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Sample Unattend Files

  • Article
  • 07/03/2012

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use unattend installation files to automate many aspects of Setup. Use these samples as a starting point to create your own custom files, or to troubleshoot your installation.

  • Sample Windows Deployment Services client unattend file

  • Sample image unattend file

Sample Windows Deployment Services client unattend file

This unattended installation file allows a completely automated installation experience. You can use a text editor to save this sample file as an XML file.

<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
   <settings pass="windowsPE">
      <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="x86">
         <WindowsDeploymentServices>
            <Login>
               <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
               <Credentials>
                  <Username>username</Username>
                  <Domain>wds-dom</Domain>
                  <Password>my_password</Password>
               </Credentials>
            </Login>
            <ImageSelection>
               <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
               <InstallImage>
                  <ImageName>Windows Vista with Office</ImageName>
                  <ImageGroup>ImageGroup1</ImageGroup>
                  <Filename>Install.wim</Filename>
               </InstallImage>
               <InstallTo>
                  <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                     <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                     </InstallTo>
            </ImageSelection>
            </WindowsDeploymentServices>
            <DiskConfiguration>
            <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
            <Disk>
               <DiskID>0</DiskID>
               <WillWipeDisk>false</WillWipeDisk>
               <ModifyPartitions>
               <ModifyPartition>
                  <Order>1</Order>
                  <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                  <Letter>C</Letter>
                  <Label>TestOS</Label>
                  <Format>NTFS</Format>
                  <Active>true</Active>
                  <Extend>false</Extend>
               </ModifyPartition>
               </ModifyPartitions>
            </Disk>
            </DiskConfiguration> 
            </component>
            <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" processorArchitecture="x86">
               <SetupUILanguage>
                  <WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
                  <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
               </SetupUILanguage>
               <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            </component>
            </settings>
</unattend>

Sample image unattend file

This file sets the product key and allows the domain join operation to complete successfully. You can use a text editor to save this sample file as an XML file.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-UnattendedJoin" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="https://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="https://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <Identification>
                <UnsecureJoin>true</UnsecureJoin>
            </Identification>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="https://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="https://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <ProductKey>XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX</ProductKey>
        </component>
    </settings>
</unattend>

Additional references