Unattended Install in Windows XP | Windows installation | Tech-Recipes

Unattended Install in Windows XP

Contributed by mikejc

August 24, 2004

Tagged: Windows installation

Create a bootable CD-ROM that will install Windows XP unattended. Setup Manager on the Windows XP CD will be used to create an answer file

When installing multiple PCs it is easier to set up an unattended installation and burn a bootable CD. Then to answer each prompt during a manual installation.

1. Extract Setup Manager(Setupmgr.*) from \Support\Tools\Deploy.Cab on your Windows XP CD.

2. Run Setupmgr.exe

3. Setup Manager will generate files based on your answers.

4. Create a directory for your modified Windows XP install. For example, C:\NEWXP

5. Copy your original Windows XP CD into this directory preserving the directory structure of the CD.

6. Copy the files generated by Setup Manager to C:\NEWXP.

7. Modify autorun.inf to run your unattended setup of Windows XP and not the default.

8. Burn bootable CD.

mike

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Anonymous 4 years ago 1 point
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awesome! just was going to do this but no need!
nice recipe!

peace
seamonkey420

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Tura_Satana 4 years ago 1 point
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In this kind of instalation of windows xp can I had more tasks and/or more software instalation to the windows setup :?:

Thkx :lol:

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seamonkey420 4 years ago 1 point
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note!!!

<span style="text-decoration:underline">this does not work with installs from a DOS environment.</span>

This recipe works only if you do an OS upgrade (upgrade from Windows 98/ME/2000/, in other words if you have an OS already on your pc, works great though!!)

I'll be posting a recipe for doing this from DOS (ie brand new computer/harddrive/install, including how to format and all).

Peace
seamonkey420

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eug2k 4 years ago 1 point
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What I want to do is install windows xp (on a partition without windows) and have it install documents and settings on a different partition. Microsoft Knowledge Database describes how to do this using an unattend file(http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;314843). However their instructions do not work. Can I make an unattend file manually that only includes this:

[GuiUNattended]
ProfilesDir = "D:Documents and Settings"

and somehow get the setup to use it, or do I have to go through the whole wizard and then just add that line to the file that it generates?

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Anonymous 4 years ago 1 point
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You may want to look at these two keys and create a .reg file

HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerShell Folders HKEY_USERSS-1-5-21-your_SIDSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerShell

In that you can change the file location. Then just right click and export to get the coding you need and place in your .reg unattended file. Hope that works

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guest 4 years ago 1 point
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I have made a unattended disk for xp but it only creates 2 files unattend.txt & unattend.bat. Is the another file I am missing or what do I have to do to the setup.exe (origanal). My autorun has this in
[AutoRun]
open=setup.exe
icon=setup.exe,0
Do I change any of this

Many Thnaks
Gomez

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anonimous 4 years ago 1 point
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This option of XP working good only if you need to upgrade your system or repair.If you need to install new computer or formated disk this unattended XP CD not installed like unattended.

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Anonymous 3 years ago 1 point
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any i want to make a windows xp unattended cd and i would like to know where to put the unattend.txt, unattend.udb and winnt.sif file. can anybody please help i have try do copy to root of my cd didnt work nd ive tried copy into i386 folder and still dint work.

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fletch 3 years ago 1 point
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By the way, mike, nice recipe I've been looking for this one. Question though when I use your unattended install it doesn't uninstall/delete the old OS, do you have a solution?

Seamonkey, whenever you come up with a recipe to install XP in DOS mode where can I find that?

Thanks to all

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Fletch 3 years ago 1 point
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Check this site out: I found this to be the most thorough instructions on everything and will answer alot of your questions.
http://unattended.msfn.org/

Hope this helps!

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Anonymous 3 years ago 1 point
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Can anyone give a little more in-depths follow-through on Mike

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Anonymous 2 years ago 1 point
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The Solution for Windows Silent Software Installation. The Great Unattended Project - TGUP is an executable Package that downloads and installs latest versions of commonly-used freeware silently or manually in sequence and sorts them into the startmenu.

http://tgup.sourceforge.net
Islam Adel

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