System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) Script File Keys (196667)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0
  • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
This article was previously published under Q196667

SUMMARY

When you use the Microsoft System Preparation (Sysprep) tool, a wizard runs the next time the computer is started after the tool prepares the computer and copies an image to the computer. You can automate this process by creating a script file. To use Sysprep with a script file, use the following syntax

sysprep.exe <filename>

where <filename> is the name of the script file.

Note that the script file must contain one section called [NT4Preinstall].

MORE INFORMATION

Script File Keys

You can use the following keys in the Sysprep script file: 
Key name:    OemSkipEula
Values:      Yes | No
Description: This key disables the display of the End User License 
             Agreement (EULA) when the value is set to Yes. The default 
             value is No.

Key name:    ProductID 
Value:       xxx-xxxxxxx OR xxxxx-OEM-xxxxxx-xxxxx
Description: This key specifies whether the Product ID screen should be 
             displayed. The Product ID key is displayed by default.

Key name:    FullName
Value:       <string>
Description: This key specifies the user's name. If this key is not 
             specified or the string value is blank, the User Name And 
             Organization screen is displayed.

Key name:    OrgName
Value:       <string>
Description: This key specifies the user's organization or company name. 
             If this key is not specified or the string value is blank, 
             the User Name And Organization screen is displayed, unless 
             the FullName key is specified with a valid string value.

Key name:    ComputerName
Values:      <string> | "Auto"
Description: This key specifies the computer name. If this key is not 
             specified or the string value is blank, the Computer Name 
             screen is displayed. The string value must be a minimum of 1 
             non-white-space character and a maximum of 15 non-white-space
             characters.

             If this string value is set to "Auto," Setup automatically 
             generates a unique computer name based on a random number. 
             This provides a mechanism to install multiple computers with
             a unique computer name. 

Key name:    AdminPassword
Value:       <string>
Description: This key specifies the password for the administrator 
             account. If this key is not specified or the string value is 
             blank, the Administrator Password screen is displayed. The 
             string value must be a minimum of 1 non-white-space character
             and a maximum of 15 non-white-space characters. To specify a 
             blank or NULL password use "*".

Key name:    OEMBannerText 
Value:       <text string>
Description: This key specifies a string to be displayed in the upper-left
             corner of the screen. The text must contain the "Windows NT" 
             sub-string or it is ignored. You can specify multiple lines 
             by using the "*" character as a separator.

Key name:    OEMLogoBitmapFile
Values:      <file name> [, <resource id>]
Description: This key specifies a bitmap to be displayed in the upper-
             right corner of the screen. If this key has only one field, 
             it is assumed to be a bitmap (.bmp) file located in the 
             folder in which the System Preparation tool resides. If two 
             fields are specified, the first field is the name of a 
             dynamic-link library (DLL) and the second field is a decimal 
             number that represents the resource ID of the bitmap in the 
             DLL. The DLL should be located in the folder that contains 
             Sysprep.exe.

Key name:    OEMBackgroundBitmapFile
Values:      <file name> [,<resource id>]
Description: This key specifies a background bitmap to display. If this 
             key has only one field, it is assumed to be a bitmap (.bmp) 
             file located in the folder in which Sysprep.exe resides. If 
             two fields are specified, the first field is the name of a 
             dynamic-link library (DLL) and the second field is a decimal 
             number that represents the resource ID of the bitmap in the 
             DLL. The DLL should be located in the folder that contains 
             Sysprep.exe.

Key name:    OEMSkipWelcome
Values:      0 | 1
Description: If this key is set to 1, the Welcome page is skipped. If the 
             key is set to 0, the Welcome page is displayed.

Key name:    OEMNoWaitAfterGUIMode
Values:      0 | 1
Description: If this key is set to 1, the Finished page is not displayed 
             and the computer is automatically restarted when the wizard 
             is finished. If the key is set to 0, the Finished page is 
             displayed and the computer does not automatically restart.

Key name:    NoSidGen
Value:       Yes | No
Description: This key disables the Security Identification (SID) 
             modification code. Set this key to Yes to disable the SID 
             modification code. You might use this value if the computer 
             is to be preconfigured with system services and access (ACL) 
             permissions. This allows a system integrator or administrator
             to preconfigure a computer and set the computer name, 
             administrator password, and other settings at the final 
             location.

             NOTE: Do not use this key if you plan to duplicate the 
             system.

Sample Script File

The following sample file is an example of a Windows NT 4.0 Mini-Setup wizard script: 
   [NT4Preinstall]
   OemSkipEula = Yes
   ProductID = 123-4567890
   FullName = "Sample Company User"
   OrgName = "Sample Company Inc."
   ComputerName = "auto"
   AdminPassword = "password"

Sysprep.exe Command-Line Switches

Sysprep supports the following command-line switches: 
Switch:      <filename>
Description: Instructs the Windows NT 4.0 Mini-Setup wizard to use the 
             settings in the specified script file automatically. For 
             example, the following command specifies that the Mini-Setup 
             wizard should use the settings in the Nt4setup.inf file:

                sysprep nt4setup.inf

             NOTE: There is no dash preceding the script file name.

Switch:      -quiet
Description: Instructs Sysprep to run without displaying a warning dialog 
             box. For example, the following command specifies that only 
             the license information screen should be displayed:

                sysprep -quiet

             The warning message stating that the computer is going to be 
             prepared for disk imaging and automatically shut down is not 
             displayed, and the computer shuts down automatically.

             NOTE: The preceding dash is required.

Switch:      -reboot
Description: Instructs Sysprep to automatically restart the computer. For 
             example, the following command specifies that the computer is
             restarted automatically instead of being shut down after 
             Sysprep has finished:

                sysprep -reboot

             You should not use this switch if you are preparing the 
             computer for disk imaging. This switch may be useful if you 
             plan to automate a test process designed to run after Sysprep
             has finished.

             NOTE: The preceding dash is required.

Switch:      -defeat
Description: Instructs Sysprep to run on a computer that has retail 
             versions of Windows NT 4.0 Workstation or Windows NT 4.0 
             Server and Microsoft Office 97. Normally, Sysprep requires
             a Microsoft Select Volume CD-ROM or an OEM (Original 
             Equipment Manufacturer) CD-ROM installation to run.

The following sample Sysprep command uses all the command-line switches:

sysprep setupscript.inf -quiet -reboot -defeat

REFERENCES

For additional information about Sysprep, please review the Sysprep.doc file that is included with the Sysprep tool.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:9/9/2002
Keywords:kbinfo KB196667
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.