typo in winnt.sif ?

[modown]

my winnt.sif:
-------------------------
[Data]
AutoPartition=1
MsDosInitiated=\"0\"
UnattendedInstall=\"Yes\"

[Unattended]
UnattendMode = FullUnattended
DriverSigningPolicy = Ignore
ExtendOemPartition = 0
FileSystem = ConvertNTFS
OemPreinstall = Yes
OemSkipEula = Yes
TargetPath = WINNT

[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword = *
AutoLogon = Yes
AutoLogonCount = 1
OEMSkipRegional = 1
OEMSkipWelcome = 1
TimeZone = \"125\"

[UserData]
ComputerName = \"W2Ktest\"
FullName = \"Test User\"
OrgName=\"Company\"

ProductID = wwwww-wwwww-wwwww-wwwww-wwwww

[Display]
BitsPerPel=16
Vrefresh=60
XResolution=800
YResolution=600

[SystemFileProtection]
SFCShowProgress = 1
SFCQuota = FFFFFFFF

[Networking]

[Identification]
JoinWorkgroup = WORKGROUP
---------------------------

i removed \" (quotes). i inserted them. i removed extra lines from file. i tried to reboot with sw2k+sp3+hotfixed slipstream CD, with original w2k CD. installation stops always here:

\"The following list shows the existing partitions and unpartitioned space on this computer.\"
blah blah blah...

it wants me to choose partition, possibly format it and so on. i have spent like 3 hours now for this stuupid halt. probably it is just a simple typo i have made.
i have to post and ask now. my mind is going...

i will try to find another PC to try this installation. meanwhile, if you will check my winnt.sif file.... i would appreciate that higly!

thankyou.

[modown]

cold boot (mains power off like 1 minute): does not help.
copying winnt.sif to another, newly formatted floppy: does not help.
drinking coffee: does not help.
smoking cigarrettes: does not help.
asking friends: does not help.
removing floppy data cable for a second: does not help.
this is.... what? complicated? frustrating?
absolutely yes.

[Anonymous]

hey man, FWIW try under [Unattended]:

Repartition=No
TargetPath=WINNT  <--note the backslash, not necessary in documentation but I use it, worth a try

...fdv

[Space Between]

im not too sure why this is a \"stupid halt\"?

is it??

if you think about it why would it be if you have a unformatted hdd....wouldnt you need to format it?


anyhow..if you want to skip that screen your talking about...which is in the \"blue\" setup screen from boot...then change the AutoPartition=1 to =0

i would also change yoru TargetPath = WINNT to TargetPath = Manual  that way the user could decide what the name of the directory he wants to install to.


If your also using FileSystem=convertNTFS then it would need to parition and format first if it was a new/unpartition hdd.

it\'s up to you man...the only thing i change in my .sif file that you have listed is TargetPath=Manual and i do not perform andy FileSytem = convertWhatever in the script.

Also if you do a FullUanttended install it would look like your looking for speedy installation. I don\'t do that i choose ProvidedDefaults. But if you want to make it go faster disabling PlugNPlay in the script will speed up the installation process by 4x. That way it wont sit there and scan saying \"searching for installed devices\" (or whatever it says exactly) forever...that part of the installation is actually the longest part of installation. I don\'t recommend you doing it but you can...and i have. It actually, for what hardware i have, works out ok and just the same. You will want to set the script to reboot 1 time after first boot to complete some installations. However you might want to make it automattically install them without have a user choose yes, search for driver, install that driver, blah blah blah and that can be done too in script...but you will have to read the documentation that is long.

You should look farther into the unattended setup methods for other information...if your wondering about the plugNPlay option you should defiantely read the full 1000 page documentation which covers everything in unattended setup for 2k/80% of XP.

To be honest i read that 1000 page documentation word for word number for number 1 time alittle over a year ago and wound up with a winnt.sif file that is about 5 times longer than yours...but that is because it is hardware specific and not a universal approach...that is the cd i use now. I have not modified anything in that script for almost a year now. But i also have another installtion disc that is the more universal approach.



Bottom line...what you have listed for your .sif file is a basic one probably generated by the deployment tool. All that does is reconfigure what is already configure as default. If you want to expand the installation, speed it up, tweak it out, for a hardware specific or universal approach the .sif file you have now will not help much. So IMHO i suggest you just leave it as is generated by the deploy tool only changing the defaultpath and installation style. Remember, if you do full unattended a user can\'t control what is happening in the installation..like he can\'t toggle the network options or anything at all...and that is what makes me go with a provideddefault setup method...which is what i think everybody should use unless your install to 3+ identical computer\'s at one time within like 2 hours.

hope that helps somewhat

[Space Between]

I forgot...actually if your installing to 2 or more computers at one time your script will generate the same computer name for both computer\'s...which can and cannot cause problems...but still consider it can cause problems. Atleast a problem of having to change that computer name once it is installed is in a high probability range.

[modown]

repartition=yes was missing.
know you all know i can\'t read instructions...
:-)

[modown]

Space Between (sb):
>im not too sure why this is a \"stupid halt\"?

i forgot to mention what i was looking for: totally unattended installation, no matter how long installation takes. and this is an installation CD for me only, not for end-users.

sb:
>if you think about it why would it be if you have a unformatted hdd....wouldnt you need to format it?

Hard drive is formatted, in fact it has working w2k+sp3 in it. this is a simple test machine.

yes that 1000 (why not 2000 :-) page documentation would be helpful. if i find out it\'s \"real\" name i can always try to find it with kazaa...

and actually i had a lot more in this .sif, but because it failed to work, i stripped many lines away trying to find out the cause for this halt. and this .sif is hand made, for example those SystemFileProtection datas never end up in system managers answer file.

it still gave me two pop-up errors stating that command line arguments were wrong, but that is probably because i tried to initialize the display to 16bit colors without providing any drivers at all. tomorrow i continue this project at the office, now i just search miscellaneous information around this subject from the internet.

thanks, SpaceBetween!

[Space Between]

that\'s good you got it worked out properly.

btw if your installing at a office...unless all computer\'s are the same exactly and not networked at all...that .sif file is going to give you headache\'s.

Ive done it 3 times...on 15 computers of different type\'s. It\'s not fun at all.

I hope you do change your mind about the \"blue\" screen setup options. It is always good to keep these options open for the user....especially if some computer\'s are running smaller hdd\'s, not wanting to convert to ntfs, or if the computer\'s have more than one hdd and wan\'t to choose which one.

It will all work any which way though.

[modown]

my next goal (when i have sliptstreamed everything) is to find out, test and make .reg file with necessary security fixes.
w2k\'s default security level in not good enough.

then i try to find out if it is possible to disable/enable services with .reg files. it has to be, i need to have some kind of script to make all the security changes i need.

but more of this in next thread, maybe after week or something. i migh return to this thread to ask and inform my mishaps in .sif file or slipstreaming. now i have to go to work.

[Space Between]

I believe i remember reading that you can change the security levels and what is runnig or what isnot....not sure but 90% positive i remember reading that in the 1000 page documentation.