Question : Windows Preinstallation Kit

I thought That I could use the windows XP OEM preinstallation Kit to install windows XP, install all the necessary drivers and then save the image to do future installs,  but after playing with it, I do not think this is the case.

All I seen that it would do is install a base install with the options to install other drivers perhaps?  


Can anybody comment on this and let me know if it is possible to do what I need to do?

I want to be able to do an XP install and install all the specialty drivers  ie VGA,USB2,etc... automated on the install.


Thanks

Randy

Answer : Windows Preinstallation Kit

Put it this way:

You set up the machine as you want, the way you want it - THEN you use SYSPREP, or the OPK.

For example, at work here I rolled out a lab of 20 identical Dell machines with Windows 2000 Server.

Step 1:

I took one machine to use as the base build (PC was pre-loaded with XP Professional), and a Windows 2000 server disk.


Step 2:

I copied the entire Windows 2000 Server CDROM's I386 directory into C:\I386, and created a folder inside I386 called $OEM$. Inside that folder, I created another folder called TEXTMODE.

Step 3:

I then downloaded and slipstreamed the Windows 2000 service packs, so that no installation made from that I386 directory can be downgraded below SP4.

Step 4:

I downloaded all the latest Windows 2000 drivers for that model of Dell, and also put them in C:\I386\$OEM$\TextMode.

Step 5:

I downloaded the latest DirectX, Windows Media Player 9, Outlook Express Update and Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, plus a couple of Security Updates, and used the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) to create a single "flat" install folder for IE6 (called C:\I386\$1\Pakcages\IE6SP1) which included these packages as optional components.
 
I set up the Corporate Install options of the IEAK to automatically install ALL IE components, including these extras. So, running IE6SETUP.EXE from this directory would automatically install an entire IE6SP1 with security updates, OE updates, DX9, WMP9 and so on.

Step 5:

I then created an Unattended Install file (unattend.txt) with Setup Manager, and tweaked it to copy the entire I386 folder to hard disk and run setup from there.

It was set to look in the TEXTONLY folder for drivers, and to run IE6SETUP.EXE from %SystemDrive%\Packages\IE6SP1 directory after installation.

I won't go into a huge amount of detail as to edit this information since it is very well documented in the word document file incuded in Deploy.Cab on your system, and it's comprehensively covered in other documentation.

But a very helpful site is http://www.msfn.org/unattended/xp/

The same site also gives a good description of what the $OEM$ folder is used for (http://www.msfn.org/unattended/xp/oemfolders.htm) as well as many examples of how to add other applications to the Packages folder (eg http://www.msfn.org/unattended/xp/applications/moviemaker2.htm)

Step 6: Finally, I whacked the entire I386 directory and all its contents (including Drivers, IE6SP1 etc), onto a CD, along with some of the other folders normally found on the Windows 2000 CDROM. The unattend file I copied to a floopy disk and renamed to WINNT.SIF.

The CD itself was bootable, and as per a normal Windows 2000 disk, it scans the floppy drive for WINNT.SIF and uses that file for all setup options.

Then, when used the CD on any other machine to install Windows 2000 Server, by default EVERY required file and application was bunged onto the hard drive, exactly where I wanted it.