Windows Vista : Creating Basic Windows Images - Creating Unattended Answer Files

You may be familiar with Setup Manager and INI formatted answer files from previous versions of Windows that allow you to automate these tasks and settings. Windows Vista has grown up, so to speak. It has outgrown the simplistic INI file format used with previous Windows versions and now uses XML formatted files to provide answers for setup. Figure 1 shows an example of an XML-based answer file.

Figure 1. Sample Windows Vista unattended answer file

Although setup progresses normally without an answer file, it requires that the same settings and answers be provided for every individual installation. That's fine at home but clearly impractical when it comes to installing hundreds or thousands of computers at work.

1. Getting familiar with configuration passes

Windows installation is broken into various configuration passes. Configuration passes are generally separated by a restart. Specific actions may be performed during each configuration pass. Unattended answer files are broken into sections with corresponding names. For example, notice that on Figure 1, near the top, a line that specifies a settings pass of windowsPE. This means that all automation settings made in this section will be applied during the windowsPE configuration pass. The settings you specify here should match those you set during the Windows PE section of a manual Windows installation up to the first reboot after applying the Windows image. Those settings might include creating and formatting a partition, accepting the End User License Agreement, and specifying an installation product key. For the most part, settings have a specific configuration pass to which they must always be applied.

To effectively design and implement an unattended answer file, you must understand what happens during each configuration pass. Also, you need to understand which configuration passes are used for specific scenarios. The available configuration passes include:

• windowsPE

• offlineServicing

• generalize

• specialize

• auditSystem

• auditUser

• oobeSystem

windowsPE

The windowsPE configuration pass is used to automate the initial image installation. This includes configuring a setup language, partitioning and formatting the hard drive, configuring the upgrade type, and providing a product key. These actions take place while the system is booted to Windows PE, thus the name.

offlineServicing

The offlineServicing configuration pass is only used to edit an existing WIM file. One feature of WIM files for image storage is the ability to edit the images in the WIM file offline. The Package Manager utility (pkgmgr) from the WAIK uses the offlineServicing configuration pass to add language packs, security updates, drivers, and packages to an image in a WIM file offline. When used, this is typically the only configuration pass defined in the answer file.

generalize

The generalize configuration pass is used to automate the Sysprep utility when generalizing the system for imaging. Typical settings for this section include power scheme configuration, owner information, and Plug and Play detection of devices after running Sysprep.

specialize

The specialize configuration pass is typically run immediately following the windowsPE configuration pass, but before starting the Microsoft Windows Vista Out of Box Experience (OOBE). During this pass, machine specific settings are made. Settings may include assigning a computer name, configuring an IP address, and joining a domain.

auditSystem

The auditSystem configuration pass is used when starting in audit mode. Settings made in this configuration pass are run in the context of the local system. This section is used to typically add device drivers and configure a computer name for the audit pass.

auditUser

The auditUser configuration pass is used when starting in audit mode. Settings in this pass are applied immediately after the auditSystem pass. These settings are applied in the context of the locally logged-on user and would typically include scripts to install software or customize the system.

oobeSystem

The oobeSystem configuration pass is used to automate the Out of Box Experience, also called Windows Welcome. The settings typically made during this past would include creating user accounts, setting the time zone, and running post-installation scripts.

As you might have guessed, you will not use all configuration passes for any particular scenario. In Figure 2 you can see the configuration passes used in a generic installation of Windows Vista. If you are editing an existing image or preparing a reference image, you may use other configuration passes.

Confused? No need to worry. Although it is good to know what is done where, you need not edit your answer files by hand. The Windows System Image Manager (SIM) tool used to author your XML answer files will not let you place a component (action) in the wrong configuration pass. If you spent any time editing Sysprep and unattended files by hand in Notepad in the past, you are going to appreciate SIM.

Figure 2. Diagram of configuration passes used In standard Vista installation

2. Navigating the Windows System Image Manager

You saw from the example in Figure 1 that the format and number of options can be daunting at first. The good news is that the Windows System Image Manager (SIM) offers a graphical tool to build these complex answer files. The interface is not as simple as a wizard, but neither is the setup. At first glance (see Figure 3), the tool can seem intimidating, but after you've worked with it for a little while, the logic of its operation becomes clear.

