How to use the Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 Installation Wizard to generate a Setup.ini file for an unattended installation

This article describes how to use the Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Installation Wizard to generate a Setup.ini file for an unattended installation of Exchange 2000 Server and of Exchange Server 2003.

Requirements

• To produce an unattend file for an unattended installation, you must have sufficient permissions in Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, in Microsoft Windows Server 2003, in Exchange 2000 Server and in Exchange Server 2003. Additionally, you must have sufficient permissions in these programs to use an unattend file for an unattended installation. No permissions are embedded or stored in the unattend file.
• To produce an unattend file for an unattended installation, you must have the Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 installation CD.

Circumstances in which you cannot use unattended mode

Exchange Server 2003

We do not support an unattended installation of Exchange 2003 in the following circumstances:

• You install Exchange 2003 in ForestPrep mode.
• You remove Exchange 2003.
• You install Exchange 2003 on a cluster node.
• You install Exchange 2003 in Maintenance mode.
  
  Note Maintenance mode includes the addition of or the removal of individual Exchange 2003 components.
• You install the first computer that is running Exchange 2003 in the organization.
• You install Exchange 2003 in a non-native, mixed mode environment.

Exchange 2000 Server

We do not support an unattended installation of Exchange 2000 in the following circumstances:

• You install Exchange 2000 in ForestPrep mode.
• You upgrade Exchange Server 5.5 computers.
• You remove Exchange 2000.
• You install Exchange 2000 in Disaster recovery mode (also known as "forklift").
• You are installing cluster nodes.
• You install Exchange 2003 in Maintenance mode.
  
  Note Maintenance mode includes the addition of or the removal of individual Exchange 2003 components.
• You install the first Exchange 2000 server into an Exchange 2000 organization.
• You install the Exchange 2000 Chat component.
• You install the Exchange 2000 Instant Messaging component.
• You installing an Exchange 2000 server in a non-native Exchange 2000 environment.

Note By default, Exchange 2000 Server and Exchange Server 2003 installs in mixed mode. You must switch to native mode before you can perform an unattended installation. For more information about mixed-mode and native-mode Exchange environments, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Circumstances in which you can use unattended mode

Exchange Server 2003

We support an unattended installation of Exchange 2003 in the following circumstances:

• You install Exchange 2003 in an organization that already has an Exchange 2003 server.
• You upgrade from Exchange 2000 to Exchange 2003 in an organization that already has an Exchange 2003 server.
• You install Exchange 2003 in Reinstall mode.
• You install Exchange 2003 in Disaster recovery mode.
• You install Exchange 2003 in DomainPrep mode.

Exchange 2000 Server

We support an unattended installation of Exchange 2000 in the following circumstances:

• You install Exchange 2000 in an organization that already has an Exchange 2000 server.
• You install only Exchange 2000 System Management tools.
• You install a stand-alone Exchange 2000 server in DomainPrep mode.
• You install an Exchange 2000 Server service pack.

How to perform an unattended installation of Exchange 2000 Server and of Exchange Server 2003

1. Click Start, click Run, type E:\Setup\i386\SETUP.EXE / ?.
   
   Note In this command, " E" stands for the CD or DVD drive.
2. Click OK.
   
   The Microsoft Exchange - Usage dialog box is displayed. This dialog box displays the available Setup options. Examine the /CreateUnattend command-line option and the /UnattendFile command-line options.
3. Click OK.
4. Click Start again, click Run, type E:\Setup\i386\SETUP.EXE /CreateUnattend c:\SETUP.INI, and then click OK.
5. In the Welcome screen that appears, click Next.
6. In the End-User License Agreement screen, click I Agree to accept the licensing agreement, and then click Next.
7. In the Product Identification screen, enter the product key of the Exchange 2000 Server or Exchange Server 2003 installation CD, and then click Next.
8. In the Component Selection screen, under Action for Microsoft Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003, make sure that Typical is selected, and then click Next.
9. In the Licensing Agreement screen, click I Agree to accept the licensing agreement, and then click Next.
10. In the Component Summary screen, review your selections, and then click Next.
    
    This procedure creates an initialization file named Setup.ini in the root directory of drive C.
11. Click Finish.
12. Click Start again, click Run, type E:\Setup\i386\SETUP.EXE /UnattendFile c:\SETUP.INI, and then click OK.
    
    A Component Progress screen immediately starts to show you the progress while Exchange 2000 or Exchange 2003 is installed according to your predefined settings in the Setup.ini file.

Exchange 2000 and Exchange 2003 unattend mode is not always supported. In some cases, the instructions listed in this Microsoft Knowledge Base article may not result in a successful installation. For complete instructions as well as usage guidelines, please see the white paper at the following Microsoft Web sites: For additional information, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: