Automate win xp installation?

[afrodeziak]

is there a way to automate the windows xp installation process so you dont have to sit there waiting for the next input?

Like with windows 98 there was msbatch.inf method.
does xp have something like this?

 

[dave holbon]

Yes... but you will need the Corporate Edition and knowledge of Visual Basic to write the script. This is available from Microsoft along with a template for inputting the serial number ect!!!.

XP Home or Professional requires tools from Microsoft not available to single users.

If you are doing a single install (not cloning hard drives) then like the rest of us you will just have to wait, inputting as required.

 

[Static 99]

Maybe this will work?: http://www.uea.ac.uk/itcs/software/xp/xp-unattend-create.html

 

[a1ehouse]

Pop in your CD.
Press Alt+P when ur at the opening screen.
Press Alt+C to browse the CD.
Browse to the support>tools folder.
Double click Deploy.cab
Extract all files.
setupmgr.exe will create an unattended.txt and a bat file for the installation.

You should have a read through all the help files. It's quite complicated at first, but once done you can set up documents and settings on another drive/partition, and even place all your progam files on another partition right from the start. My Unattended Text File

More info available here, here, or here

 

[spikemic]

yes if you go to Microsoft web site you can get alot of info on unattended installs also any mcse book on xp will prob tell you about it. the help files in the tools will explain all.
you don't need to know visual basic.
the setup manager can create the answer files needed
the tools are on the disk, or if you have the xp opk (OEM preinstallation kit) you can set them up.
gee catch your such an expert on everything id figured you'd know about that too............