Unattended Installation Tools and Settings
Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2
In this section
Unattended Installation Tools
Unattended Installation Answer File Settings
The following tools and answer file settings are associated with unattended installations. You use the tools and answer file settings to perform unattended installations.
Unattended Installation Tools
The following tools are associated with unattended installations.
Winnt.exe: Windows Setup program for 16-bit operating systems
Category
Windows setup and installation tool available on every Windows Server 2003 product CD.
Version compatibility
Runs on MS-DOS and Windows for Workgroups.
You can use this tool to perform an unattended installation from the 16-bit MS-DOS and Windows for Workgroups operating systems. Typically, you use Winnt.exe to perform an unattended installation on a computer that does not have an operating system and you start the computer with an MS-DOS startup floppy disk. You cannot perform an upgrade with Winnt.exe; you can only perform clean installations with Winnt.exe.
For more information about Winnt.exe, see “Command Line References” in the Tools and Settings Collection.
Winnt32exe: Windows Setup program for 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems
Category
Windows setup and installation tool available on every Windows Server 2003 product CD.
Version compatibility
Runs on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Windows 98, and Windows 95.
You can use this tool to perform an unattended installation or upgrade from a Windows 32-bit operating system by using the 32-bit version of Winnt32.exe and from 64-bit operating systems by using the 64-bit version of Winnt32.exe. Typically, you use Winnt32.exe to perform an unattended installation or upgrade on a computer that has an operating system; you start the computer from the existing operating system and then run Winnt32.exe from the command line.
For more information about Winnt32.exe, see “Command Line References” in the Tools and Settings Collection.
Setupmgr.exe: Setup Manager
Category
Windows deployment tool available on the Windows Server 2003 product CD.
Version compatibility
Runs on the 32-bit versions of Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.
Setup Manager is a wizard-like program that helps you configure distribution shares and answer files that can be used to perform automated installations, including unattended installation, image-based installation with Sysprep, and Remote Installation Services (RIS) installations. Setup Manager prompts you for information in a series of dialog boxes. Setup Manager configures answer file settings and distribution shares based on the information you provide in these dialog boxes.
Usually, you run Setup Manager on the administrator or technician computer. Setup Manager does not affect the system files of the technician computer on which the tool runs and does not actually run Setup. Also, you do not need to specify all of your customizations with Setup Manager. Instead, you can create an answer file in Setup Manager and then manually edit the file with Notepad. If you later open the answer file in Setup Manager, the tool displays your changed settings.
Setup Manager is not installed when you install Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. You must manually install Setup Manager on the administrator or technician computer.
To install Setup Manager
Insert a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 product CD into your CD drive and open the \Support\Tools folder.
Double-click Deploy.cab.
Right-click the file named Setupmgr.exe and click Extract.
In the Select a Destination dialog box, select a location on your hard drive where you want to save Setup Manager, and then click Extract.
You can run Setup Manager from the graphical user interface by double-clicking the Setupmgr.exe file that you saved to your hard disk, or from the command line by typing setupmgr.
Note
- If you use Setup Manager to create or modify a distribution share that is not on the local computer, be sure you run Setup Manager under a user account that has the minimum user rights to connect to the remote computer. This is because Setup Manager sends the user name and the password across the network in plaintext when it connects to a remote distribution share.
The following sections provide information about each Setup Manager dialog box. The section names correspond to the dialog box name that you see in Setup Manager.
New or Existing Answer File
Enables you to create a new answer file or edit an existing one.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- None
Type of Setup
Provides three Setup options: Unattended, Sysprep, or Remote Installation Services (RIS).
