1

Chapter Overview Automating Installations Using Windows

Setup Manager Using Disk Duplication to Deploy

Windows XP Professional Performing Remote Installations Using Tools to Simplify Deployment

Files And Settings Transfer Wizard Disk Management snap-in Windows Installer

2

Introduction to the Windows Setup Manager The computers on most networks are not

identical, but they still have many similarities. You can use installation scripts to specify

variations in the hardware configuration of the computers Microsoft Windows XP Professional will be installed on.

The Windows Setup Manager lets you quickly and easily create or modify a script for a customized installation.

The script is an answer file that responds to the questions asked by the Windows XP Professional Setup program.

3

Installing the Windows Setup Manager The Windows Setup Manager is not installed

by default. To copy the Windows Setup Manager to your

hard drive, extract the files in \Support\Tools\DEPLOY.CAB on the Microsoft Windows XP Professional installation CD-ROM. 1. Double-click DEPLOY.CAB to display the files it

contains.2. Select the files you want to copy to your hard

drive.3. Right-click the selected files, and then select

Extract on the menu that appears.

4

Features of Windows Setup Manager Provides a wizard with an easy-to-use graphical

user interface for creating and modifying answer files (UNATTEND.TXT)

Makes it easy to create Uniqueness Database Files (UNATTEND.UDB)

A Uniqueness Database File (UBD) lets you specify per- computer parameters.

The UDB overrides the values in the answer file. When you run Setup with WINNT32.EXE, you use

the /udf:id[,UDB_file] switch. When the UDB overrides values in the answer file, the

identifier (id) in the switch determines which values are used.

5

Features of Windows Setup Manager (Cont.) Makes it easy to specify computer-specific or

user-specific information Simplifies the inclusion of application setup

scripts in the answer file Creates the distribution folder used for the

installation files If you upgrade to Windows XP Professional, you can

add application upgrades or update packs to the distribution folder.

You enter the commands in the Additional Commands page of the Windows Setup Manager Wizard to apply the upgrades or update packs to the application as part of the upgrade.

6

Windows Setup Manager Options Starting the Windows Setup Manager displays the

Welcome To The Windows Setup Manager Wizard page.

Clicking Next on the Welcome To The Windows Setup Manager Wizard page presents two options:

Create A New Answer File Modify An Existing Answer File

Selecting Create A New Answer File requires choosing the type of answer file to create:

Windows Unattended Installation Sysprep installation Remote Installation Services (RIS)

7

Introduction to Disk Duplication Disk duplication is the most efficient installation

method for installing Windows XP Professional on several computers with identical hardware configurations.

You can save rollout time by creating and copying a disk image of a Windows XP Professional installation to multiple destination computers.

This method also creates a baseline that you can recopy to a computer that is experiencing significant problems.

The System Preparation tool (SYSPREP.EXE) is a disk duplication tool that helps you prepare master disk images for efficient mass installations.

You must use third-party disk-imaging tools to copy the image to other computers.

8

Examining the Disk Duplication Process To use disk duplication to install Windows

XP Professional 1. Install and configure Windows XP Professional

on a test computer.2. Install and configure applications and

application update packs on the test computer.

3. Run SYSPREP.EXE on the test computer to create the disk image and prepare it for duplication.

4. Use a third-party tool to copy the image to other computers.

9

Extracting the Windows System Preparation Tool

The Windows System Preparation tool is not installed by default.

Copy the Windows System Preparation tool to your hard drive by extracting the files in \Support\Tools\DEPLOY.CAB on the Microsoft Windows XP Professional installation CD-ROM. 1. Double-click the DEPLOY.CAB file to display the files it

contains.2. Select the files to extract and copy to your hard drive.3. Right-click the selected files, and then select Extract

on the menu that appears.

10

Eliminating Disk Copying Problems

The System Preparation tool Prevents duplicate security identifiers (SIDs)

by adding to the master image a system service that creates a unique local domain SID when the computer that the master image is copied to is started for the first time

Lets you add a Mini-Setup Wizard to the master copy that runs the first time you start the computer that contains the master image copy

11

Eliminating Disk Copying Problems (Cont.) The System Preparation tool causes the master

image to force the computer that contains the master image copy to run a full Plug and Play device detection.

