Quick guide to preinstalling Windows 2000 (250609)


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 Q250609
For a Microsoft Windows XP version of this article, see 314472.

SUMMARY

This article describes how to preinstall Windows 2000.

IMPORTANT: If you are planning to preinstall the Windows operating system for the first time and you do not have any other computers that are running Windows 2000, please read and follow the instructions in Part A and Part B of this Quick Guide. If you already have Windows 2000 installed, please proceed to Part B.

MORE INFORMATION

Part A: Installing Windows

To prepare for the unattended installation of Windows, perform the following initial steps before you preinstall Windows.
  1. Choose a computer to use as the master computer, and then configure the boot order in the BIOS with the CD-ROM drive as the first device, the hard disk as the second device, and the floppy drive as the third device.

    NOTE: Your computer must have El-Torito No Emulation CD boot support if it is an x86-based platform. If your system does not support El-Torito No Emulation CD boot, see your Windows OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) User Guide for information about installing Window.
  2. Insert the Windows CD into the CD-ROM drive of the master computer, and then start the master computer so that it starts from the CD-ROM drive.
  3. Windows Setup starts automatically. Windows is installed in three stages: file copy, text-mode Setup, and GUI-mode Setup. At the end of the first three phases of Setup, the operating system is completely installed.

Part B: Creating a Winnt.sif Answer File

  1. After Windows is installed on the master computer, build an answer file for unattended installation of Window using the Setup Manager Wizard (Setupmgr.exe). Click Setupmgr.exe to start the Setup Manager Wizard and create a new answer file.

    The Preinstallation Tools are located in the Support\Tools\Deploy.cab file on the OEM Windows product media that comes in every OEM 3-pack from your local Microsoft OEM Authorized Distributor.
  2. Follow the on-screen instructions from the wizard until you reach the screen that prompts you to build the Distribution folder, click No, this answer file will be used to install from a CD, and then click Next to move to the Answer File page.
  3. On the Answer File page, make sure you have a disk in drive type A:\Winnt.sif, and then click Next. The following message is displayed:

    The Setup Manager Wizard completed successfully. The following files were created:
    A:\Winnt.sif
    A:\Winnt.bat

  4. Click Finish to exit the Setup Manager Wizard, and then label the floppy disk that you created as Windows Unattended Disk.

Part C: Preinstalling Windows from CD-ROM

NOTE: If you click the Fully Automated option in the User Interaction page of the Windows Setup Manager Wizard, you need to manually add the ProductID value under the [UserData] section of the Winnt.sif file using a text editor. This step is necessary to fully automate the installation of Windows.
  1. On the target computer that you want to preinstall, configure the boot order in the BIOS with the CD-ROM drive as the first device, the hard drive as the second device, and the floppy drive as the third device.
  2. Insert the Windows CD in the CD-ROM drive, start the computer.
  3. When the Windows 2000 Setup blue screen menu is displayed, insert the Windows Unattended Disk containing the [Winnt.sif] answer file that you just created.

    NOTE: Your computer must have El-Torito No Emulation CD boot support if it is an x86-based platform.
  4. Windows Setup starts automatically. Windows is installed in three stages: file copy, text-mode Setup, and GUI-mode Setup. At the end of the first three phases of Setup, the operating system is completely installed.
  5. Remove the floppy disk.
  6. Restart the computer, and then start into Windows to audit the system and manually brand it before you run Sysprep and ship it to your customer.

Part D: Branding Your System Manually

  1. To add support information to Windows, on the Start menu, create an Oeminfo.ini file in the Control Panel, and then copy it to the Winnt\System32 folder.

    When you use Oeminfo.ini, the values in the [General] key are displayed and a Support Information button is created in the System Properties dialog box.

    The following is an example of the Oeminfo.ini file

    [General]
    Manufacturer = AwesomeComputers, Inc.
    Model = Brand X Pentium Processor
    SupportURL = http://www.AwesomeComputers.com
    LocalFile = C:\Winnt\Web\LocalFilename.htm

    [Support Information]
    Line1= For Technical Support:
    Line2= to obtain updated drivers or for information on frequently
    Line3= asked questions, go to the AwesomeComputers technical
    Line4= support web site at:
    Line5=
    Line6= http://www.AwesomeComputers.com/techsupport.

    NOTE: The [General] and [Support Information] sections of the Oeminfo.ini file are required. Replace the manufacturer, model, support URL, and local file information with your company information. Be careful not to leave any trailing spaces after your company name.
  2. To add your logo to the System Properties window in the Control Panel, place the sample Oemlogo.bmp file included in this OPK with your company logo (bitmap image) in the Winnt\System32 subfolder.

    NOTE: Your Oemlogo.bmp logo must be square and must measure 172 x 172 pixels. If your bitmap image is smaller than this specification, it appears centered in the rectangle. If it is larger than this specification, part of it might appear to be cropped under certain font and screen resolutions, or it might not appear at all. Refer to "Chapter 6: Advanced Customization Topics" in the OPK User Guide for more information on branding.

Part E: Preparation for Shipping Using the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep.exe)

You can use Sysprep to do a thorough audit of preinstalled computers. To do so, log on to the Windows environment, run your auditing or testing tools, and then remove them. When you are finished, run Sysprep to restore the computer to a ship-ready state for delivery to end-users. Sysprep is the last program you run before shipping a computer.

To restore the computer to a ship-ready state:
  1. On the Start menu, click Run, and then type cmd .
  2. At the command prompt, change to the root of the system drive, and then type cmd sysprep.
  3. Copy Sysprep.exe, Setupcl.exe, and the optional Sysprep.inf file from Tools on the Windows OPK Tools CD or from Support\Tools\Deploy.cab on the Windows product CD to the Sysprep folder.

    NOTE: Because Sysprep is not a duplicating utility and does not reset the Event Viewer logs, the logs on the destination computers display the events that occurred on the master computer. Make sure you clean up the event logs.
  4. At the command prompt, change to the Sysprep folder, and then type Sysprep.
When you are prompted to shut down the computer, remove the Windows product CD or OPK Tools CD.

NOTE: After you run Sysprep on the computer, the timeout is set to two seconds.

After the computer is restored to a ship-ready state, it is ready to be shipped to the user along with any of the required Windows materials as specified in your license agreement with Microsoft. Usually, these items include:
  • Windows product CD
  • Certificate of Authenticity label affixed to the system chassis

REFERENCES

Refer to the following Microsoft Web site for more information on Windows preinstallation and advanced customization topics:

http://oem.microsoft.com/general/techsupp/Win2000_opk.asp

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:5/19/2005
Keywords:kbinfo KB250609 kbAudOEM kbAudITPRO
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