Error Message "Line 1 of the INF File Is Invalid" During Unattended Windows 2000 Installation (304305)


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 Q304305

SYMPTOMS

When you are performing an unattended Windows 2000 installation by using a Winnt.sif file, you may receive the following error message:
Line 1 of the INF file is invalid.
Setup cannot continue. Press any key to exit.

CAUSE

This issue can occur if the Winnt.sif file was created by using an encoding scheme other than ANSI. The Winnt.sif file does not work if it is encoded with any of the following encoding formats:

Unicode
Unicode Big Endian
UTF-8

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, save the file with ANSI encoding:
  1. Use Notepad to open the Winnt.sif file.
  2. On the File menu, click Save As.
  3. In the Save As dialog box, click ANSI in the Encoding box.
  4. Name the file Winnt.sif. Overwrite the existing file if necessary.

MORE INFORMATION

You can use Notepad or Microsoft Internet Explorer to determine which encoding format is in use.

To use Notepad:
  1. Open the Winnt.sif with Notepad.
  2. On the File menu, click Save As.
  3. See which encoding format is in use in the Encoding box, and then click Cancel.
To use Internet Explorer:
  1. Open the Winnt.sif file with Internet Explorer.
  2. On the View menu, click Encoding.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/20/2003
Keywords:kberrmsg kbprb w2000unattend KB304305
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.