unnatended 2k/xp install

[sciros999]

I\'d like profiles on d:profiles
Used gdisk to create 2 partitions
I made a winnt.sif (detail removed for clarity)
added
[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
FileSystem=ConvertNTFS

[GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword = \"password\"
    OemSkipWelcome = 1
    TimeZone = 85
    Profilesdir=d:profiles

At the gui stage it complains can\'t write to profiles. it has only converted c to ntfs, D is still unformatted.

Do I have to format D initially as FAT, then convert to NTFS and set security etc ?

regards

Paul

[Space Between]

how would you expect to write files to a unformatted disc???

so i guess you could write in your winnt.sif file to runonce something like this..with the correct setup

FORMAT D: /FS:NTFS /V:VLABEL /X /Y
XCOPY /E /H /i C:PROFILES D:PROFILES
DEL /Q C:PROFILES

id just throw that in a batch file named profiles.bat or something...have it run that after the first boot.  that would do it i imagine.

note that is what i would do...like the /X in the format syntax is to dismount the drive first...using that switch makes it always work...other times i have tried it just to be lazy and not type it did not work...but when i just added /X it worked.

also since im cmd illierate and cant spell...using xcopy you would have to (as far as i can get it to work right atleast)...you have to place a folder named profiles in a folder and it will copy that...for example..and you might be able to due this another and im a idiot but i know this works

let\'s say you have this

c:profiles1profiles2(and whatever folders and files you have here or in subdir\'s

now if you due the xcopy command above of in a .bat file or cmd prompt this is what happens...lets say you type this now at c: or have it in a batch file

XCOPY /E /H /i C:PROFILES D:PROFILES1

ok now it will copy but only copy this
d:profiles2(and whatever folders and files...etc..

it wont copy the source directory..only the contents of it...so you have to have directories..to sum up..if you RunOnce the batch file profiles.bat with the below in it...it should work

FORMAT D: /FS:NTFS /V:VLABEL /X /Y
XCOPY /E /H /i C:PROFILESPROFILES D:PROFILES
DEL /Q C:PROFILES

notice the extra profiles dir...that will work i know for a 100% fact...it might be doable another way but that is what i due...you will however have to have c:profilesprofiles on the c: obviously and on the cd the same way.

aslo im not sure what driver your d: will actually be...a cdrom might actually be d:...or if you installing this hdd in a system with other hdd\'s that one already is occuping that would be good...it would then format that and you dont want that...aslong as you know what drive letters are NOT occupied by hdd\'s then you could actually just put in a bunch of FORMAT\'s with different driver letters...this is dangerous too...ive actually done that and lost a entire hdd/partition with information....im stupidy like i said. You could however exclude the /Y switch at the end of the FORMAT command to have a user prompt to proceed.

hope this helps some what...it is a better work around than formatting to fat first

[Space Between]

forgot...another option to coping over the profiles dir from the cd would to be compress it in a .rar, .zip, .tar or whatever and decompressing it to d:..this would of course require using a extraction tool and if you use the one from MS on the xp cd i dont know if it would decompress your .cab file or whatever you got on it....this is what i due btw...you can make the $...$ folder and however due it...but i like compression anyhow so i just put one .rar on the cd...run the decompression in the first line of a batch file and carry on from ther.