.za\
[Proxy]
Proxy_Enable=0
Use_Same_Proxy=1
[Identification]
JoinWorkgroup=XXX
[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents=No
[NetAdapters]
Adapter1=params.Adapter1
[params.Adapter1]
INFID=*
[NetClients]
MS_MSClient=params.MS_MSClient
[NetServices]
MS_SERVER=params.MS_SERVER
MS_PSched=params.MS_PSched
[NetProtocols]
MS_TCPIP=params.MS_TCPIP
[params.MS_TCPIP]
DNS=Yes
UseDomainNameDevolution=No
EnableLMHosts=Yes
AdapterSections=params.MS_TCPIP.Adapter1
[params.MS_TCPIP.Adapter1]
SpecificTo=Adapter1
DHCP=Yes
WINS=No
NetBIOSOptions=0
3. ADDING DEVICE DRIVERS
Any Device Drivers you may want to install should go into the Drivers folder – it is recommended that the following file structure is used:
000_chipset
001_network
002_graphics
003_tv_out
004_sound
005_monitor
006_keyboard
007_mouse
008_etc
This is because setup will first install 000 and then 001 and so on.
Use a tool like Driver Collector or winRAR to extract drivers and copy files to these folders
The path to the Driver files should be stated in the Answer File under the section
[Unattended]
OemPnPDriversPath="Drivers\000_intel_INF;Drivers\003_sound"
(The semi-colon between each is important)
That’s it for Drivers
4. USER LOGON
Then I’ve got a set of files in the $OEM$ Folder that set up my User Logon:
These are:
1. autologon.reg – Just create it with notepad and add the following:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon]
"DefaultUserName"="gmas"
"DefaultPassword"="xxxxx"
"AutoAdminLogon"="1"
Change the file extension to .reg and it becomes a registry executable file.
2. CmdLines.txt – also created with notepad and has the following text:
[COMMANDS]
"useraccounts.cmd"
3. useraccounts.cmd – created with notepad and containing following text:
net user gmas xxxxx /add
net localgroup Administrators gmas /add
net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited
REGEDIT /S autologon.reg
EXIT
(xxxxx is password as above)
NB The following line must be added to the Answer File
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*
5. INSTALLING APPLICATIONS
Finally, installing Applications such as Acrobat Reader I use quite a roundabout way but it works for me and I understand it:
in the $1\Install folder I’ve added a folder called AcrobatReader in which I have the executable : AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe
also in $1\install I have the file: AcrobatReader.cmd with following text :
(the .cmd file is simply a notebook text file with the file extension changed to .cmd and the code below in it)
ECHO.
ECHO Installing Adobe Reader 6
ECHO Please wait
start /wait %systemdrive%\install\AcrobatReader\AdbeRdr60_enu_full.exe -p"-s /v\"/qn\""
and in $1\Install I have the file: AcrobatReader.txt with the following text :
[COMMANDS]
"AcrobatReader.cmd"
and in the WINNT.SIF file I've added :
[GuiRunOnce]
"%systemdrive%\install\AcrobatReader.cmd"
For the time being that is it - so what we have here is a basic unattended installation disc with examples of drivers and applications
6. BURNING A BOOTABLE DISC USING NERO
1. Create 2 new folders on the root of your XP installation drive or partition and name them XP and XP – Boot Image
2. Use the program isobuster to extract the .img file – Microsoft Corporation.img from your original Windows XP CD and copy it to the XP – BootImage folder
3. Copy the entire contents of your original XP CD to the folder called XP. Make sure that you have set Folder Options to Show hidden files and folders and that you have unchecked Hide protected operating systems files in Tools>Folder Options>View before doing so
4. Open Nero Burning Rom from your Start Menu and on the left hand side select “CD-ROM (Boot).” In the main Window, ensure that you have made exactly the selections that appear in the screen shot below. The important ones are Enable expert settings, Kind of emulation: No Emulation and Number of loaded sectors: 4
5. Now go to the ISO tab and make sure your settings are as below
6. In the Label tab enter the appropriate name of your original XP CD
Windows XP Professional = WXPCCP_EN
Windows XP Home = WXHCCP_EN
Windows XP Professional OEM = WXPOEM_EN
Windows XP Home OEM = WXHOEM_EN
7. Next, go to the dates tab and make sure that “Use the date and time from the original file” is checked
8. In the Burn tab, make sure that “Write” and “Finalize CD” are checked and that Write method is set as “Track-at-once”
9. Now click New at the bottom of the open Nero window and then browse to the XP folder to which you copied the XP CD. Right click on the first file (Docs) that appears and select “Select all” and then again right click and select “Copy to compilation”. Next click on the “Burn” button, which you see highlighted in the screen shot below
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Many refinements are possible and I am going to asking for help in this Forum.
Hope this is usefull.
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What follows is the thinking and and input from all that helped in this thread - also I must give credit where credit is due - most of this information and the little bit of knowledge I have on the subject I got predominantly from msfn.org
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Hi Folks
I started drawing up a guide for this – but really – all I found myself doing was copying the work of others – also – this can be such an in-depth and highly technical exercise – especially if one starts following trains of thought brought about by what one is actually doing, that to do the subject justice, one needs a dedicated website or at the very least – a dedicated forum – so what I’ve got here, is some background info and then links, to what are in my opinion, excellent guides on the subject and the tools that one requires.
Hope this thread is of value - and thank you to ginogsm for his suggestion that I post this -here goes:
The real benefits are in what the name implies – the installation and setup process of Windows XP can be customized to include all one’s hardware drivers and the applications one normally would install after the OS is in – such as Acrobat Reader, Microsoft Office etc., all in one CD (or DVD if one really goes to town) – and after “press any key to boot from CD” one can simply let the installation get on with it right through to final boot – with User Name, Desktop Preferences, your own particular registry tweaks such as disabling balloon tips, the whole toot – all in place.
No more entering CD keys or regional and time zone settings.
One can create as comprehensive or as simple an unattended installation disc as one chooses either with full control over the Partition to install to, or to the default. In my case I prefer to manually select the partition and format type (Quick or Full ) – so my Unattended installation only really starts once I have made that selection.
My installation disc really is a “work in progress” as it will keep on changing as I add or remove drivers and applications – at this stage it still all just fits on a 700Mb CD – and I have found 870Mb blank CD’s – finally through to using a DVD (4.7Gb) if one starts adding Office etc. and has a DVD Burner.
There are also ways of trimming down the size of the original installation Disc to provide more space for other applications on the final CD.
Here is how Microsoft defines the process:
"unattended Setup
An automated hands-free method of installing Windows. During installation, unattended Setup uses an answer file to supply data to Setup instead of requiring that an administrator interactively provide the answers".
I used info and guides, from the following excellent sites to build my Unattended Installation Disc:
1.
MSFN
2.
Microsoft
3.
The Elder Geek
The tools you will need:
It is recommended that you first “Slipstream” the latest service pack (SP2) into Windows XP before creating an unattended install. If you haven’t already done so, excellent guides are available at both msfn.org and theeldergeek.com.
Microsoft provides the tools one needs for the Unattended Installation – here is the link to the necessary
Deployment Tools
Other than those tools, I found the following ones really helpful to extract or collect drivers and applications for inclusion in the Unattended Install Disc:
1.
Driver Collector – by Bassam Himmo downloadable from Major Geeks
2.
WinRAR – from RARLab
3.
ISO Buster – from Smart Projects
