Static IP Address Is Not Retained During Windows 2000 Unattended Installation (262688)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
- Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
This article was previously published under Q262688 SYMPTOMS
During an unattended installation of Windows 2000, an answer file (Unattend.txt) may be configured with static Internet Protocol (IP) address information. After the operating system installation is finished and all networking components are installed, the computer IP configuration may show that it is configured as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client, instead of using the IP address information that was specified in the unattended answer file.
CAUSE
This behavior occurs because the infrared device port found on the computer is being treated as a network adapter and is assigned an adapter number. Because the unattended answer file sets parameters specific to an adapter instance (Adapter1, Adapter2, and so on), the introduction of another adapter causes this number to be increased by one and the information specified on the answer file is no longer accurate. Because the network configuration cannot find the specified adapter instance, it uses the default information, which results in DHCP assigned addresses.
RESOLUTIONTo resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the
Microsoft Knowledge Base:
260910 How to Obtain the Latest Windows 2000 Service Pack
To work around this issue, use the Netset.exe tool included in the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit to reinstall all networking components after the installation is finished.
Using Netset.exe, type the following command at a command prompt:
netset %systemroot%\system32\$winnt$.inf
This command reinstalls the TCP/IP stack with the parameters that are configured in the unattended answer file.
NOTE: For the computer to join a domain, you may need to restart the computer before you run this tool.
You can automate the Netset.exe tool during the installation by using the [GUIRunOnce] parameter to specify the command that is to be initiated. For more information about the Netset.exe tool and unattended Setup answer file parameters, refer to the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit.
STATUSMicrosoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Windows 2000 Service Pack 2.
| Modification Type: | Minor | Last Reviewed: | 9/26/2005 |
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| Keywords: | kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbbug kbenv kbfix KB262688 |
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