Windows XP automated setup..?

[wolfien]

Hi!
Im quite used with installing windows xp and all the other version.. and actually I work at a computer store where I've to do it like 10 times a day or more...

I've already seen somewhere that you can automate all the setup ( IE. keyboard layout.. timezone.. cd key.. etc etc ). So the only thing you do is you boot the cd.. and the 30 mins later you come back and windows is install and running.. so my question,.. i've absolutly no clues how to do that.. I guess its about creating a .inf and wrinting it on the cd.. but how...?

Anyone could direct me to a FAQ or a site where I could obtain theses informations? Or better.. a link with a program that could do that? ;)

thx.

wolfien-

[wolfien]

oky while waiting for a reply i push my search a little further.. i found some tools provided by microsoft to do that and also winnt.sif creator.. wich helped me a lot.. now only one issue still to resolve..

is there any ways to automaticly install program while doing the windows setup?

Like i ALWAYS install my alcohol 120%.. nero.. google toolbar etc etc?

thx.

wolfien-

[bentkey]

I think that would depend on whether or not THOSE applications had automated installation facility. Most applications have things that require user interaction during setup, acknowleding a license agreement comes to mind. You could write a batch file that would launch the setups. I do something a little different. I have one customer that I have to do this from time to time, they have a lot of difficult to setup business applications with windows2000 but the machines are all a little different. I clone the drive with the apps loaded, when one needs to be rebuilt I clone the drive back from my clone disk and then of course it's broken because the hardware is different, so I do a repair install and everything is then good. Saves me a lot of time still. Need windows2000 or above to do this though.

[caperjack]

The cloning will work ,but you would need to clone each of the 10 or so computers that you do in a day ,unless they all have the same motherboards and modems and stuff ..
And it would be of no valu untill the customer brought the computer for service .,
and you mention having it automaticly put in the windows key,All the computers would have different Keys !? Right .
What you need is a robot!to do you work for you maybe .:)HeHe

[wolfien]

well I install all the computer with the same key ( as my automated windows installation is working now ) but when Im in windows I just change it... Save me a LOTSSSSSSSSSS of time ;)

I tought about using Sysprep to do a clean clone (without the hardware config) but then again.. its would be easier to upgrade the version of the program im "auto installing" if I would have it on a cd... with sysprep I would have to redo a clean install with all the new softare and THEN write that...

anyways I've some times during the next day to figure it out.. ;)

If I comes up with an answer Im gonna post an how to... ;)

wolfien-