I'm using a system to do this right now, although I only use half of the system. Here is my process (just the windows updates and configuration):
- Machine arrives on site with standard manufacturer image - Technicians unpack system, initialize OS with product key and second username - Insert DVD, autorun prompts to copy contents of folder to local drive, and initiate build process - contents of DVD are copied to an arbitrary folder - let's call it c:\build - C:\build contains only the z:\ drive folders that are required for todo.pl to run I had to edit todo.pl in order for it to work, here's what I changed: - (line 14)location of todo list changed to c:\build\todo.txt - although %systemdrive% would work - (line 17)location of mapznrun changed to c:\build\mapznrun.bat - although %systemdrive% would work - (line 10, 264-279, 408-409)removed get_drive_path function and reference My autorun batch file that launches todo sets the z drive variable to c:\build, installs active perl with FILE_EXT="Yes", and launches todo. I then use a combination of AutoIT, vbs, and batch (sorry, not a perl guy ;->) to install all windows updates, install all the applications, configure the default profile, configure the user accounts, and set security on the workstation. One final script that adds perl uninstall to RegOnceEx, clears the z drive variable, reboots, and we're all set. This helped me to create a vendor agnostic build that can be used in offices that use non-standard desktops and laptops. None of them are large enough to warrant building an entire image. I don't know too much about the OS load from DVD as I didn't have to go through that process for my needs. As I looked at what I needed to change from the OEM build, I found that it was all possible with scripting and that I could keep their default install. Cheers to a great project that saved me a lot of time. Hope this helps, Pablo -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Tyler Hepworth Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 4:27 PM To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' Subject: RE: [Unattended] Installing from DVD I would like to help with this project. I have as much time to devote to it as you desire. I understand all that you are saying and am ready to give it a shot. The only thing I am not sure on is hard coding the drive letter in unattend.txt. What if there are multiple optical drives on the machine and the DVD is not always on D:? Is there a way to dynamically adjust for that scenario? Tyler > -----Original Message----- > From: Patrick J. LoPresti [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 2:07 PM > To: Tyler Hepworth > Cc: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]' > Subject: Re: [Unattended] Installing from DVD > > > Tyler Hepworth <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > Is it possible to boot from, map a drive to, and install > from DVD. I > > have branch offices overseas that I would like to ship a disk to, > > rather than trying to set up servers at each site. > > In theory, yes. In practice, I know of nobody who has tried it. > > Unattended treats the Z:\ drive as read-only at all times. > Your strategy would be: > > - Burn the install share and the bootdisk to DVD. > > - Arrange to map the DVD as Z:\ using the DOS (or Linux) boot disk. > > - Set the [_meta]/z_drive value in Z:\site\unattend.txt to "D:", or > wherever the DVD appears under Windows. (This will set the %Z% > variable which all of the installation scripts use to locate > stuff.) > > - Modify mapznrun.bat not to map the drive if %Z% is already > available. Oh, wait, I already did this :-). > > Seriously, I have had something like this in the back of my > mind from the beginning. Everything should "just work" once > you get past the initial hurdles. > > I just did some reading about DVDs. If I understand > correctly, a bootable DVD is very similar to a bootable CD; > you can just use a basic ISO-9660 file system and ISOLINUX to > boot. This is good news. > > I just did some more reading. There may be some subtleties > involving long file names. Joliet extensions, Rock Ridge > extensions, ISO-9660 "level 2", UDF... Whatever. You need > to create a DVD which is basically ISO-9660 so ISOLINUX can > read it, and it also needs to be readable by both DOS (or > Linux) and Windows. I suspect the Joliet extensions would be > sufficient. > > This actually sounds like a fairly small but interesting > project. I wish I had a DVD burner. How soon do you need > this, and how much time do you have to spend on it? > > - Pat > ________________________________________________________________________________________________ This electronic mail (including any attachments) may contain information that is privileged, confidential, and/or otherwise protected from disclosure to anyone other than its intended recipient(s). Any dissemination or use of this electronic email or its contents (including any attachments) by persons other than the intended recipient(s) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by reply email so that we may correct our internal records. Please then delete the original message (including any attachments) in its entirety. Thank you.