Figure 3. Getting familiar with Windows System Image Manager (SIM)

One of the first things to understand before you can become productive in SIM is to understand the various panes and their purposes. The panes provided are marked as follows:

• Distribution Share

• Windows Image

• Answer File

• Properties

• Messages

Understanding the Distribution Share pane

The first pane is used to manage the distribution share. Building customized images may require additional files, drivers, and applications to be included. A distribution share is a network share used to host these additional files. SIM can be used to both manage and create distribution shares. The primary benefit of using SIM to manage this share is that any answer files you create with the Windows SIM will automatically include the proper full path to the distribution share.

Use of a distribution share is optional. It is possible to include all necessary files and applications directly in the customized image. However, some applications, such as those that employ a client agent (antivirus, systems management, and so on) will not function properly when included as part of the image without taking specific steps documented by the vendor. Including only necessary drivers is another advantage that can increase stability, and reduce the size of, the final deployment image.

To build a distribution share using Windows SIM, follow these steps:

Understanding the Windows Image pane

The bottom pane on the left is used to display components and packages that may be configured and referenced in your unattended answer file. This list is generated by creating a catalog of options read from the selected Windows Image (WIM) file.

When an image file is selected, this pane contains a tree view of sections that make up its available contents including:

• Components

• Packages

Exploring the components section

The components section is a list of built-in Windows components and settings that may be customized or automated as part of Windows installation. Typical settings include disk configuration, network settings, and post-install configuration and scripts. The component names tend to be quite long and very descriptive. Each component begins with its architecture type and ends with a version number. While these have importance, they can initially be ignored as they tend to add more complexity while trying to learn the layout and location of the components.

After a specific component to be automated has been located, it may be added to the answer file by right-clicking on the component and selecting the appropriate configuration pass to add the setting. In most cases only one configuration pass is available. In the case where multiple configuration passes are available, you will have to make the decision as to which pass the component setting should be applied. A general rule in making such a decision would be to ask, "During a normal installation, when would this setting be configured?"

When adding components to your answer file, it is only necessary to add the root component to the answer file, and all parent components will be automatically added. For example, in Figure 4 the Administrator password can be added to the answer file by right-clicking the Administrator Password component and selecting Add Setting to Pass 7 oobeSystem (it is not necessary to first add the UserAccounts component specifically).

Exploring the packages section

The packages section of the Windows Image pane contains a list of packages that can be optionally included and configured with the installation. An easy example is the Microsoft Windows Foundation Package. It allows you to include and configure optional packages, such as fax services, games, IIS, and corporate help customizations.

Figure 4. Selecting components for an answer file in System Image Manager

Understanding the Answer File pane

As each component and package is added to the answer file, it is displayed in the Answer File pane under the selected configuration pass. Essentially, this pane displays all of the sections that are included in the answer file. It serves as a browser for the answer file, where when selecting a component or package, its settings may be viewed and adjusted. Items may also be removed from the answer file by right-clicking on an item and selecting Delete.

Understanding the Properties pane

After an answer file has been created and various components and packages have been added, the Properties pane offers the place to dictate the values for any of the added components. Each specific setting is configured by first highlighting the component in the Answer File pane and then using the Properties pane to enter any desired values. Figure 4 shows how to add a section to the answer file for defining an Administrator password. Now by highlighting the AdministratorPassword component in the Answer File pane, the desired password may be entered, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Defining the Administrator's password in an answer file

Some properties offer free-form text boxes to enter a value while others provide pull-down menus. Some text boxes are limited to what can be entered. The very bottom part of the Properties pane often helps by listing the type of data that can be entered into each setting. Notice in Figure 6 that the ProtectYourPC setting must be an integer (Int32) ranging from 1 to 3.

Figure 6. Obtaining valid values for settings

Messages

The messages section of the Windows SIM is used to inform the user of detected configuration errors that may be present in the answer file. This feature does not prevent errors, but it does detect XML errors as well as mismatched or deprecated settings. XML errors should only exist if the answer file has been edited outside SIM. To display any detected errors, select Validate Answer File from the Tools menu to scan the answer file.

In general, messages are classified as messages with a small yellow icon or an error with a small red icon. As a general rule you should understand any warnings and eliminate them whenever possible. In some cases, the warnings are from situations that cannot be avoided. So long as the repercussions are understood, such warnings may be disregarded. Errors, on the other hand, should always be corrected when encountered.

You can use the following steps to create a generic answer file that will automate Windows Vista setup. It will most likely not meet the exact needs of your organization but can be used as a starting point for creating your own customized answer file.

To create a new answer file using SIM, perform the following steps: