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All generic lines that need your input to enter actual information between the quote marks are in CAPITAL letters.
You MUST replace all "X" symbols on the "ProductKey" line with the Product ID number (25 digits in groups of 5 separated by dashes) found on your WinXP CD sleeve.
All characters in both UNATTEND.TXT and XPSETUP.BAT are case insensitive, except user names, passwords and URLs.
IMPORTANT: If ANY of these lines are not valid, or do NOT match your system specific configuration, Setup will display error messages and ABORT!
Example: I couldn't force my copy of WinXP Pro OEM Setup CD to upgrade over my previous WinME installation, so I had to change the Win9xUpgrade="yes" line to read Win9xUpgrade="no" under the [Unattended] section.
Note that if you are setting up XP (any release) on a computer running Win95/98/ME, and select to install XP in a different directory, XP Setup will detect your existing OS, and will allow you to dual-boot between them after installation, from the WinXP boot menu.
OPTIONAL: You can also force the default "C:\Documents and Settings" system folder to install on any other of your (local) hard drives/partitions (provided you have enough free space), and eventually change its folder name by typing the destination of your choice on the ProfilesDir="" line (between the quote marks), under the UNATTEND.TXT [GuiUnattended] section.
Copy & paste the file contents into Notepad.
Of course you'll need to add/modify/delete some of/all these lines to adapt them to YOUR OWN hardware, software, user and/or network settings, otherwise you may experience errors/lockups!
Save it as UNATTEND.TXT or give it any other name you want. The .TXT extension is NOT mandatory, it can be anything you want (.INF or .INI are both supported). Keep in mind though, the file MUST have an extension, it will NOT work if you name it only UNATTEND (or whatever) WITHOUT extension, because XP Setup will "see" it as a folder name.
Use Notepad to create a DOS style batch file with the .BAT extension [I called XPSETUP.BAT] to contain these lines [ONLY AFTER learning how to use WINNT32.EXE and WINNT.EXE by reading the CHM files enumerated above!]:
-----Begin cut & paste here-----
@ECHO OFF
D:
CD\WINXP\I386
REM Use ONLY 1 of these WINNT(32) lines!
REM * Windows GUI mode Setup:
D:\WINXP\I386\WINNT32.EXE /UNATTEND3:C:\UNATTEND.TXT /DEBUG4:C:\XPDEBUG.LOG /DUDISABLE /S:\WINXP\I386 /TEMPDRIVE:C
REM * Native MS-DOS mode Setup:
D:\WINXP\I386\WINNT.EXE /S:\WINXP\I386 /U:C:\UNATTEND.TXT /T:C
------End cut & paste here------
More WINNT32 info @ Microsoft.
Modify XPSETUP.BAT in Notepad IF:
your CD/DVD drive letter is different (D in this case): the "D:" instances on lines 2, 6 and 8.
the path where UNATTEND.TXT resides (C:\ root in this case) is different, and/or you named UNATTEND.TXT to something else: the /UNATTEND3:C:\UNATTEND.TXT switch.
you prefer to have XP Setup create XPDEBUG.LOG (which BTW, can have any name and/or file extension) somewhere else (C:\ root in this case): the /DEBUG4:C:\XPDEBUG.LOG switch. After successful [or unsuccessful ;(] installation completion, you can open XPDEBUG.LOG with Notepad to see if anything went wrong, and eventually what/why.
you would like XP Setup to copy the temporary installation files on another drive (C in this case): the /TEMPDRIVE:C switch.
BEWARE: The target drive letter and folder name where XP will be installed on your computer are dictated by:
The /TEMPDRIVE:C parameter (drive C in this case) on the WINNT(32).EXE line of your XPSETUP.BAT file. If this parameter is not mentioned the default is C:\$WIN_NT$.~LS.
The TargetPath="DIRECTORY" line under the [Unattended] section of your UNATTEND.TXT file. If this parameter is not mentioned the default is WINDOWS.
Place XPSETUP.BAT + UNATTEND.TXT anywhere you desire. You can even create a new (temporary) local/remote folder for this purpose, just make sure to add the UNATTEND.TXT path to the WINNT(32).EXE /UNATTEND: switch.
Copy the entire \WINXP folder contents by using the Windows Explorer right-click Copy function to highlight and drag it from your WinXP Setup CD to the root directory of your hard disk, to accelerate significantly the installation process, and to avoid having to (re)boot from your MS OS emergency bootup floppy.
If you are installing XP from native/real MS-DOS mode, which would slow setup down to a crawl, you will also need to have the necessary MS-DOS mode CD-ROM drivers loaded in your computer's memory beforehand, to be able to access and boot from (if your mobo BIOS supports it) the Setup CD.
Therefore I STRONGLY RECOMMEND to avoid this alternative altogether if possible, and start WinXP Setup from within Windows GUI, which is way faster!
(Double)-click on XPSETUP.BAT and wait.
The time necessary for Setup to complete depends mainly on your CPU, motherboard chipset, RAM and hard disk subsystem capabilites.
Final step [optional]: get a cup of coffee, or whatever refreshment or (soft) drink floats your boat, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
Of course, if you care or need to customize an automated XP Setup even further, eventually for installing WinXP on more than one computer, you could use these handy programs, also included in DEPLOY.CAB, and explained in detail in both CHM help files listed above: OFORMAT.COM, CVTAREA.EXE, FACTORY.EXE, SETUPCL.EXE + SYSPREP.EXE.
All generic lines that need your input to enter actual information between the quote marks are in CAPITAL letters.
You MUST replace all "X" symbols on the "ProductKey" line with the Product ID number (25 digits in groups of 5 separated by dashes) found on your WinXP CD sleeve.
All characters in both UNATTEND.TXT and XPSETUP.BAT are case insensitive, except user names, passwords and URLs.
IMPORTANT: If ANY of these lines are not valid, or do NOT match your system specific configuration, Setup will display error messages and ABORT!
Example: I couldn't force my copy of WinXP Pro OEM Setup CD to upgrade over my previous WinME installation, so I had to change the Win9xUpgrade="yes" line to read Win9xUpgrade="no" under the [Unattended] section.
Note that if you are setting up XP (any release) on a computer running Win95/98/ME, and select to install XP in a different directory, XP Setup will detect your existing OS, and will allow you to dual-boot between them after installation, from the WinXP boot menu.
OPTIONAL: You can also force the default "C:\Documents and Settings" system folder to install on any other of your (local) hard drives/partitions (provided you have enough free space), and eventually change its folder name by typing the destination of your choice on the ProfilesDir="" line (between the quote marks), under the UNATTEND.TXT [GuiUnattended] section.
Copy & paste the file contents into Notepad.
Of course you'll need to add/modify/delete some of/all these lines to adapt them to YOUR OWN hardware, software, user and/or network settings, otherwise you may experience errors/lockups!
Save it as UNATTEND.TXT or give it any other name you want. The .TXT extension is NOT mandatory, it can be anything you want (.INF or .INI are both supported). Keep in mind though, the file MUST have an extension, it will NOT work if you name it only UNATTEND (or whatever) WITHOUT extension, because XP Setup will "see" it as a folder name.
Use Notepad to create a DOS style batch file with the .BAT extension [I called XPSETUP.BAT] to contain these lines [ONLY AFTER learning how to use WINNT32.EXE and WINNT.EXE by reading the CHM files enumerated above!]:
-----Begin cut & paste here-----
@ECHO OFF
D:
CD\WINXP\I386
REM Use ONLY 1 of these WINNT(32) lines!
REM * Windows GUI mode Setup:
D:\WINXP\I386\WINNT32.EXE /UNATTEND3:C:\UNATTEND.TXT /DEBUG4:C:\XPDEBUG.LOG /DUDISABLE /S
:\WINXP\I386 /TEMPDRIVE:CREM * Native MS-DOS mode Setup:
D:\WINXP\I386\WINNT.EXE /S
:\WINXP\I386 /U:C:\UNATTEND.TXT /T:C------End cut & paste here------
More WINNT32 info @ Microsoft.
Modify XPSETUP.BAT in Notepad IF:
your CD/DVD drive letter is different (D in this case): the "D:" instances on lines 2, 6 and 8.
the path where UNATTEND.TXT resides (C:\ root in this case) is different, and/or you named UNATTEND.TXT to something else: the /UNATTEND3:C:\UNATTEND.TXT switch.
you prefer to have XP Setup create XPDEBUG.LOG (which BTW, can have any name and/or file extension) somewhere else (C:\ root in this case): the /DEBUG4:C:\XPDEBUG.LOG switch. After successful [or unsuccessful ;(] installation completion, you can open XPDEBUG.LOG with Notepad to see if anything went wrong, and eventually what/why.
you would like XP Setup to copy the temporary installation files on another drive (C in this case): the /TEMPDRIVE:C switch.
BEWARE: The target drive letter and folder name where XP will be installed on your computer are dictated by:
The /TEMPDRIVE:C parameter (drive C in this case) on the WINNT(32).EXE line of your XPSETUP.BAT file. If this parameter is not mentioned the default is C:\$WIN_NT$.~LS.
The TargetPath="DIRECTORY" line under the [Unattended] section of your UNATTEND.TXT file. If this parameter is not mentioned the default is WINDOWS.
Place XPSETUP.BAT + UNATTEND.TXT anywhere you desire. You can even create a new (temporary) local/remote folder for this purpose, just make sure to add the UNATTEND.TXT path to the WINNT(32).EXE /UNATTEND: switch.
Copy the entire \WINXP folder contents by using the Windows Explorer right-click Copy function to highlight and drag it from your WinXP Setup CD to the root directory of your hard disk, to accelerate significantly the installation process, and to avoid having to (re)boot from your MS OS emergency bootup floppy.
If you are installing XP from native/real MS-DOS mode, which would slow setup down to a crawl, you will also need to have the necessary MS-DOS mode CD-ROM drivers loaded in your computer's memory beforehand, to be able to access and boot from (if your mobo BIOS supports it) the Setup CD.
Therefore I STRONGLY RECOMMEND to avoid this alternative altogether if possible, and start WinXP Setup from within Windows GUI, which is way faster!
(Double)-click on XPSETUP.BAT and wait.
The time necessary for Setup to complete depends mainly on your CPU, motherboard chipset, RAM and hard disk subsystem capabilites.
Final step [optional
]: get a cup of coffee, or whatever refreshment or (soft) drink floats your boat, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Of course, if you care or need to customize an automated XP Setup even further, eventually for installing WinXP on more than one computer, you could use these handy programs, also included in DEPLOY.CAB, and explained in detail in both CHM help files listed above: OFORMAT.COM, CVTAREA.EXE, FACTORY.EXE, SETUPCL.EXE + SYSPREP.EXE.
