[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i have been using nlite for years now -- with no problems. my recent project slipping sp3 seemed to go without a hitch. only problem now is that i am having to wait for the xp setup screen to load, choose the partition, leave file system intact ... etc. etc.

all of my other installations automatically install to the first available partion without a user prompt. (if one exists)

am i just missing a check box somewhere?

[h4343]

i think you're missing this section in ur Unattend.txt:

[Data]
AutoPartition = 1

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

how do i fix that?

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

also -- it is stopping the installation to ask me for the administrator password. i thought when i did this before -- it was just one check box, and the installation was completely automated. what am i missing here guys?

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i re-did the image, making sure fully-automated was checked. xp setup still is asking for partition information, even though the partition is already formatted NTFS. my other nlite xp builds, do not user prompt for that. as long as the disk is formatted it immediately begins the installation process.

please help -- only 1 reply so far?

[Ponch]

I don't know where you get that from but nLite has never had the option to pass the partitionning bit. That is unless you modify the winnt.sif manually, which you don't seem to be aware of. So maybe all those years you never used the "unattended" section ?
For the admin password, you have to tick the "blank password" box or fill the passwords.

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i looked at my working xp slip with sp2, and in the winnt.sif i have the following:
;SetupMgrTag
[Data]
AutoPartition=1
MsDosInitiated="0"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"

can i just copy this file into the i386 directory before running nlite -- and have it use those unattended settings?

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

nlite is overwriting the sif, and chaging the sif [Data]
AutoPartition = 0, how can i change this ?

[cluberti]

pcrx9000@yahoo.com, on May 14 2008, 03:48 PM, said:

nlite is overwriting the sif, and chaging the sif [Data]
AutoPartition = 0, how can i change this ?

When it's done, change it back

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i guess what i mean is how do i edit the sif using nlite? or how do i recreate a bootable image after copying the files to the harddrive and editing the sif?

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

here's what i just tried. did the nlite thing. mounted the image, copied the entire contents to the harddrive. then edited the sif. used ultraiso to rebuild and burn the image. did not work -- but i think i am really close!

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

here is my sif:
it boots, but takes me to the windows setup screen, on my other installation it skips this altogether and immediately begins copying the installation files.

; Generated by nLite 1.4.5

[Data]
Autopartition=1
MsDosInitiated=0
UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
UnattendSwitch="No"
OemPreinstall="Yes"
OemSkipEula="Yes"
FileSystem=*
WaitForReboot="No"
NoWaitAfterTextMode=1
NoWaitAfterGUIMode=1
DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
NonDriverSigningPolicy=Ignore

[SystemRestore]

[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*
TimeZone=035
OEMSkipRegional=1
OemSkipWelcome=1

[Components]

[UserData]
ProductKey="xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx"
ComputerName=*
FullName="Home User"
OrgName="Home"

[RegionalSettings]
Language= "0409"

[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents="Yes"

[Identification]
JoinWorkgroup="PCRX"

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i think i was missing this: TargetPath=\WINDOWS

[Ponch]

pcrx9000@yahoo.com, on May 14 2008, 11:20 PM, said:

here's what i just tried. did the nlite thing. mounted the image, copied the entire contents to the harddrive. then edited the sif. used ultraiso to rebuild and burn the image. did not work -- but i think i am really close!

Or you can just edit the .sif when nLite stops, before it makes the iso.

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

when you say "just edit the .sif when nLite stops", where are those files located prior to the iso burn?

[cluberti]

pcrx9000@yahoo.com, on May 14 2008, 05:23 PM, said:

when you say "just edit the .sif when nLite stops", where are those files located prior to the iso burn?

winnt.sif should be in the \i386 folder.

[PC_LOAD_LETTER]

pcrx9000@yahoo.com, on May 14 2008, 05:23 PM, said:

when you say "just edit the .sif when nLite stops", where are those files located prior to the iso burn?

as cluberti stated the .sif is in /I386

you can find a very detailed listing of variables you can use here:
http://unattended.ms...xp/view/web/19/

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i know where the sif is, i just mean -- where are the edited nlite files staged before the iso burn?

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

i see there are several files name: "Last Session (205405.14-16.40.03)_u.ini" etc. should i be editing one of those, or should i still just be concerned with the sif file?

[pcrx9000@yahoo.com]

ok -- i have everything working except: it is still prompting me to select the partition. here is my sif -- i compared / modified it to the one that is working without prompting to select partition, and i cannot see the difference. so i am thinking it might be somewhere else or something is missing:

here is my current sif:

; Generated by nLite 1.4.5

[Data]
Autopartition=1
MsDosInitiated="0"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
UnattendSwitch=Yes
OemPreinstall=no
TargetPath=\WINDOWS
OemSkipEula=Yes
FileSystem=*
WaitForReboot="No"
NoWaitAfterTextMode=1
NoWaitAfterGUIMode=1
DriverSigningPolicy=Ignore
NonDriverSigningPolicy=Ignore

[SystemRestore]

[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*
EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
TimeZone=035
OEMSkipRegional=1
OemSkipWelcome=1

[Components]

[UserData]
ProductKey=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
ComputerName=*
FullName="PC"
OrgName="home"

[TapiLocation]
CountryCode=1
Dialing=Tone
AreaCode=804

[RegionalSettings]
LanguageGroup=1
SystemLocale=00000409
UserLocale=00000409
InputLocale=0409:00000409

[Networking]
InstallDefaultComponents="Yes"

[Identification]
JoinWorkgroup="PCRX"

here is the one that installs without promting for partition info (if the partition exists and is formatted):
;SetupMgrTag
[Data]
AutoPartition=1
MsDosInitiated="0"
UnattendedInstall="Yes"

[Unattended]
UnattendMode=FullUnattended
OemSkipEula=Yes
OemPreinstall=No
TargetPath=\WINDOWS

[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*
EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
OEMSkipRegional=1
TimeZone=35
OemSkipWelcome=1

[UserData]
ProductKey=xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx
FullName="Home"
OrgName="User"
ComputerName=*

[TapiLocation]
CountryCode=1
Dialing=Tone
AreaCode=804

[RegionalSettings]
LanguageGroup=1
SystemLocale=00000409
UserLocale=00000409

can anyone see why this sif does not prompt for partition selection when the disk is paritioned and formatted?