This lesson presents methods that will help you automate Windows XP Professional installations. When you must install Windows XP Professional on computers with varying configurations, scripting provides automation with increased flexibility. You will learn how the Windows Setup Manager makes it easy to create the UNATTEND.TXT files that are necessary for scripted installations.
The computers in most networks are not identical, but they still have many similarities. It is possible to use installation scripts to specify the variations in the hardware configurations of the computers that are to receive installations.
The Windows Setup Manager allows you to quickly create a script for a customized installation of Windows XP Professional without concern for cryptic text file syntax. The Windows Setup Manager enables you to create scripts to perform customized installations on workstations and servers that meet the specific hardware and network requirements of your organization
The Welcome To The Windows Setup Manager Wizard page
You can create or modify an answer file, typically named UNATTEND.TXT, by using the Windows Setup Manager. You can also create UNATTEND.TXT files with a simple text editor, such as Notepad, but using the Windows Setup Manager reduces errors in syntax. The Windows Setup Manager is copied to your hard drive by extracting the files in DEPLOY.CAB located on your Windows XP Professional CD-ROM in the \Support\Tools folder. To extract the files, double-click the .cab file to display the files, select the files you want to extract, right-click the files, and then select Extract on the menu that appears.
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For detailed steps on how to install the Windows Setup Manager, see the next practice, "Installing the Windows XP Deployment Tools," in this chapter.
Windows Setup Manager does the following:
Provides a wizard with an easy-to-use graphical interface with which you can create and modify answer files (UNATTEND.TXT).
Makes it easy to create Uniqueness Database Files (UNATTEND.UDB).
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A Uniqueness Database File (UDB) provides the ability to specify per-computer parameters. The UDB modifies an answer file by overriding values in the answer file. When you run Setup with WINNT32.EXE you use the /udf:id[,UDB_file] switch. The UDB overrides values in the answer file, and the identifier (id) determines which values in the .udb file are used.
Makes it easy to specify computer-specific or user-specific information.
Simplifies the inclusion of application setup scripts in the answer file.
Creates the distribution folder that you use for the installation files.
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If you are upgrading systems to Windows XP Professional, you can add any application upgrades or update packs to the distribution folder and enter the appropriate commands in the Additional Commands page of the Windows Setup Manager Wizard so that these upgrades or update packs are applied to the application as part of the upgrade.
When you start the Windows Setup Manager, it displays the Welcome To The Windows Setup Manager Wizard page. When you click Next, you are presented with two options:
Create A New Answer File
Modify An Existing Answer File
If you select Create A New Answer File, you then need to choose the type of answer file you want to create. Windows Setup Manager can create the following types of answer files:
Windows Unattended Installation
Sysprep Install
Remote Installation Services (RIS)
NOTE
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RIS is discussed later in this chapter in Lesson 3, "Performing Remote Installations."
The remainder of the Windows Setup Manager Wizard allows you to specify the level of user interaction with the Setup program and to enter all the information required to complete the setup.
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The SYSDIFF.EXE program is often used in conjunction with Windows Setup Manager to install Windows using difference files.
Practice: Installing the Windows XP Professional Deployment Tools
In this practice, you extract the Windows XP Professional Deployment Tools from the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM you used for program installation, and then you use the Windows System Manager to create an unattended setup script.
Exercise 1: Extracting the Windows XP Deployment Tools
In this exercise, you extract the Windows Deployment Tools from the CD-ROM you used to install Windows XP Professional and copy them to your hard drive.
To install the System Preparation Tools
Log on as Administrator and insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive.
Click Exit to close the Welcome To Microsoft Windows XP screen that was launched by inserting the CD-ROM.
Start Explorer and create the folder C:\Deploy.
The C:\Deploy folder is used to contain the files extracted from DEPLOY.CAB on the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM.
Double-click D:\Support\Tools\Deploy.
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If D is not the correct drive letter for your CD-ROM drive, replace the D with the letter representing your CD-ROM drive.
Windows XP Professional displays the contents of DEPLOY.CAB.
Select all of the files listed in DEPLOY.CAB.
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To select all the files in DEPLOY.CAB, hold down the Ctrl key, and then click each of the files listed.
Hold down the Ctrl key and right-click any of the files listed in DEPLOY.CAB.
Click Extract on the shortcut menu.
Windows XP Professional displays the Select A Destination dialog box.
Click My Computer, click Local Disk (C:), click Deploy, and then click Extract.
Click C:\Deploy to view its contents.
The files in C:\Deploy include the following:
Deploy. Compiled Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) help file
Readme. Text document
Ref. Compiled HTML help file
Setupmgr. Compiled HTML help file
Setupmgr. Microsoft Setup Manager Wizard
Sysprep. Sysprep tool
Double-click Readme.
Take a moment to view the topics covered in the README.TXT file and then close Notepad.
Exercise 2: Creating an Unattended Setup Script Using Windows Setup Manager
In this exercise, you use the Windows Setup Manager to create an unattended setup script. At the same time, the Windows Setup Manager Wizard creates a distribution folder and a .udb file.
To create an unattended setup script using Setup Manager Wizard
Double-click C:\Deploy\Setupmgr
IMPORTANT
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By default, Windows XP Professional does not show common file extensions, so there are two Setupmgr files in the Deploy folder. You need to double-click the Microsoft Setup Manager Wizard.
Windows XP Professional starts the Windows Setup Manager Wizard.
Click Next.
The New Or Existing Answer File page appears.
Ensure that Create A New Answer File is selected, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Product To Install page, which provides the following three options:
Windows Unattended Installation
Sysprep Install
Remote Installation Services
Ensure that Windows Unattended Installation is selected, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Platform page.