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- None
Product
Prompts you to select the Windows product that you want to install.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- None
User Interaction
Prompts you to select the level of user interaction you want. This dialog box is not used if you are configuring a Sysprep or RIS installation.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[Unattended]
UnattendMode
Distribution Share
Enables you to create a new distribution share, modify an existing one, or set up Windows from a product CD.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- None
Location of Setup Files
Prompts you for the location of the Setup files you want to copy.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- None
Distribution Share
Prompts you for the location of the distribution share you want to create or modify. This section is used only by Setup Manager when an existing distribution share is edited. It is not used by Setup during an unattended installation.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[SetupMgr]
DistFolder
DistShare
Name and Organization
Enables you to provide a default user name and organization name.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[UserData]
FullName
OrgName
Display Settings
Enables you to change the change settings for colors, screen area, and refresh frequency.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[Display]
BitsPerPel
XResolution
YResolution
VRefresh
Time Zone
Prompts you to select a default time zone.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[GuiUnattended]
TimeZone
Product Key
Prompts you to provide a Product Key to identify your copy of Windows.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[UserData]
ProductKey
Computer Names
Prompts you to provide names for the destination computers.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[UserData]
ComputerName
Administrator Password
Enables you to specify a password for the Administrator account on all destination computers.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword
EncryptedAdminPassword
Networking Computers
Enables you to choose typical or custom network settings.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[Networking]
[NetAdapters] (if custom settings are configured)
[NetClients] (if custom settings are configured)
[NetProtocols] (if custom settings are configured)
Workgroup or Domain
Prompts you to specify how the destination computers will participate in a network.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [Identification]
Windows Components
Enables you to install commonly used Windows components.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [Components]
Telephony
Enables you to provide telephony information for the user.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [TapiLocation]
Regional Settings
Enables you to customize Windows for different regions and languages.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [RegionalSettings]
Languages
Prompts you to select the language groups you want to use.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[RegionalSettings]
Language
Browser and Shell Settings
Enables you to customize the browser and shell settings for Windows.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [FavoritesEx]
Installation Folder
Enables you to specify the name of the Windows folder.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
[Unattended]
TargetPath
Install Printers
Enables you to install network printers on the destination computers.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [GuiRunOnce]
Run Once
Enables you to automatically run a command the first time the user logs on.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [GuiRunOnce]
Additional Commands
Enables you to add commands to run at the end of unattended installation. Settings from this page are saved only if you choose to create a new distribution share or modify an existing one. If you choose to set up from a product CD, anything entered on this page is ignored.
Answer file sections and entries configured:
- [Commands] (in the Cmdlines.txt file)
Unattended Installation Answer File Settings
This section describes the settings that you can configure in an unattended installation answer file. For more information about how to structure an answer file, see “Unattended Installation Physical Structures” in How Unattended Installation Works.
The following table lists all of the valid sections that can appear in an answer file for an unattended installation.
Answer File Sections for Unattended Installation
| Section | Description |
|---|---|
Contains an entry for specifying a network component. Must be used in conjunction with the [Networking] section. |
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Contains entries for branding Microsoft Internet Explorer during an unattended installation. If you do not specify this section, Setup uses the default for Windows Server 2003. |
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Contains entries for the Web client component of Certificate Services. You do not need to include this section in the answer file to install the Web client component of Certificate Services on the computer. Enabling Certificate Services in the [Components] section of the answer file installs the necessary files. |
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Contains entries for specifying the server components of Certificate Services. The entries in this section are supported only for the Windows Server 2003. |
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Contains entries for installing the optional components of Windows XP Professional and Windows Server 2003. |
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Contains entries for starting directly from the Windows Server 2003 product CD when performing an unattended installation. |
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Contains entries for installing a domain controller after the initial setup of the operating system finishes. |
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Contains entries for specifying display settings for graphics devices. |
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Contains the default Favorites settings for the Windows browser. If not present, Setup uses the default Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. |
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Contains entries for specifying custom installation information for the Fax service. |
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Contains commands that run the first time a user logs on to the computer after final (GUI-mode) stage of Setup completes. |
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Contains entries for preparing the graphical user interface (GUI) for unattended installation. |
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Contains entries for installing Home Networking settings for network adapters, Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), and Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). |
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Contains entries for specifying the network identification of a computer. If these entries are not present, Setup adds the computer to the default workgroup. If there is not enough information for this entry, Setup prompts the user to provide this information. |
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Contains entries for configuring Web content zones. |
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Contains entries for configuring the installation folder for Internet Information Services (IIS) components. |
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Contains entries for installing licensing information for Windows Server 2003. |
