unattended install question

test_tube_tony

im using RIS to install windows xp now over my network. my question is how do i set the answer file to give me the F6 option to install 3rd party scsi/raid drivers. i cant quite figure it out.

by the way, RIS makes the install very easy for new computers just plug it in to the network and let it go. i recomend it to anyone with too much time on their hands.

Shorty

You cant. You have to put your mass storage controller drivers into the image you are going to be installing

test_tube_tony

oh. well thats poopy. :shakehead

one last question. i now have an image that i made from a computer using RIPREP.EXE on a six gig partition. how do i tell the installer to use a bigger partition than the six gigs it uses by default? the microsoft site says i can, it just doesnt say how.

test_tube_tony

Bump

Tex

The answer file can still allow interaction. You choose what level. But its easy to add the drivers in if they are whql certified. Some others work but its a pain. but part of the beauty of a attended install is adding the extra drivers in the first place. I have chipset drivers, lan drivers, scsi raid controller drivers etc... with XP2 and its slicker then snot

Tex

test_tube_tony

but how do i set the partition size when installing from a RIPREP image?

Tex

I have no idea what a riprep is. I make unattended installs by creating a answer file (winnt.sif)

Do you want it all unattended or do you want it to prompt you for that info? Mine is all automated with cd-key, computer name, workgroup etc... the only thing it asks me is the disk and partiton I want to install to. I do that part manualy as it changes for me on every install. Then it installs office, nero, adobe acrobat, a bunch of other apps (most but not all silently with no intevention) as well as a bunch of registry edits.

You can go crazy with this stuff. I have had a blast and could not dream of installing any other way at this point.

Tex

test_tube_tony

im using remote installation services on my win2k domain server. network installs (etc.). it uses an answer file to suply the answers. there is a way to specify what partition size you want when installing from an image, i just cant figure out how. RIPREP.EXE is the program you use to create an image and transfer it to the server. its very similar to SYSPREP.EXE.

test_tube_tony

Bump

Shorty

Read LabMice

Bud

with ris when u install on a client machine it has to become part of the domain right? also with a unattended install answer file can u set a partition size?

test_tube_tony

yes, it does join the domain. and from what i understand, you can set the partition size in the answer file. i just dont know how.

Thrax

You actually can't set the partition size in your unattended script. You'd have to use Windows PE or BartPE to create a diskpart script, then use Bart/WinPE to launch your unattended installation with the partitioning script preceding and piggybacking on the Windows installation. You can find a bit more information here

I've done extensive research on this as I am nearly finished creating my own unattended disc. Integrated SP4, automatic installation of the latest nForce drivers, DirectX, catalyst drivers, and silent installs of about a dozen programs. It sets my home page, my internet protocols, my services, my desktop, and I've even customized what applications Windows installs by default.

One thing that remained elusive is "How do I set a partition?" And unfortunately, you can't.

If you call the AutoPartition=1 command under the [Data] section, Windows merely seeks, and installs to, the partition that A) Can support the volume of data Windows installs and B) Has no current install of Windows. The "Repartition=Yes" command wipes all existing partitions, creates a new partition that spans the size of the drive, and begins the install.

The best course of action is to set "AutoPartition=0" and manually set the destination and the size thereof, unless you feel like jacking around with Windows/BartPE, which is a pain in the arse; I also don't know if it's compatible with network installs.

Additionally, if you need mass storage drivers, simply create a subdirectory called Textmode, and place it inside of your $OEM$ folder. Drop your SCSI/ATA drivers there and they will be automatically selected on your install.

//EDIT:

I have my own question regarding unattended installs, however.

Here's my unattend.bat from my I386 directory

@rem SetupMgrTag
@echo off

rem
rem This is a SAMPLE batch script generated by the Setup Manager Wizard.
rem If this script is moved from the location where it was generated, it may have to be modified.
rem

set AnswerFile=.\winnt.sif
set SetupFiles=K:\i386

K:\i386\winnt32 /s:%SetupFiles% /unattend:%AnswerFile%

Now, my CD-ROM is <b>not</b> going to be K:\ when I'm in a DOS environment going to install. I have no floppies, and two HDDs all with NTFS partitions.

What the hell letter is my CD-ROM going to be? What drive letter do I give my unattend.bat to find the proper i386 directory?

Bud

if you just run the normal unattended install file with no specifying hard drive size what size partition will it create

Tex

If its all automated then it will create one as large as possible. This is one part I do not want automated and all my unattended installs stop here and prompt for the disk / partition to instal to.

Tex

test_tube_tony

Thrax wrote:

What the hell letter is my CD-ROM going to be? What drive letter do I give my unattend.bat to find the proper i386 directory?

wow. good one. um... try c or d asuming no partitions are set. or start from c and go up the list till you get it heh. good old trial and error. what have you tried thus far?

the strange thing is, i cant even get it to let me pick the partition size manually. i think now that i'm running win2003, it might work. i recently upgraded. its worth a shot.