Send me your Unattend.xml file?

fairm010 · January 11, 2013

Ive tried and failed numerous time to get an unattended WDS installation working and cannot do it. Always get errors about unatend.xml. Please can somebody send me their working unnattend.xml file?

Much appreciated, Matt.

DT2 · January 11, 2013

Unattend.zip

Here you go buddy, it's for w7 enterprise 32 bit.

Post up the errors you're getting.

DT

Dos_Box · January 11, 2013

Moving to O/S Deployment forum.

fairm010 · January 11, 2013

Thanks DT. Will this work for Win 7 Pro?

DT2 · January 11, 2013

You need to build your answer file with packages from the OS disk, as packages/components used might be slightly different across the versions, likely not. But you could build your own answer file using this as a guideline, just add the corresponding package from pro. This one will prompt you only for computer name.

fairm010 · January 11, 2013

Brilliant, thanks. You may want to delete the post with the attatchment as it has your product key in it!

TechieWils · January 13, 2013

I haven't checked as I'm on my phone but it's probably the public kms key so no need to worry.

fairm010 · January 14, 2013

Finally! A working unnatended install. Is there any way though to automate the deletion of any existing partitions and then install?

Matt

Duke5A · January 14, 2013

Finally! A working unnatended install. Is there any way though to automate the deletion of any existing partitions and then install?

Matt

I created a separate XML used to automated the questions WDS asks it starts up. This should do it...

fairm010 · January 14, 2013

Duke5A thats exactly what im looking for, but where would I put / what would I do with this .xml file?

Arthur · January 14, 2013

Here's an XML file which is a combination of DT2's and Duke5A's. I have changed the time zone and locales to what they should be for the UK.


   
       
           
               OnError
               
                   
                       
                           1
                           Primary
                           true
                       
                   
                   
                       
                           true
                           NTFS
                           Local Disk
                           C
                           1
                           1
                       
                   
                   0
                   true
               
           
           
               
                   OnError
                   
                       0
                       1
                   
               
           
       
   
   
       
           1
       
   
   
       
           true
       
       
           GMT Standard Time
           true
           false
       
       
           
               
                   1
                   net user administrator /active:yes
               
           
       
   
   
       
           en-GB
           en-GB
           0809:00000809
           0809:00000809
       
       
           
               
                   password
                   true
               
               
               Administrator
               true
               5
           
           
               
                   cscript /b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ipk 33PXH-7Y6KF-2VJC9-XBBR8-HVTHH
                   1
                   false
               
               
                   cscript /b c:\windows\system32\slmgr.vbs /ato
                   2
                   false
               
           
           
               true
               Work
               1
           
           
               
                   password
                   true
               
           
           McCain Foods
           McCain Foods

DMcCoy · January 14, 2013

Here's an XML file which is a combination of DT2's and Duke5A's. I have changed the time zone and locales to what they should be for the UK.

You'd be better of using the WDS way, you use Windows PE unattended to set the image and format the disk, and attach it to the server properties unattended section, then have the post deployment unattended xml attached to the image itself.

If you want to automate more than one image you can use the pre-stage option, or slightly more involved MDT.

Edit you also can't set the UI language to en-gb during the PE phase, it's not present. You need to leave the locale as en-gb so detected printers end up as A4

Edited January 14, 2013 by DMcCoy

fairm010 · January 14, 2013

Im quite new to WDS. I have it set up and working, taking and deploying images with no problem. But I want to be able to start a machine off PXE booting and leave it. Today i used the XML DT2 gave me and it worked a treat but i'd like to automate the deletion of partitions and continue (and any other steps). Would I just use the XML Arthur has provided in place of the XML DT2 provided?

"You'd be better of using the WDS way, you use Windows PE unattended to set the image and format the disk, and attach it to the server properties unattended section, then have the post deployment unattended xml attached to the image itself." - Is this what Arthurs XML would do?

Matt

DMcCoy · January 14, 2013

For the PE unattended (formats, picks the image and deploys



   
       
           
               OnError
               
                   
                       
                           1
                           Primary
                           true
                       
                   
                   
                       
                           true
                           NTFS
                           SYSTEM
                           C
                           1
                           1
                       
                   
                   0
                   true
               
           
           
               
                   
                       domain.name
                       password
                       WDSUser
                   
               
               
                   
                       Student.WIM
                       Student
                       Student
                   
                   
                       0
                       1
                   
                   Never
               
           
       
       
           
               en-US
               Never
           
	en-US
	en-GB
	en-GB

You combine this with the unattended file that is selected on the *image* which is copied over during the WDS deployment phase and continues the setup once the image is on the drive.

