Windows XP - Networked Unattended Install

[ViperZ2000 0]

I've successfully setup and configured a Windows 2000 Pro SP4 distribution share that is fully unattended and working fine.

 

I've created the same thing for XP SP1. I've made the distribution share (SERVER1\winxppro$) and assigned FULL ADMINISTRATIVE permissions to the share (for diag purposes only).

 

I made the Unattend.txt file using the XP SetupMGR file also.

 

I've copied the contents of my XPSP1 I386 dir to this share.

 

I then bootup with the same IP boot disk, connect to this share and then launch the unattended.bat (renamed unatt-xp.bat) file. The XP setup starts but then gives the message similar to "setup cannot copy disk1 to the hard drive". If I skip this file and go to the next one, it does the same, all of the way thru the boot files.

 

So, I look on my newly partitioned C: drive (3GB Fat32) and it shows a few new directories that were created by the XP setup program.

 

I've even just browsed to \\server1\winxppro$\winnt and then manually typed the path to the setup files, it starts but then stops again at the same point.

 

I've setup an XP distribution share before appx 6 months ago and have never had any problems. I've tried this at home from my own server and again on one of our file servers.

 

Note: I've tried multiple PCs and all of the Win2000 unattended installs work fine on all...just the XP portion will not work.

 

Any ideas??

 

:x

[sapiens74 0]

Have you tried it without the integrated SP1?

[ViperZ2000 0]

I've been using the slipstreamed CD since about 1 week after SP1 came out with no problems. However, that's a good point and something else for me to try.

 

I just pulled out the original XP Pro disc, deleted the contents of the dist share, and then copied the contents of the original disc's \I386 dir to the xp dist share. Same thing..."cannot copy" message after about 5 seconds. It actually tries to start which is the weird thing.

 

 

*****************************

UNATT-XP.BAT File:

 

@rem SetupMgrTag

@echo off

 

rem

rem This is a SAMPLE batch script generated by the Setup Manager Wizard.

rem If this script is moved from the location where it was generated, it may have to be modified.

rem

 

set AnswerFile=i:\unatt-xp.txt

set SetupFiles=x:\

 

x:\winnt /s:%SetupFiles% /u:%AnswerFile%

 

*************************************

 

I already map the I: drive, which has my batch and unattended files in it (along with my ghost images).

 

1.) Once I'm at the (I:\) drive, I usually use a gdisk batch file (g-del.bat) to delete all partitions on the HD

 

2.) I then use g-cre XXXX where"xxxx" is the size of the new primary partition. It creates it, marks it active, and then quick formats it using FAT32.

 

3.) I reboot.

 

4.) So once I get back to the (I:\) dirve, I simply type "X" and it maps the (X:\) drive to my server\winxppro$ dist share.

 

5.) Once the drive is mapped, I type in "UNATT-XP" which launches my unattended XP batch file and uses the UNATT-XP.TXT answer file.

 

I do this the same way as I do the Win2K SP4 network unattended installs.

 

Any other suggestions???

[sapiens74 0]

I have used the Slipstreamed cd, and I use RIS for my installs and have no problem.

 

 

Have you tried different workstations?

 

 

Or sharing it on a different system?

 

 

Even try a different share. I assume the shared folder is NTFS, and maybe permissions could be set wrong.

[ViperZ2000 0]

Yeah, I've tried 3 different workstations and also sharing it from another Win2K Server.

 

The same machines that fail with the XP install work just fine when I run the Win2K pro installs.

[sapiens74 0]

Try setting up a RIS server if you can

 

 

Try installing it that way.

 

see if you get the same error.

[ViperZ2000 0]

Well, I deleted everything for a 3rd time and set it up again. It appears that XP unattended installs require a fat16 partition before it will actually work??? This is right?

 

Once I formatted the partition using fat16 it worked. This was the case with all 3 machines (an IBM laptop, Compaq D51S desktop, and a Dell GX110).

[sapiens74 0]

That isn't right

 

I have done a few network installs and it formats a fresh disk in NTFS.

 

NOt sure what's causing this

 

 

I am using Server 2003 though, been a while since I uses W2k