Win XP installation parameters revealed

We first take a look at winnt32.exe which parameters can be used.

winnt32.exe located i386 directory. This file can be run directly under Windows. The specific parameters are:

Note: Install or upgrade to Windows XP. On a computer running Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, you can run winnt32 from a command prompt.

Syntax:

winnt32 [/checkupgradeonly] [/cmd:command_line] [/cmdcons][/copydir:i386folder_name] [/copysource:folder_name] [/debug[level]:[filename ]] [/dudisable] [/duprepare:pathname][/dushare:pathname] [/m:folder_name] [/makelocalsource] [/noreboot] [/s:sourcepath][/syspart:drive_letter][/tempdrive:drive_letter] [/udf:id [,UDB_file]] [/unattend[num]:[answer_file]]

Parameters:

/checkupgradeonly

Checking your computer and Windows XP upgrades compatibility. If /unattend is used when using this option, no user input is required. Otherwise, the results will be displayed on the screen and they can be saved with the file name you specify. The default file name is Upgrade.txt (located in the systemroot folder).

/cmd:command_line

Instructs the installer to run a special command before performing the final stage of installation. This will occur after the computer has been rebooted twice and the "installer" has collected the necessary configuration information and before the "installer" ends.

/cmdcons

Install the Recovery Console as a startup option on a running computer. The Recovery Console is a command-line interface that you can use to perform tasks such as starting and stopping services and accessing local drives, including NTFS-formatted drives. The /cmdcons option is only available after a regular installation.

/copydir:i386folder_name

Create another folder in the folder where Windows XP files are installed. A folder name is a folder that you create to save changes made to your site. For example, you can create a folder called Private_drivers in the i386 source folder of the installer to hold the driver files. You can then type /copydir:i386Private_drivers to have the installer copy the folder to the newly installed computer and create a new folder location, systemrootPrivate_drivers. You can also create as many other folders as you want with the /copydir command.

/copysource:folder_name

Create a temporary folder in the folder where Windows XP files are installed. A folder name is a folder that you create to save changes made to your site. For example, you can create a folder called Private_drivers in the source folder of the installer to hold the driver files. You can then type /copysource:Private_drivers to have the installer copy the folder to the newly installed machine and use its files during installation to establish the temporary folder location systemrootPrivate_drivers. You can also create as many other folders as you want with the /copysource command. Unlike the folder created by /copydir, the folder created by /copysource is deleted after the installation is complete.

/debug[level]:[filename] creates a debug log at the specified level, for example, /debug4:Debug.log. The default log file is: systemrootWinnt32.log and the default debug level is 2. The log levels are as follows: 0 -- Critical error, 1 -- Error, 2 -- Warning, 3 -- Notification, 4 -- Details for debugging. Each level includes some sub-levels below it.

/dudisable

Disable "Dynamic Update". Without "dynamic update", the installer can only run under the initial installation files. This option disables Dynamic Update even if you use an answer file and specify the Dynamic Update option in the file.

/dushare:pathname

Specify the directory of the "Dynamic Update" file (updated file used at installation time) that was previously downloaded from the Windows Update Web site as a share. When running from the installation share and using /duprepare, this option performs the preparation so that the updated files are available for use in a network-based client installation. If /duprepare is not used and is running on the client, the specified client installation will use the update file located at the shared location specified by pathname.

/duprepare

Prepare for installation sharing so that it can be used by the "Dynamic Update" file downloaded from the Windows Update website. This share can then be used for Windows XP installations of multiple clients. Can only be used with /dushare.

/m:folder_name

Specifies that Setup will copy the replacement file from an alternate location. The "Setup" is first viewed in an alternate location, and if there are files displayed, these files should be used instead of the files in the default location.

/makelocalsource

Instructs the installer to copy all installation source files to your local hard drive. When installing from a CD, use /makelocalsource to provide an installation file for your computer without a CD in the future.

/noreboot

Instructs the Installer not to restart the computer after the file copy phase is finished, so you can execute another command.

/s:sourcepath

Specifies the source location of Windows XP files. To copy files from multiple servers at the same time, type the

/s:sourcepath option multiple times (up to eight times). If you enter multiple options, the first server you specify must be available, otherwise the Installer fails.

/syspart:drive_letter

Indicates that the installation boot file can be copied to a hard disk, the hard disk is marked as active, and then the disk is mounted to another computer. When the computer is started, it will automatically start the next phase of the installation. However, you must always use both the /tempdrive parameter and the /syspart parameter. On computers running Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP, you can use the /syspart option to start Winnt32. This option is not available on computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me.

/tempdrive:drive_letter

Directs the installer to place temporary files in the specified section. For a fresh installation, you can install Windows XP on the specified partition. For an upgrade installation, the /tempdrive option only affects the location of temporary files, while the upgrade of the operating system takes place in a partition running winnt32.

/udf:id [,UDB_file]

Indicates the identifier (id) that the installer uses to specify how the Unique Database (UDB) file modifies the answer file (see /unattend entry) ). The UDF overwrites some of the values ​​in the answer file, and the identifier determines which values ​​in the UDF are used. For example, /udf:RAS_user, Our_company.udb overrides some of the settings specified in the Our_company.udb file for the RAS_user identifier. If UDF_file is not specified, the installer prompts the user to insert a disk containing the Unique.udb file.

/unattend

Upgrade Windows 98 or previous versions of Windows Me in an unattended installation mode. Because all user settings are available from the previous installation, no user intervention is required during the installation process.

/unattend[num]:[answer_file]

Perform a clean installation in unattended installation mode. The answer file you specified provides your setup information for the setup. Num is the number of seconds between the time the installer finishes copying these files and restarting the computer. The num option is available on any computer running Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows XP. If you use the /unattend command line option to automate the installer, you have read and accepted the Microsoft license agreement for Windows XP. Before installing Windows XP on behalf of an organization rather than yourself using this command line option, you must confirm that the end user (whether an individual or a single entity) has received, read, and accepted the terms of the Microsoft License Agreement for Windows XP. OEMs may not specify this value on machines that are sold to end users.