Administrator Password Set Incorrectly After Unattended Installation

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This article was previously published under Q257442

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SYMPTOMS

When you install Windows 2000 with an unattended Setup script and you specify a default administrator password by using the AdminPassword key in the [GuiUnattended] section of the answer file, the password may not be set as you typed it.

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CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the password you typed starts with or contains an asterisk (*). The asterisk is typically used to specify a blank password in a Windows 2000 unattended installation (if you intend to create a blank password, follow the AdminPassword key with an asterisk).

When Setup parses the asterisk on this line, it ignores any characters after the asterisk. For example, the following two entries have the same effect:

[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*ThisIsMyPassword

-and-

[GuiUnattended]
AdminPassword=*

Both of these examples generate a blank administrator password.

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