Ensure that Windows XP Professional is selected, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the User Interaction Level page, which has the following five options:
Provide Defaults. The answers you provide in the answer file are the default answers that the user sees. The user can accept the default answers or change any of the answers supplied by the script.
Fully Automated. The installation is fully automated. The user does not have the chance to review or change the answers supplied by the script.
Hide Pages. The answers provided by the script are supplied during the installation. Any page for which the script supplies all answers is hidden from the user, so the user cannot review or change the answers supplied by the script.
Read Only. The script provides the answers, and the user can view the answers on any page that is not hidden, but the user cannot change the answers.
GUI Attended. The text-mode portion of the installation is automated, but the user must supply the answers for the GUI-mode portion of the installation.
Select Fully Automated, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Distribution Folder page. The Setup Manager Wizard can create a distribution folder on your computer or network containing the required source files. You can add files to this distribution folder to further customize your installation.
Select No, This Answer File Will Be Used To Install From A CD, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the License Agreement page.
Click I Accept The Terms Of The License Agreement, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Customize The Software page.
Enter your name in the Name text box and your organization in the Organization text box, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Display Settings page.
Leave the default settings on the Display Settings page, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager displays the Time Zone page.
Select the appropriate time zone and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Providing The Product Key page.
Type in the appropriate product key.
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The product key identifies your copy of Windows XP Professional, so you need a separate license for each copy that you install.
Click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Computer Names page. Notice that you have three choices:
Enter a series of names to be used during the various iterations of the script.
Click Input and provide the name of a text file that has one computer name per line listed. Setup imports and uses these names as the computer names in the various iterations of the script.
Select Automatically Generate Computer Names Based On Organization Name to allow the system to automatically generate the computer names to be used.
In the Computer Name text box, type PRO2, and then click Add. Repeat this step to add PRO3 and PRO4 to the list of names.
Notice that the names PRO2, PRO3, and PRO4 appear in the Computers To Be Installed text box.
Click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Administrator Password page, which appears with the following two options:
Prompt The User For An Administrative Password
Use The Following Administrative Password (127 Characters Maximum)
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You selected the User Interaction level of Fully Automated, so the Prompt The User For An Administrative Password option is unavailable.
Notice that you have the option to encrypt the Administrator's password in the answer file. You also have the option to have the Administrator log on automatically and you can set the number of times you want the Administrator to log on automatically when the computer is restarted.
Ensure that Use The Following Administrative Password (127 Characters Maximum) is selected, and then type password in the Password text box and the Confirm Password text box.
Select Encrypt Administrator Password In Answer File and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Networking Components page with the following two options:
Typical Settings. Installs Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), enables Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), installs the Client for Microsoft Networks protocol, and installs File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks for each destination computer.
Custom Settings. Allows you to select and configure the networking components to be installed.
Ensure Typical Settings is selected, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Workgroup Or Domain page.
Click Next to accept the default of the computers joining a workgroup named WORKGROUP.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Telephony page.
Select the appropriate setting for What Country/Region Are You In.
Select the appropriate setting for What Area (Or City) Code Are You In.
Select the appropriate setting for If You Dial A Number To Access An Outside Line, What Is It.
Select the appropriate setting for The Phone System At This Location Uses, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Regional Settings page. The default selection is Use The Default Regional Settings For The Windows Version You Are Installing.
Click Next to accept the default.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Languages page, which allows you to add support for additional languages.
Click Next to accept the default.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Browser And Shell Settings page with the following three options:
Use Default Internet Explorer Settings
Use An Autoconfiguration Script Created By The Internet Explorer Administration Kit To Configure Your Browser
Individually Specify Proxy And Default Home Page Settings
Click Next to accept the default of Use Default Internet Explorer Settings.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Installation Folder page with the following three options:
A Folder Named Windows. This is the default selection.
A Uniquely Named Folder Generated By Setup. Setup generates a unique folder name so that the installation folder will be less obvious. This folder name is recorded in the registry, so programs and program installations can easily access the Windows XP Professional system files and folders.
This Folder. If you select this option you must specify a path and folder name.
Select This Folder. In the This Folder text box, type WINXPPro, and then click Next.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Install Printers page, which allows you to specify a network printer to be installed the first time a user logs on after Setup.
Click Next to continue without having the script install any network printers.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Run Once page. This page allows you to configure Windows to run one or more commands the first time a user logs on.
Click Next to continue without having the script run any additional commands.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Additional Commands page. This page allows you to specify additional commands to be run at the end of the unattended setup.
Click Finish to complete the script without having the script run any additional commands.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays a dialog box indicating that the Windows Setup Manager has successfully created an answer file. It also prompts you for a location and a name for the script. The default is C:\Deploy\UNATTEND.TXT
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If multiple computer names were specified, the wizard also creates a UDB file.
Click OK to accept the default filename and location.
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard displays the Setup Manager Complete page, indicating that three new files were created in C:\Deploy: UNATTEND.TXT, UNATTEND.UDB, and UNATTEND.BAT.
On the File menu, click Exit.
Lesson Review
The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."
What is the purpose of the Windows Setup Manager?
How could you apply an application update pack as part of the Windows XP Professional installation?
What type of answer files does the Windows Setup Manager allow you to create?
Why would you use a UDB?
Lesson Summary
The Windows Setup Manager Wizard makes it easy to create the UNATTEND.TXT files that are necessary for scripted installations.
The Windows Setup Manager provides a wizard with an easy-to-use graphical interface with which you can create and modify answer files and UDBs.
To use the Windows Setup Manager, you must extract the files located in the \Support\Tools\DEPLOY.CAB file on the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM.
The Windows Setup Manager makes it easy to specify computer-specific or user-specific information and to include application setup scripts in the answer file.
The Windows Setup Manager can also create the distribution folder and copy the installation files to it.
Useful links
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