Install answer file entries on your Windows 2000 Server

by Jim Boyce | Mar 19, 2007 8:00:00 AM

Tags: Servers, Jim Boyce, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, server, Windows 2000 Server Tips Newsletter

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Takeaway: Even though your Windows 2000 Server's Setup Manager Wizard is both powerful and useful, it isn't perfect. Learn how to add additional answer file entries for convenience�or security�in Windows 2000 setup and deployment.

Most of the time, you'll use the Windows 2000 Setup Manager Wizard on your Windows 2000 Server to create unattended setup files. But this tool isn't perfect, and sometimes you'll still have to rely on your editing skills with Notepad or some other text editor. For example, the wizard doesn't prompt you for the Product Key, which is required during installation. If you don't manually add this key to the answer file, you'll have to type it on every machine during setup. The wizard also doesn't allow you to specify which optional components to install or not.

If you want to specify the Product Key in the answer file, you have to add the following line under the [UserData] section:

ProductID = XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

Replace the X's with the Product Key, located on the orange label on the back of your CD case.

If you want to prevent installation of some Windows 2000 components that you don't need on the server (e.g., games, sound schemes, etc.), you can add the following lines to the [Components] section in your answer file:

cdplayer = off 
charmap = off 
chat = off 
dialer = off 
freecell = off 
hypertrm = off 
media_clips = off 
media_utopia = off 
minesweeper = off

mousepoint = off 
mplay = off 
pinball = off 
rec = off 
solitaire = off

If the [Components] section doesn't exist, you must create it. For more possible entries in the answer file, refer to the Unattend.doc file in the Deploy.cab archive in support\tools directory on your Windows 2000 CD-ROM.