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Contains an entry for loading retail or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) small computer system interface (SCSI) drivers in the Setup Loader during the intermediate (text-mode) stage of Setup |
|
Contains entries for configuring AppleTalk. |
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Contains no entries. |
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Contains no entries. |
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Contains no entries. |
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Contains entries for the Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP). |
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Contains entries for Client for Microsoft Networks. |
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Contains no entries. |
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Contains entries for Client Service for NetWare. |
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Contains entries for the Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) protocol. Its parameters are network adapter–independent. |
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Contains no entries. |
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Contains entries for the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP). |
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Contains no entries. |
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Contains entries for the Routing and Remote Access service. |
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Contains entries for the Routing and Remote Access service for remote access servers. |
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Contains entries for the File and Print Service. |
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Contains entries for configuring the TCP/IP protocol. |
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Contains entries for configuring Network Load Balancing (formerly, Windows Load Balancing Service, or WLBS) and binding Network Load Balancing to multiple network adapters. |
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Contains entries for network adapters that you want to install. |
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Contains entries for disabling, enabling, and demoting binding rules for network components such as services, protocols, and adapters. |
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Contains an entry for specifying the network clients to install. |
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Contains entries for installing optional network components. |
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Contains an entry for installing the network protocols. |
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Contains entries for installing network services. |
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Contains no entries. However, to configure network protocols in unattended installation, you must include the [Networking] section name in your answer file. |
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Contains entries for specifying OEM-supplied boot files. |
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Contains entries for specifying an adapter’s instance on a computer by using either PCI location information or a Plug and Play device ID. |
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Contains entries for configuring error reporting, Remote Assistance, and Help and Support Center. |
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Contains an entry for specifying network protocol parameters that are also specified in the [NetProtocols] section. |
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Contains entries for specifying proxy server settings for the Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 browser. |
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Contains entries for installing regional options during the setup process. |
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Contains the OSLoadOptionsVar entry, which is used to modify the /NoExecute option in Boot.ini used by Data Execution Prevention (DEP). |
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Contains entries for specifying the server and folder in which the distribution share resides and the name of the distribution share. This section is used only by Setup Manager when an existing distribution share is edited. It is not used by Setup during an unattended installation. |
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Contains an entry for running an additional post-Setup command. |
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Contains entries for specifying the visual style of the user interface. |
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Contains entries for specifying the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) service. |
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Contains entries for specifying Windows File Protection (WFP) settings. |
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Contains entries for specifying the System Restore feature. |
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Contains entries for specifying the telephony API (TAPI). It is valid only if a modem is present on the computer. |
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Contains entries for configuring Terminal Services features (Terminal Server and Remote Desktop). |
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Contains entries for configuring the optional Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) Database feature. |
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Contains entries for configuring the optional Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) Web services feature. |
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Contains entries for running Setup. |
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Contains entries for allowing users who upgrade to Microsoft Windows XP to remove the operating system if they encounter problems. |
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Contains entries for specifying default Uniform Resource Locator (URL) settings for the browser available in Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. |
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Contains entries for specifying user settings during the setup process. |
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This section must be included in your answer file to configure firewall sections and entries in unattended installations. To configure Windows Firewall settings, you must include the [WindowsFirewall] section along with one or more of the other Windows Firewall settings sections. |
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Contains entries for specifying a domain type of profile, a standard type, or a profile that applies to both domain and standard. |
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Contains entries for adding programs to the Windows Firewall Exceptions list. |
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Contains entries for adding services to the Windows Firewall Exceptions list. |
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Contains entries for adding static ports to the Windows Firewall Exceptions list. |
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The default configuration for Windows Firewall blocks all Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) message types, the entries in this section allows you to modify this behavior. |
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Contains entries for specifying an unattended upgrade from Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, or Windows Millennium Edition to either Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional. |