Automated installation

Daniel Espinal

Mike mentioned on the Server installation video that you can use an answer file to automate installation.

How do you feed the answer file? Will the installation prompt you for an answer file or do you have to include it when you make the installation media?

Mike Rodrick

Hey Daniel,

There are two ways to use an answer file to automate the installation.

Use a USB flash drive

Use a sample answer file or create your own with Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM).
Save the file as Autounattend.xml on the root of a USB flash drive.
On a new PC, put in the Windows product DVD and the USB flash drive, and then boot the PC. When no other answer file is selected, Windows Setup searches for this file. If Windows doesn't find a file called autounattend.xml, the normal setup wizard begins.

Select an answer file

You can select a specific answer file during installation by booting to the Windows Preinstallation Environment, and using the setup.exe command with the /unattend:filename option. With this option, the answer file can be named anything, and doesn't have to be located at the root of the USB drive.

For example, from the command prompt, type:
setup.exe /unattend:d:/scripts/branchsvr.xml

Hope this helps,

Mike