winnt32.exe /noreboot unable to use unattend

[JAsT]

1. Thank you all for this site. I've really learned a lot, and, while I'm a bit slow on all this, hope to learn much much more.

1a. I'll do my best to explain. Sorry if it's wordy, but I tend to get that way. Better too much info than not enough, I always say!

2. Issue is as stated while trying to utilize Gosh's downsize method, among other things, requiring I run the winnt32.exe with the /noreboot switch and the /unattend switch.

When I try this, I'm getting a message stating that the file is unvalid or inaccesable. I'll attach an image.

The exact syntax I'm using from the Run line (does the same thing whether WINXP or WIN98 running on VMWARE 4.0.1) is

winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:c:\winnt.sif

where c:\winnt.sif is my unattended setup file. I've tried it with many different setup files, text files, etc. and always see the same thing.

More background; Interestingly enough, the installer I'm using works peachy as a CD, slipstreaming, installing all hotfixes, etc. etc. But when I try to use it as described by Gosh for downsizing source (ie with the /noreboot switch) it only installs WinXP; no hotfixes nor $OEM$ folder copy. I believe the resolution to this is that I must force the lil' devil to follow my unattended setup directions.

If it matters, here's my winnt.sif file;

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

[Unattended]
    FileSystem=*
    UnattendMode=FullUnattended
    OemSkipEula=Yes
    OemPreinstall=Yes
    UnattendSwitch="yes"  
    TargetPath=\WINDOWS

[GuiUnattended]
    AdminPassword=
    EncryptedAdminPassword=NO
    AutoLogon=Yes
    AutoLogonCount=1
    OEMSkipRegional=1
    TimeZone=20
    OemSkipWelcome=1

[UserData]
    ProductID=*****-*****-*****-*****-*****
    FullName="***"
    OrgName="****"
    ComputerName=*

[Display]
    BitsPerPel=32
    Xresolution=800
    YResolution=600
    Vrefresh=75

[Identification]
    JoinWorkgroup=xxx.xxx

[Networking]
    InstallDefaultComponents=Yes

[Componants]
    msnexplr=off       

[GUIRunOnce]
     %systemdrive%\install\hotfixes\hotfixes.cmd

Any help you can offer is swell!

Thanks again, all!

[JAsT]

Anyone have any guesses?

Perhaps this has been covered elsewhere and I'm just missing the archive?

Thanks for any help/suggestions.

[gunsmokingman]

This is the one you want I think

winnt32.exe /noreboot /unattend:winnt.sif

This will start a install on E drive cnange the E to C or what ever

winnt32.exe /noreboot /tempdrive:E: /unattend:winnt.sif

hope this helps

[JAsT]

This is the one you want I think

winnt32.exe /noreboot /unattend:winnt.sif

This will start a install on E drive cnange the E to C or what ever

winnt32.exe /noreboot /tempdrive:E: /unattend:winnt.sif

hope this helps

Thank you for the assistance.

No change, though.

Specifying the /tempdrive:c: didn't appear to matter.

I still see the same error message.

It does change paths whenever I change the syntax on the /unattend switch, though.

e.g.

(running from CDROM, my D: drive)

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:\winnt.sif

gives me the error pictured in my 1st post but the path is changed to c:\windows\winnt32\winnt.sif

as does

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:/winnt.sif

or

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:.\winnt.sif

If I change to

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:d:\i386\winnt.sif

I get the same message with path changed to d:\i386\winnt.sif

Thanks for any further assitance!

[gunsmokingman]

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:d:\i386\winnt.sif

                                                                    NEEDS SPACE HERE

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:d:\i386\winnt.sif

you have to make sure there a space between each one of these

 

            SPACE        SPACE        SPACE

winnt32.exe /noreboot /tempdrive:E: /unattend:winnt.sif

also maybe see if this command works by it self

winnt32.exe /noreboot

If it works than add more switches

[JAsT]

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:d:\i386\winnt.sif

                                                                    NEEDS SPACE HERE

D:\i386\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:d:\i386\winnt.sif

you have to make sure there a space between each one of these

 

            SPACE        SPACE        SPACE

winnt32.exe /noreboot /tempdrive:E: /unattend:winnt.sif

also maybe see if this command works by it self

winnt32.exe /noreboot

If it works than add more switches

Thanks again.

Running winnt32.exe /noreboot DOES work, but doesn't copy over the stuff I need to have installed (ie the $OEM$ folder, etc.).

I presume the problem there is that its running a "default" mode and ignoring the winnt.sif file that it reads when I boot the CDROM and install, hence trying to find the right command to tell it to read my winnt.sif.

I believe I have what you are suggesting for the command:

I click start

I click run

I type into the box:

D:\I386\WINNT32.EXE{space}/dudisable{space}/noreboot{space}/unattend:D:\I386\WINNT.SIF

I think that IS what you're suggesting, right?

[RudeMood12]

i had the same problem as you. setup refused to run referencing the winnt32.exe file. try running the unattend.bat file that was created after running setup manager. if you are running in a DOS mode, make sure that you change it to winnt.exe instead of winnt32.exe. try it and see if that works.

for some reason the command line never worked, but the unattend.bat always did. go figure.

