Unattended Installation Fundamentals

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To perform an unattended installation, you first create an answer file — a text file that contains answers to the questions that Windows Setup normally prompts you for during an installation. An answer file also can contain instructions for configuring operating system settings and installing applications without user intervention. After you configure your answer file, you typically create a distribution share — a folder that contains the Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003 installation files, as well as any device drivers or other files that are required to customize the installation. A distribution share uses a hierarchical folder structure that is similar to the one used on computers running Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Professional, and is typically stored on a server to which your destination computers can connect and retrieve copies of the files during an unattended installation.

Note

  • You do not need to use a distribution share to perform an unattended installation; you can use an operating system CD instead of a distribution share.

After you have created an answer file and a distribution share, you are ready to start an unattended installation on a destination computer. To do this, you must run one of two Windows Setup programs: Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe. Winnt.exe runs on 16-bit operating systems, including Microsoft® MS-DOS®, Microsoft® Windows 3.1, and Microsoft® Windows® for Workgroups operating systems. Winnt32.exe is used on 32-bit operating systems, including Microsoft® Windows® 95, Microsoft® Windows® 98, Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition, Microsoft® Windows NT®, Microsoft® Windows® 2000, Windows XP Professional, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. Usually, you start the destination computer with a floppy disk that has been formatted as an MS-DOS startup disk, an operating system CD, or the existing operating system that is on the computer’s hard disk. Depending on the operating system that is running on the destination computer, you then run either Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe.

When you run Winnt.exe or Winnt32.exe to perform an unattended installation, you specify various command-line parameters. For example, you specify the name of the answer file you want Setup to use, and the location of the distribution share that contains the installation files. You also can specify various options, including whether to use Dynamic Update, whether to install Emergency Management Services, or whether to install the Recovery Console. Setup then runs and carries out all of the instructions specified in the answer file.

New in Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional

Several answer file headings and entries are new for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional. In addition, some headings and entries have been modified, and some headings and entries found in earlier versions of Windows no longer apply to Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional. For more information about answer file changes, see "Changes in Answer Files" in Microsoft® Windows Corporate Deployment Tools User’s Guide (Deploy.chm). Deploy.chm is included in the Deploy.cab file in the Support folder on the Windows Server 2003 operating system CD.

Unattended Installation Terms and Definitions

The following key terms are associated with unattended installations.

Setup Manager   A program that creates answer files and distribution shares for unattended installations. Setup Manager (Setupmgr.exe) is included in the Deploy.cab file in the Support folder on the Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003 operating system CDs.

Unattend.txt   The default name of the answer file that you use to automate Windows Setup during an unattended installation. Unattend.txt contains headings and parameters that instruct Setup to perform various configuration tasks.

Winnt.sif   The name you give Unattend.txt when you perform an unattended installation by using the operating system CD instead of a distribution share.

Cmdlines.txt   A configurable text file that you use to customize an unattended installation. Cmdlines.txt contains a list of commands that run synchronously after Setup finishes, but before a computer restarts. Cmdlines.txt can exist on the destination computer’s hard disk or on a floppy disk, and must be specified in the [Unattended] section of Unattend.txt or Winnt.sif.

[GUIRunOnce]   A section in your answer file that is used to customize an unattended installation. The [GUIRunOnce] section contains a list of commands that run synchronously after a destination computer is started for the first time and a user logs on.

Mini-Setup   A wizard that is a subset of Windows Setup. Mini-Setup provides prompts for user-specific information, configures operating system settings, and detects new hardware. You can automate Mini-Setup by using a Sysprep.inf answer file.

File-copy mode   The first of the three stages of Setup, where the Windows program files and any additional files specified are copied to the computer’s hard disk.

Text Mode   The second of the three stages of Setup, during which Setup determines the basic hardware of the computer (CPU, motherboard, hard disk controllers, file systems, and memory), installs the base operating system necessary to continue, and creates specified folders.

GUI mode   The third of the three stages of Setup, during which Setup configures the computer’s hardware and network settings, prompts you to provide an Administrator password, and allows you to customize the installation.