Noob Question : Unattented Silent Installs

[Newbie Kayrl]

Hi everybody !

First of all this is my first post....After looking around many threads a question came to my mind.

I know there is 4 or 5 different types of installer for applications, each of them working with different switches.

I've read the Unattended guides a million times and apparently everybody seem to install their Apps in default folder (X:\program Files\...).

The fact is I don't like too much the big mess I got when doing this : some apps will install in their own folder i.e. C:\Program Files\Winamp while some others will install in a folder with the name of their editors i.e. C:\Program Files\ToniArts\EasyCleaner .

On my computer, I usually structure my folders like this :

i.e. C:\Tools\

C:\Tools\Video\

C:\Tools\Video\MediaPlayer\

C:\Tools\Video\Encoder\

C:\Tools\System\AntiVirus\...etc.

Voila, I would like to know if there is way to do Unattended silent installs, choosing the destination folder for my apps. Or maybe do I have to do scripts with AuoIt for each one of them ?

Because i'm bored with reinstalling XP and spending days to reinstall all and I decided to take the time to make my own unattended XP DVD.

As i'm a noob, most of the scripts i see is Chinese language for me but I want to hang on and go step by step until I get comfortable with all this.

And for me the first step is to know if what I ask for is possible, if not I will simply take the time to do a clean install of all and make a Ghost in case my PC crashes...but I'm indeed very instereted in doing all these tweaks and custom installs I see on this site.

So if someone could be kind enough to answer me, be sure I would really appreciate any help.

I hope I don't get too boring .... Thanks.

Newbie Kayrl.

[Mercury_22]

Yes

there is way to do Unattended silent installs, choosing the destination folder

but only if your prog has this option and it's specific to every prog (and/or installer) so.... you have to search how to do that for every prog.

But you can try to make an image of your disk after a fresh install using Image for Windows.

Edited August 27, 2007 by Mercury_22

[shadowblaster]

If the installers are made with inno setup there is a switch taht allows to set install directory:

/dir="path" ,where path is the path where u want to do the install.

to check if the setup has been created with inno do a right-click on the installer->properties->version and there should be somthing like "this setup has been created using innosetup" and their address.

also inno is very good to make your own installers (and easy to learn, just use the wizard)

I hope it helps

Edited September 18, 2007 by shadowblaster

[shadowblaster]

another useful command for inno installers is /group="start_menu_path", which allows u to select where in the start menu to put your application

for NSIS use /D=path (without quotes, even if the path contains spaces). It doesnt' have a command similar to /group from inno.

btw, if u discover something else useful, pls tell me