[Teh_Tech]

Hi there!
I'm a newbie topost here, but after using this website for the last 6 months or so, and tonight I have spent the last 3 hrs searching, I thought I would register to be part of these forums!

The situation is: I have newly completed a fully licenced to myself Windows XP PRO Retail cd, complete with SP2 and all the latest updates (upto 3 days ago) and all get installed without a problem, even IE7 & WMP11 (Thanks guys for all the info & progs, you truely do make this so much fun!!)

Now I have RyanVM's dotnetaio that I just need to run & install to test the CD to the next stage.
Now bearing in mind that its actually taken me 6 months to finally get my head around all this new stuff(to me anyway), I cannot figure out an easy way to install progs AFTER the windows setup has been completed, now Im not the most clever of chaps, but would really appreciate an EASY & quick way to initially get RyanVM's Dotnetaio installed first, then if I can get the hang of that, more applications installed as I learn more!


Thanks for listening to this, and I hope I can get pointed in the right direction to getting this project nearly finished!

[Martin H]

Welcome to the forum, mate

Please read the MSFN unattended guide and then come back here if you wan't clarification on something.

http://unattended.msfn.org/

(Hint : The easiest route is to add your apps to e.g. '\$OEM$\$1\install\' and then call a batchfile from the 'GuiRunOnce' section of 'WINNT.SIF'.)

[Yzöwl]

I don't want to sound rude, but is there a particular reason why you think that the first port of call for questions regarding RyanVM's products would be here as opposed to his own forums?

As for 'more applications' please try to learn to post topics on them in this Application Installs Forum!

[Teh_Tech]

Yzöwl, on Apr 1 2008, 04:27 AM, said:

I don't want to sound rude, but is there a particular reason why you think that the first port of call for questions regarding RyanVM's products would be here as opposed to his own forums?

As for 'more applications' please try to learn to post topics on them in this Application Installs Forum!

Hi! No offence but all I need to know is how to integrate programs into my installation, the only reason I mentioned RyanVM's is as that is the AIO package I have for Microsoft .net stuff, if Id found another package that installes all of it I would've used that, so I guess its a "first seen useful program that I chose to use"

But thanks for your comments though, I am hard to offend most times, and after all at the end of the day, new users have to start somewhere!


Martin H: Thanks for your post too, I shall read this over & over again, and if there is anything I cant get, I shall pop back!


EDIT: Right, I am getting conflicting info here & I am not sure what to do for the easiest!

I have downloaded RunOnceEx.cmd Creator, but the problem I have here is I dont at the moment know the full path, do I use the CD path and how do I set it up right?

Other way I could do it is as what was suggested to me, "add your apps to e.g. '\$OEM$\$1\install\' and then call a batchfile from the 'GuiRunOnce' section of 'WINNT.SIF"

Now Here is a copy & paste of my Winnt.sif file:

 
[Data]
    AutoPartition=0
    MsDosInitiated="0"
    UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[Unattended]
    UnattendMode=ProvideDefault
    OemPreinstall=No
    TargetPath=\WINDOWS

[GuiUnattended]
    EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
    OEMSkipRegional=1
    TimeZone=85

[UserData]
    ProductKey= *removed*
    FullName=*removed*
    OrgName="*removed*
    ComputerName=*removed*

[Display]
    BitsPerPel=32
    Xresolution=800
    YResolution=600
    Vrefresh=60

[TapiLocation]
    CountryCode=44
    Dialing=Tone

[RegionalSettings]
    LanguageGroup=1
    Language=00000809

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup=WORKGROUP

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

 

SO, am I right in thinking I can just add a new header at the bottom, with the following:

 
[GuiRunOnce]
"%systemdrive%\install\Installs.cmd"
 

Then in the Installs.cmd file the paths to the stuff to install?
I am planning on having the apps on the CD, so what would be the correct "internal" usage, as I am assuming that %systemdrive% is the boot hard drive, not the CD/DVD, am I correct here?

Sorry for all the hastle, I did say I was new lol!

This post has been edited by Teh_Tech: 01 April 2008 - 01:31 AM

[Teh_Tech]

Nobody going to help me?

I only need help with this part, I'm not asking somone to do it all for me, I just need CLEAR instructions as I am not that technical minded, just really need to get this project completed!

Erm, it was unbelievably easy actually!

