[bellsprout]

is there a guide on how to determine the switches to any install program, ie an install program with the usual license agreement, then name, cd key, etc etc?

i know there are switches for a lot of programs in the stickies but i really wanna do my own, eg office 2003, etc.

[oioldman]

If i understand you, you wish to use switches to silently install applications, but not the switches everybody elses uses but different ones.

Sorry, but you can't. The swicthes we all use and as noted in the sticky area are those defined by the Application Installer program, be it NSIS, MSI, Inno etc.

If you wishing to learn what switches can be applied, then sometimes the Application Installer program, website will help or using the /? command when you run the app.

If i'm completely off track, apologies.

[bellsprout]

yeah there are a list of switches for programs in the sticky yeah? but there are some other programs that i want to install silently which aren't in the stickies, eg office 2003, and other commercial apps with cd keys.

how can i turn the installation programs for those apps into silent install ones? there has to be a rule or code or protocol or w/e as to what each switch does, and if there is i'd like to learn so i can make my own silent install apps

edit: you can't? i heard there is a program called autoit - what does that do?

This post has been edited by bellsprout: 19 January 2006 - 01:40 AM

[Shasta_man]

AutoIt is a scripting tool to control an application

[muiz]

you might SEARCH again

[RogueSpear]

You mention Office 2003 as an example. Well Office 2003, like many other applications, install using the Windows Installer. As such it conforms to a set of command line switches. If you take a look at the MSFN Guide to Unattended Installations, there is an entire section dedicated to the various installer technologies commonly in use today. So if you can determine what installer an application uses, and the guide will show how to make this determination, then you can apply the standard switches.

That sticky in this forum for switches is good, but it's also not the only resource out there on the topic. As muiz stated in the previous post, try a little searching.

[bellsprout]

I can use AutoIt to script the installation of an app, then place the scripted exe in runoncexec.cmd and that'll install the program silently after it finishes with windows right?

[MHz]

bellsprout, on Jan 22 2006, 04:24 PM, said:

I can use AutoIt to script the installation of an app, then place the scripted exe in runoncexec.cmd and that'll install the program silently after it finishes with windows right?

You basically understand the procedure. Some installers can be done silently, some can be silent with some automation assistance and some down right need to be fully automated. If automation is needed, then options are available to hide (i.e. move window off screen) the windows if needed, but can be dependant on the installer.

AutoIt is a high level basic language so it can cater for almost any event. Automation is just one of it's strengths.

AutoIt can be downloaded here.
Scite4AutoIt3 can be downloaded here (if you have no good editor already with tools onboard preset for AutoIt3)

[bellsprout]

so how do you find out what switches are built into an install program? I tried running them with /? switch but that didn't work.

what's with this business:

Quote

start /wait %systemdrive%

and

Quote

@echo off
title UnAttended XP Install v1.1

What language is it? Is there a guide on this?

[RogueSpear]

RogueSpear, on Jan 19 2006, 07:53 PM, said:

If you take a look at the MSFN Guide to Unattended Installations, there is an entire section dedicated to the various installer technologies commonly in use today. So if you can determine what installer an application uses, and the guide will show how to make this determination, then you can apply the standard switches.

That sticky in this forum for switches is good, but it's also not the only resource out there on the topic. As muiz stated in the previous post, try a little searching.

[tjhart85]

GUIDE

start /wait
tells the command line to wait until the application it is calling is finished


%systemdrive%
refers to your systemdrive, normally C:\

@echo off
tells the computer to lose the:
C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME

title
tells the computer to title the window, instead of seeing C:\WINDOWS\cmd.exe you'll see UnAttended XP Install v1.1


now that you've got the link to the guide, hopefully you'll read up on it.

This post has been edited by tjhart85: 28 January 2006 - 05:43 PM