This article discusses the differences between unattended
winnt[32].exe command line parameters in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.
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The following sample command lines are used to start
Windows NT Setup in unattended mode:
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Windows NT 4.0
winnt[32] /u:<answer file> /s:<install
source> | • | /u: In Windows NT 4.0, this parameter is used to specify
the location and name of the answer file. |
| • | /s: In Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000, this parameter is
used to specify the location of the Windows NT source files. |
These are the only available Winnt[32].exe command-line
parameters for Windows NT 4.0.
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Windows 2000
winnt[32] /unattend:<answer file> /s:<install
source> [/syspart:<target drive>] | • | /unattend: In Windows 2000 this parameter is also used to
specify the location of the answer file, with two differences:
| • | You must spell out the word "unattend," rather then
just "u." | | • | You can specify the amount of time Windows NT Setup
waits at the boot menu before continuing. | For example: /unattend20:<answer file>. This
parameter forces Windows NT Setup to wait 20 seconds at the boot menu before
continuing. |
| • | /syspart: In Windows 2000, this parameter causes Windows NT
Setup to copy all files for boot and temporary files to the drive and mark it
as active.
This parameter is valid only for Winnt32.exe and is
useful only if the drive will be duplicated and inserted into other computers
as the primary drive. |
| • | <answer file> is a file that contains answers to
questions you want to automate (also known as Unattend.txt in Windows NT 4.0).
In general, an answer file consists of section headers, parameters,
and values for those parameters. Most of the section headers are pre- defined,
although some may be user-defined. It is not necessary to specify all the
possible parameters or keys in an answer file if the installation does not
require them.
Invalid parameter values generate error messages or
may result in incorrect behavior after Setup. |
For additional information about unattended Setup and
deployment methods for Windows NT 4.0, see the Microsoft Windows NT Deployment
Guide on the following Microsoft Web site:
For additional information about unattended Setup information,
parameters, and deployment methods for Windows 2000, see the Unattend.doc file
located in Deploy.cab found in the Support\Tools folder of the Windows 2000
CD-ROM.
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