What I did was start by installing a clean XP Pro & SP2 in MS Virtual PC, then windows updates as normal, in the progress box, waited until the first 'batch' was done, then copied the text, pasted it into a text document, then on with the next batch etc, until all updates were installed, then copied this text document to my normal hard drive, and this next bit took the most time; downloading the updates!

I used the Microsoft Update Catalogue to download each update at a time, then when downloaded, put the updates in a folder, named 001, 002, 003 etc, all the way upto over 100!
Then I integrated them into my XP setup using nLite, but in the EXACT same order as they originally downloaded in Windows Update!

So I now have a bootable MS ISO that will install XP and ALL updates(upto this week), but as yet the only things that dont integrate is the MSDotNet stuff, but I will sort this out next!

If you have any probs or need a hand, let me know!

This post has been edited by Teh_Tech: 02 April 2008 - 05:00 AM

[Enzo]

Yes, You are right to think that. That's all you do, is add that Section somewhere in your winnt file. I just started looking into these things. And am going to start making my own UACD. Maybe you can then help me? =P Like how you got WMP11 and IE7 Integrated.

[Teh_Tech]

Enzo, on Apr 2 2008, 11:22 AM, said:

Yes, You are right to think that. That's all you do, is add that Section somewhere in your winnt file. I just started looking into these things. And am going to start making my own UACD. Maybe you can then help me? =P Like how you got WMP11 and IE7 Integrated.

Erm, it was unbelievably easy actually!

What I did was start by installing a clean XP Pro(with sp2 integrated) in MS Virtual PC, then windows updates as normal, in the progress box, waited until the first 'batch' was done, then copied the text, pasted it into a text document, then on with the next batch etc, until all updates were installed, then copied this text document to my normal hard drive, and this next bit took the most time; downloading the updates!

I used the Microsoft Update Catalogue to download each update at a time, then when downloaded, put the updates in a folder, named 001, 002, 003 etc, all the way upto over 100!
Then I integrated them into my XP setup using nLite, but in the EXACT same order as they originally downloaded in Windows Update!

So I now have a bootable MS ISO that will install XP and ALL updates(upto this week), but as yet the only things that dont integrate is the MSDotNet stuff, but I will sort this out next!

If you have any probs or need a hand, let me know!

[Martin H]

Hi Teh_Tech

I recommended you the "$OEM$ folders + batchfile" method, since it's the easiest for beginners, but of course you can use whatever method you preffer(i personally use "RunOnceEx from CD").

Anyway, if you're going to use the "$OEM$ folders + batchfile" method, then you're right in that you just need to add that extra 'GuiRunOnce' section to 'WINNT.SIF'.

As the guide also mentions, then the folder(s) in '$OEM$\$1\' will be copied over to the systemdrive during the installation of Windows, so e.g. 'XPCD\$OEM$\$1\install\', will be copied over to e.g. 'C:\install\'.

Then you just add everything you wan't installed + a batchfile into e.g. 'XPCD\$OEM$\$1\install\', and in the batchfile you just add lines like e.g. :

start /wait %systemdrive%\install\SomeApp.exe /S

Also, it's important to note, that whenever you're using the '$OEM$\$1\somefolder\' method, then you need to set 'OemPreInstall' to 'Yes' in WINNT.SIF, as else the folder(s) will not be copied over during the installation of Windows.

This post has been edited by Martin H: 03 April 2008 - 08:53 PM

[ajua]

for XP RunOnceEx from CD/DVD is the way i choose to install programs. It works great and has flexibility to expand it if you need to run more apps.

Good luck!

[Teh_Tech]

Thanks for all your replies, was beginging to pull my hair out, but I have finally found a way that works for what I want, this is using WPI, as I found this was the only way I would'nt get errors, like folders & files not found.

The 1 question I wanna know is, can WPI be called BEFORE the end user logs on?

This would really help during my setup!

As I have a LOT of stuff installed on my boot partition, I will be using InstallRite, but with using this in the past, I find it quite tiresome going through all the rubbish it collects after installing, say that I have to reboot as it is part of the installation (such as Norton & other products) is there any quick & easy way of adding folders & files in the ignore part as it would take me all day to go through and manually and add files & folders to the ignore list.

Thanks again, but at least I am moving forwards!

[ajua]

you will encounter some porgrams, such as antivirus or other like them that will make it difficult to install silently because of all the registry, folders and files they create.

But for almost everything you can install them using silent switches and registry files to import their settings...hope this helps.