ok i have read and re-read the unattended website,understand how to make my XP to boot with applications ..but the one thing i cannot seem to find is exactly what switch does what so I can try with various programs what I may need to add..wot i mean is wot does /s mean? wot is the switch cmd for say "next" on a pogram?..I am not sure if any of this makes sense but I have seen some examples and know that a few of these programs need u when u install to click next to advance on,but I am finding that if i use similar switches i run into a few problems..so exactly what are all the switch cmds that are used or where can i find them..like i say real n00b here but feel i have moderate skills but for teh life of me i cannot find the complete list..oh and the way i want the set up to run is via the bat file..any help to releive my stress greatly appreciated..thxs

The switches exist to tell a program to run a certain way when they're called. What switches to use and what the switches do varies on a program by program basis. In the example you gave, /s almost certainly tells that program to run silently, meaning it runs with no user interaction at all. Switches don't work by automating keystrokes (hitting the next button), but by telling the program not to ask in the first place!

The MSFN unattended site has a list of many commonly-installed programs and the switches required to make them run silently. If a program you want to install isn't there, search this forum to see if someone else has posted it or figured it out already.

If you've passed the stage of making XP unattended, then you've done the most critical part.

Applications are added to your CD as you decide. I mean, decide about your apps first, then look for their switches.

Oh man you scream out 'noob'