[JAsT]

i had the same problem as you.  setup refused to run referencing the winnt32.exe file.  try running the unattend.bat file that was created after running setup manager.  if you are running in a DOS mode, make sure that you change it to winnt.exe instead of winnt32.exe.  try it and see if that works.

for some reason the command line never worked, but the unattend.bat always did.  go figure.

huh!

never even thought of trying that.

I'll give it a shot, let ya know.

Thanks!

EDIT:

negative.

Still does the same thing.

hmm...

[JAsT]

eyep.

repeatedly does the same thing as typing the info in from the run line.

[gunsmokingman]

You have to put the OEM folder inside the I386 folder if you want it to copy

for the install. Using this command and trying to install from Windows

winnt32.exe /noreboot /tempdrive:E: /unattend:winnt.sif

If it on cd and you have the right structure than it wont copy.

Just copy the cd to a spot on your hd move the OEM folder to the I386 folder and run the command

[JAsT]

You have to put the OEM folder inside the I386 folder if you want it to copy

for the install. Using this command and trying to install from Windows

winnt32.exe /noreboot /tempdrive:E: /unattend:winnt.sif

If it on cd and you have the right structure than it wont copy.

Just copy the cd to a spot on your hd move the OEM folder to the I386 folder and run the command

Once again, it won't run if I try to specify an unattend file, and when I run it without, it refuses to: copy my $oem$ folder, utilize my cdkey as specified in the winnt.sif, along with anything else I specify in my winnt.sif.

I'm not quite sure if it installs the hotfixes as specified in my winnt.sif, so I'm checking on that, but otherwise, it ignores that completely, requiring instead that I step through the install GUI specifying all the settings my unattend file normally would.

If I'm misunderstanding something, please try again. However, when I just run the install from this CD, it works like a charm. When I try to run the noreboot, no worky with unattend. I understand that if I could get the noreboot to work, I would need to place $OEM$ folder to be in the i386 folder (as if installing from HDD), but I can't seem to figure out how the heck to get it to recognize my untattended desires.

Thanks again.

I'll letcha know what I find.

[jrzycrim]

I've never tried to do an unattended install this way but looking at your original post, the error you received was, "The specified setup script file (C:\winnt.txt) is inaccesible or invalid.

It seems it's looking for a .txt file. Try making a copy of your winnt.sif and renaming it to winnt.txt, keeping both winnt.sif and winnt.txt in your I386 directory.

Who knows, maybe that will work.

[JAsT]

I've never tried to do an unattended install this way but looking at your original post, the error you received was, "The specified setup script file (C:\winnt.txt) is inaccesible or invalid.

It seems it's looking for a .txt file. Try making a copy of your winnt.sif and renaming it to winnt.txt, keeping both winnt.sif and winnt.txt in your I386 directory.

Who knows, maybe that will work.

Thank you.

As near as I can decipher, as long as you tell it the file is intended for an "unattend", it doesn't matter if it's labeled as .sif or .txt, or anything else for that matter. The only issue is that it be a simple text file with the proper layout and that you label it with the "unattend" variable ( /unattend:yourfile.txt --or-- /unattend:yourfile.sif).

Anyway, thinking along the same lines, I tried it as winnt.txt, winnt.sif, unattend.txt, unattend.sif, and probably a couple others I can't think of right now...

Same results.

I can try it with a copy with each name (two files) and see...

Concerning the hotfixes.

It appears that it IS installing my hotfixes, as specified in my winnt.sif.

I'm confused about WHY, but it is.

So, I guess I'm now on to figuring out how to make the downsized install unattended, as well as copying over (and running) the $OEM$ folder. (current best guess is to copy the $oem$ into i386 as well as the winnt.sif, but I've got to re-read some stuff...)

Thanks again for all the help.

I'll post up again when I figure out something else.

I hope this helps other newbies, if nothing else.

[ME2U]

Try renaming your winnt.sif to something else like unattended.txt or unattended.sif and place it in a subdirectory not on your root drive. You can place your I386 and other folders in a folder such as c:\XPCD and also place your unattended answer file there. I strongly believe this will solve your problem rather than placing your answer file on your root directory. Also, you need to change the winnt32.exe switches to specify the new source directories and attended answer file location.

[JAsT]

Try renaming your winnt.sif to something else like unattended.txt or unattended.sif and place it in a subdirectory not on your root drive.  You can place your I386 and other folders in a folder such as c:\XPCD and also place your unattended answer file there.  I strongly believe this will solve your problem rather than placing your answer file on your root directory.  Also, you need to change the winnt32.exe switches to specify the new source directories and attended answer file location.

thank you.

I have tried renaming the file any number of things, including unattend.* unattended.*, etc. etc.

I have tried it in the root of the CD, the root of the HDD, under the CD's I386 folder, on the desktop, under a folder called "unattend" on the HDD, etc. etc.

I don't think it's a location issue, either.

I'm not sure what you mean by changing the switches on winnt32.exe, but I *THINK* you mean that if I store my unattended file at "c:\windows\desktop\user1\unattended.txt" that my command line to run winnt32.exe should look like

pathtowinnt32.exe\winnt32.exe /dudisable /noreboot /unattend:c:\windows\desktop\user1\unattended.txt

I've done that.

Still no go.