POSReady Setup and the Command Line

  • Article

2/16/2009

When Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 starts, you can access the command line by pressing any key at the Setup Launcher dialog box. This opens a new Command Prompt window and enables you to perform installation tasks. For example, you can use the command prompt to start an unattended installation by using the /unattended command-line switch together with an answer file. There are three other command-line switches: /guionly, /logging, and /devicefile. The following table describes these switches.

Switch Description

/guionly

Starts interactive installation and records Setup responses in an answer file

/logging

Changes the default log-file name and location to custom values

/devicefile

Installs additional device drivers by directing Setup to the location of a driver XML file

/unattended

Starts an unattended installation.

The /guionly Switch

The /guionly switch starts an interactive installation but does not actually install POSReady on the destination computer. Instead, it records your responses on the Setup screens and stores them in an unattended answer file. This file can later be used to automatically install POSReady in an unattended environment.

Note

The /guionly switch requires rewritable media such as a USB flash drive or a floppy disk.

How to use the /guionly switch

  1. Insert your POSReady installation media and Setup will automatically start.

  2. On the Setup Launcher dialog box, press any key to access the command prompt.

  3. At the command prompt, type the following:

    Setup.exe /guionly:pathname\unattended_file.xml

    Pathname is the drive and folder location of your unattended answer file; unattended_file.xml is the name of the file that will be created. For example:

    Setup.exe /guionly:A:\unattended.xml

    This will create an answer file named, unattended.xml on the drive A:\.

    Note

    unattended_file.xml can also refer to an existing answer file. If you run Setup by using an existing unattended_file.xml, your responses will override existing responses in that file.

Changing the XML Generated by the /guionly Switch

You can also manually change the XML that is generated by the /guionly switch at the command prompt.

How to change the XML generated by the /guionly switch

  1. At the command prompt, browse to the folder where your unattended file was created, and type the name of the file. For example, if your unattended file was saved in the root of drive A and named unattended.xml, type A:\unattended.xml, and press ENTER. A dialog box will appear, notifying you that Windows cannot open the file until you assign an application to view it.

  2. Choose Select the program from a list, and choose OK. A dialog box that has a list of applications will appear, and the Notepad application will appear at the top of the list.

  3. Select the Notepad application and choose OK. Your unattended file will appear in text format within the Notepad application, and you can make your desired changes.

The /logging Switch

The /logging switch enables you to change the name and location of the installation log. By default, the installation log is stored in the \Windows directory of the destination disk.

How to use the /logging switch

  1. Insert your POSReady installation media and Setup will automatically start.

  2. In the Setup Launcher dialog box, press any key to access the command prompt.

  3. At the command prompt, type the following:

    Setup.exe /logging:pathname\filename.log

    Pathname is the drive and folder location of your log file; filename.log is the name of the log file that will be created. For example:

    Setup.exe /logging:A:\POSReadyInstall.log

    This syntax will create a log file that is named POSReadyInstall.log on the drive A:\.

The /devicefile Switch

The /devicefile switch enables you to detect and install drivers for devices that are not supported by default in POSReady. The /devicefile switch works by pointing Setup to an additional XML driver file. For more information about how to create an XML driver file, see Adding Drivers for Your POSReady Installation.

How to use the /devicefile switch

  1. Insert your POSReady installation media and Setup will automatically start.

  2. On the Setup Launcher dialog box, press any key to access the command prompt.

  3. At the command prompt, type the following:

    Setup.exe /devicefile:pathname\driver_file.xml

    Pathname is the drive and folder location of your driver file; driver_file.xml is the name of the driver file that will be created. For example:

    Setup.exe /devicefile:A:\POSReadyDriver.xml

    This command will point Setup to an XML driver file that is named POSReadyDriver.xml on the drive A:\.

The /unattended Switch

After you have created an XML answer file for unattended installation, you can use it to set up POSReady by typing the following at the command prompt:

How to use the /unattended switch

  1. Insert your POSReady installation media and Setup will automatically start.

  2. On the Setup Launcher dialog box, press any key to access the command prompt.

  3. At the command prompt, type the following:

    Setup.exe /unattended:pathname\answer_file

    Pathname is a local or UNC path to the file.

    answer_file is the file name of the answer file you want to use. For example:

    Setup.exe /unattended:\\Chainstores\Store44\unattend.xml

Notes:

  • You can also copy the answer file to the Setup folder of the installation CD and name it unattended.xml to have POSReady Setup detect the file and automatically use it for an unattended installation.
  • To ensure the security of your POSReady system, it is recommended that you change all passwords after an unattended setup.

See Also

Tasks

Adding Drivers for Your POSReady Installation

Concepts

Interactive Installation

Other Resources

Creating a POSReady Answer File