Explore Windows 2000 Unattended Installation

All friends who have installed Windows 2000 know that installing this guy is a very time consuming job! A friend asked me if I could install Windows 2000 as an unattended installation like Windows 98. The answer is yes! Let us now explore the unattended installation of Windows 2000!

We can perform a new installation in unattended installation mode by using an Answer file. In unattended installation mode, the installation does not require user intervention because the answer file contains all the information needed for the installation (accepting license agreements, computer names, network adapters, etc.) and the answer file can help you on multiple computers Quickly install Windows 2000. An example of an answer file (Unattend.txt) is included in the I386 folder under the Windows 2000 Professional CD. Using this file as a template, you can create your own answer file to customize the installation of Windows 2000.

Now let's introduce some of the parameters and switch options for custom installers under Windows 2000.

Winnt32.exe

Running Winnt32.exe You can install or upgrade Windows 2000 by running the Winnt32 command at a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT command prompt.

The syntax of the Winnt32 command is as follows:

Winnt32 [/s:sourcepath] [/tempdrive:drive_letter] [[/unattend[num]:[answer_file]] [/copydir:folder_name] [ ,null,null,3],/copysource:folder_name] [/cmd:command_line] [[/debug[level]:[filename]] [[/udf:id[,UDF_file]] [/syspart:drive_letter][/checkupgradeonly] [/cmdcons] [/m:folder_name] [makelocalsource] [/noreboot]

Where:

/s:sourcepath - Specifies the location of the Windows 2000 source files. To copy files from multiple servers at the same time, you should specify multiple /s sources. If multiple /s switch options are used, the first server specified must be available or the installation will fail.

/tempdrive:drive_letter - Instructs the installer to specify the specified drive to store temporary files and install Windows 2000 on that drive.

/unattend -Upgrades previous versions of Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, Windows NT 3.51, Windows 95, or WIndows 98 in unattended installation mode. Because all user settings are available from the previous installation, no user intervention is required during the installation process. When installing automatically with the /unattend switch option, you are sure that you have read and accepted the Microsoft License Agreement for Windows 2000. When installing Windows 2000 on behalf of an organization other than your personal use of this switch option, you must verify that the end user (whether an individual or a group) has received, read, and accepted the terms of the Windows 2000 Microsoft License Agreement. OEMs may not specify this value on machines that are sold to end users.

/unattend[num]:[answer_file] - Perform a clean installation in unattended installation mode. The answer file provides the installer with some specifications that you customize. Num is the number of seconds between the time the installer finishes copying these files and restarting the computer. You can use the num parameter on any computer running Windows NT or Windows 2000. Answer_file is the file name of the answer file.

/copydir:folder_name -Create an additional folder within the folder where Windows 2000 files are installed. For example, if the source folder contains a folder called Private_drivers that contains information about only the changes you made, type /copydir:Private_drivers to have the installer copy the folder to a file that has Windows 2000 installed. In the folder. The location of the new folder will now be C:WinntPrivate_drivers. You can also create as many other folders as you want with the /copydir command.

/copysource:folder_name -Create a temporary attached folder in the folder where Windows 2000 files are installed. For example, the source folder contains a folder called Private_drivers that contains information about only the changes you made. Type /copysource:Private_drivers to have the installer copy the folder to a file that has Windows 2000 installed. Folder to use the files in the installation process. The location of the temporary folder will now be C:WinntPrivate_drivers. Unlike the folder created by /copydir, the folder created by /copysource is deleted after the installation is complete.

/cmd:command_line - Instructs the installer to run a special command before performing the final stage of installation. This command will appear when the computer has been restarted twice and the installer has collected the necessary configuration information, but the installation has not yet completed.

/debug[level]:[filename] - Create a debug log at the specified level, for example /debug4:C:Win2000.log. The default log file is C:%windir%Winnt32.log with a debug level of 2. The log levels are as follows: 0 -- critical error, 1 -- error, 2 -- warning, 3 -- notification, 4 -- details for debugging. Each level includes some sub-levels below it.

/udf:id[,UDF_file] - Indicates an identifier (id) that the installer uses to specify how the unique database file (UDF) modifies the answer file (see the /unattend entry). The UDF overwrites some of the values ​​in the answer file, and the identifier determines which values ​​in the UDF are used. For example, /udf:RAS_user, Our_company.udb overrides some of the settings specified in the Our_company.udb file for the RAS_user identifier. If UDF_file is not specified, the installer prompts the user to insert a disk containing the $Unique$.udb file.

/syspart:drive_letter - Indicates that the installation boot file can be copied to a hard disk, the hard disk is marked as active, and then the disk is mounted to another computer. When you start your computer, the hard drive automatically starts the next phase of installation. However, you must always use both the /tempdrive parameter and the /syspart parameter.

/checkupgradeonly - Check if the upgraded computer is compatible with Windows 2000. For upgrades from Windows 95 or Windows 98, the installer creates a report called Upgrade.txt in the Windows installation folder. For upgrades from Windows NT 3.51 or 4.0, the installer will save the report to the Winnt32.log file in the installation folder.

/cmdcons -Add a  Recovery Console" option to the operating system selection screen to fix a failed installation. This command only applies to the post installation.

/m:folder_name - Specifies that the installer can copy replacement files from candidate locations and instructs the installer to first look in candidate locations, and if these files exist, replace the files from the default location with those files.

/makelocalsource - Instructs the installer to copy all installation source files to the local hard drive. When installing from a CD, use /makelocalsource to provide an installation file for your computer without a CD in the future.

/noreboot -Instructs the installer not to restart the computer after completing the file copy phase of Winnt32 so that other commands can be executed.