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Q181357: PRB: Editing the Windows NT 4.0 Unattended Setup Script To Inser

Article: Q181357
Product(s): Microsoft Windows NT
Version(s): winnt:4.0
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbsetup kbOPK kbSBK
Last Modified: 09-AUG-2001

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0 
- Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0 
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SYMPTOMS
========

Following the instructions from "Deployment Guide: Automating Windows NT Setup,"
a user who wishes to replace settings that are unique to the computer such as
computername, can interrupt the unattended installation after character mode
setup is completed. The user can start the computer in MS-DOS mode, and edit the
file, C:\$WIN_NT$.~BT\WINNT.SIF. When the user restarts the computer in the
Windows NT GUI mode setup, the unattended installation completes. However, the
modifications introduced into Winnt.sif do not take effect. The defaults from
the original Unattend.txt take precedence.

CAUSE
=====

The wrong file, Winnt.sif, is being edited.

MORE INFORMATION
================

In an unattended installation over a network, the Windows NT files are copied
from the network share point into two temporary directories on the computer
being installed. The directories are:

C:\$WIN_NT$.~LS (system files) and C:\$WIN_NT$.BT

After the files are copied, the computer restarts and uses the files from
$WIN_NT$.~BT to boot and to direct the character mode installation process. The
character mode setup phase uses data from WINNT.SIF to install some device
drivers and to copy files to the correct subdirectory of %windir%.

At the end of character mode phase, Setup copies data needed for the GUI phase
from WINNT.SIF into the file, %windir%\SYSTEM32\$WINNT$.INF. The data copied
includes computername, network adapter settings, domain/machine account
configuration settings, and other information necessary to build the registry.

The administrator should therefore edit the following file:

  %windir%\SYSTEM32\$WINNT$.INF

before restarting in GUI mode setup.

Where disk duplication is being used to replicate the character mode setup image,
inserting the unique settings in each computer's $WINNT$.INF results in a usable
installation of Windows NT, when the computers on which the installation is
taking place have identical drive subsystems. If they do not, the restart into
GUI setup will fail with a stop code of 0x0000007B because of incorrect disk
drivers. Where the drive subsystems are different, the C:\$WIN_NT$.BT\WINNT.SIF
should be edited prior to any startup into Windows NT setup.

When an administrator performs an unattended install over a network on each
computer, it may be easier to use a Uniqueness Database File (UDF) in
conjunction with UNATTEND.TXT to give the unique data for each computer because
no manual intervention is required. See the Windows NT Deployment Guide For
further information, available at:

  http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/info/deployguide.htm.

For additional information, please see the following articles in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:

  Q156876 Using UDF Files with Windows NT 4.0 Unattended Setup

Additional query words: Unattended Setup Install

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Keywords          : kbsetup kbOPK kbSBK 
Technology        : kbWinNTsearch kbWinNTWsearch kbWinNTW400 kbWinNTW400search kbWinNT400search kbWinNTSsearch kbWinNTS400search kbWinNTS400
Version           : winnt:4.0
Issue type        : kbprb

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