MSFN’s Unattended Windows : Introduction

Geek Alert:
We mentioned in passing the tedium of doing a Windows XP reload. Boring I believe was the word used. Well those wonderful people at Microsoft Software Forum Network (MSFN) have created a killer guide called The Definitive How-To Guide to Unattended Windows Installation. Buy unattended, of course, they mean installing Windows XP without hanging around to click Next… Next…….. Next. The guide tells you how to create an install CD that includes the latest service packs, hotfixes, security patches, libraries, and the other gunk that Microsoft seems to feel is good for us.

It will even install some apps all by itself while you nick off and have a life.

It comes in three levels of difficulty :

The Beginner portion covers the updating of your CD, along with automating setup itself.

The Intermediate portion covers adding Drivers and Applications to your CD, as well as User creation and other little tidbits.

The Advanced section is where it gets really fun. Customise the look and feel of your setup, as well as add hacked files to remove the limits put upon the system.

Target Audience: Home users – who are taking up a time-consuming process of re-installing Windows, manually installing essential applications, downloading windows updates, and tweaking their OS to perfection on every re-format.

Difficulty: Requires an intermediate experience of Microsoft Windows and a basic knowledge of how batch commands function. Though batch scripts are briefly covered, it will be a good idea to brush up on your skills before starting.

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