Edited January 14, 2013 by DMcCoy

fairm010 · January 14, 2013

Thanks, and i'd use that instead of my current unnatend.xml?

DMcCoy · January 14, 2013

For the unattended on the properties of the wds *server* not the image

There are two phases

Deploy Image (unattended from server properties)

Configure image (unattended from image properties)

The are similar, but not all properties are available for both phases

DMcCoy · January 14, 2013

An example of an image unattended file I've used:



   
       
           
               School
               PC
               https://helpdesk.school
               true
           
           
               true
               true
               false
           
           false
           %MACHINENAME%
           true
           false
           true
           School
           ICT
           false
           GMT Standard Time
       
       
           1
       
       
           
               true
           
       
       
           true
       
   
   
       
           en-GB
           en-GB
           en-GB
           en-GB
           en-GB
       
       
           
               School
               PC
               https://helpdesk.school
               true
           
           
               true
               true
               Work
               1
           
           
               
                   
                       
                           Administrators
                           SysAdmin Users
                       
                       domain.name
                   
               
           
           
               ClearType
           
           
               true
               true
               true
           
           false
           false
           true
           School
           ICT
           false
           GMT Standard Time
           
               
                   encrypted pass here
                   false
               
               true
               1
               Administrator
           
           
               
                   rundll32.exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation
                   Lock Machine
                   1
                   false
               
               
                   shutdown /r /t 300
                   Shutdown
                   2
                   false
               
               
                   net user administrator /active:no
                   Disable Admin Account
                   3
                   false
               
               
                   %ProgramFiles%\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS4\Photoshop.exe
                   Activate Adobe
                   4
                   false

fairm010 · January 14, 2013

For the unattended on the properties of the wds *server* not the image

There are two phases

Deploy Image (unattended from server properties)
Configure image (unattended from image properties)

The are similar, but not all properties are available for both phases

I see! OK, ill give these a go, thanks!

DMcCoy · January 14, 2013

FYI You can only have *ONE* server default unattended file which picks the image and deploys automatically. However if you prestage the machines, you can pick another unattended file with different image settings:

wdsutil /Add-Device /Device:L1120 /ID:001CC0693380 /ReferralServer:10.0.8.1 /WdsClientUnattend:WdsClientUnattend\Staff.xml /User:DOMAIN\WDS /JoinRights:Full /JoinDomain:Yes /OU:"OU=L11,OU=Students,OU=Computers,OU=domain,DC=name,DC=school"

Once machines are prestaged they will always use that file until the computer object created is deleted. Means you can reimage the next year with an updated image with the same name, with just F12

Images can all have their own unattended file

Edited January 14, 2013 by DMcCoy

fairm010 · January 14, 2013

Actually id prefer to pick the image the normal way on the client, would I just remove the

domain.name

password

WDSUser

Student.WIM

Student

0

1

Never

from the server unnatend?

DMcCoy · January 14, 2013

Actually id prefer to pick the image the normal way on the client, would I just remove the

It's all or nothing, pick the image and username/password and partitioning is all manual input. You have to use MDT for anything more flexible.

Edited January 14, 2013 by DMcCoy

Arthur · January 15, 2013

You have to use MDT for anything more flexible.

MDT is definitely the way to go. Even Microsoft MVP Johan Arwidmark agrees...

Yes, I know: Technically you can use plain vanilla Windows Deployment Services (WDS) and ADK to deploy Windows, but that's not a deployment solution. WDS and ADK are only plumbing tools for deployment, not a deployment solution, and MDT 2012 Update 1 will use them in the background anyway. Please do not waste your time trying to build a deployment solution on WDS and ADK, Microsoft has already done it for you: It's named MDT 2012 Update 1! (Source)

fairm010 · January 16, 2013

MDT is definitely the way to go. Even Microsoft MVP Johan Arwidmark agrees...

Is MDT free? ie is it the same as WDS, just a role on the server? Does it have to be licensed?

Arthur · January 16, 2013

Is MDT free?

It is free.

is it the same as WDS, just a role on the server?

You have to download MDT (and the Windows ADK) from Microsoft's website.

Does it have to be licensed?

No.

Send me your Unattend.xml file?

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