The device driver for the hard drive controller and the hardware abstraction layer (HAL) on the computer the disk image was generated on must be identical to the ones on the computer that contains the disk image copy.

Other peripherals (such as the network adapter, the video adapter, and sound cards) on the computer the disk image was copied to do not need to be identical to the ones on the computer the disk image was generated on.

12

The System Preparation Tool Switches

Switch Function

/quiet Runs without user intervention because it does not show the user confirmation dialog boxes

/nosidgen Does not regenerate SID on reboot

/pnp Forces Setup to detect Plug and Play devices on the destination computers on the next reboot

/reboot Restarts the computer after SYSPREP.EXE has been completed

/noreboot Shuts down without a reboot

/forceshutdown Forces a shutdown instead of powering off

13

The System Preparation Tool Switches (Cont.)

For a complete list of the available switches for SYSPREP.EXE 1. Start a command prompt.2. Change to the Deploy folder or the folder

where you installed SYSPREP.EXE.3. Type sysprep.exe /? and then press Enter.

14

Introduction to Remote Installation

RIS does not ship with Windows XP Professional.

RIS is available on all the Microsoft Windows 2000 products.

To perform remote installations, the computers on your network must support remote boot.

15

Understanding Remote Installation

The process of connecting to a server running RIS (the RIS server), and then starting an automated installation of Windows XP Professional on a local computer

Enables administrators to install Windows XP Professional on client computers throughout a network from a central location

Reduces installation time and deployment costs

16

RIS Benefits

Enables remote installation of Windows XP Professional

Simplifies server image management Supports recovery of the operating

system and computer if the computer fails

Retains security settings after restarting the destination computer

Reduces total cost of ownership (TCO)

17

Prerequisites for Installing RIS The following must be on the network:

A computer running a Windows 2000 server product, because RIS is available only on computers running a Windows 2000 Server product

The DNS Service, because RIS relies on the Domain Name System (DNS) server for locating both the directory service and client computer accounts

The DHCP service, because client computers that can perform a network boot receive an Internet Protocol (IP) address from the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server

The Active Directory service, because RIS relies on Active Directory for locating existing client computers as well as existing RIS servers

18

Prerequisites for Installing RIS (Cont.)

RIS must be installed on a volume that is shared over the network.

The shared volume Cannot be on the same drive that runs

Windows 2000 Server Must be large enough to hold the RIS

software and the various Windows XP Professional images

Must be formatted with the Windows 2000 NT file system (NTFS) version 5 or later

19

Using the Remote Installation Services Setup Wizard The Remote Installation Services Setup Wizard

does the following: Installs the RIS software Creates the remote installation folder and copies the

Windows XP Professional installation files to the server Adds .sif files Configures the Client Installation Wizard screens that

appear during a remote installation Updates the registry Creates the Single-Instance Store volume Starts the required RIS

20

Configuring RIS

When RIS installation is complete, you can configure RIS by using the server’s computer object in the Active Directory Users And Computers console.

The RIS Server stores the RIS images used to automatically install Windows XP Professional on client computers that are enabled for remote boot.

The RIS server can be a domain controller or a stand-alone server that is a member of a domain containing Active Directory.

21

Client Requirements for Remote Installation

Client computers that support remote installation must have one of the following: A configuration meeting the Net PC

specification A network adapter card with a Pre-Boot

Execution Environment (PXE) boot ROM and basic input/output system (BIOS) support for starting from the PXE boot ROM

A supported network adapter card and a remote installation boot disk

22

Net PC Requirements for Remote Installation The Net PC is a highly manageable platform with

the ability to Perform a network boot Manage upgrades Prevent users from changing the hardware or operating

system configuration The network adapter must be set as the primary

boot device within the system BIOS. The user who will perform the installation must be

assigned the Log On as a Batch Job user right. Users must be assigned permission to create

computer accounts in the domain they are joining.

23

Computers Not Meeting the Net PC Specification A computer that does not meet the Net PC

specification can still interact with the RIS server. To enable remote installation on a computer that

does not meet the Net PC specification1. Install a network adapter card with a PXE boot ROM.2. Set the BIOS to start from the PXE boot ROM.

The user who will perform the installation must be assigned the Log On as a Batch Job user right.

Users must be assigned permission to create computer accounts in the domain they are joining.

24

Creating Boot Floppies

Create a remote installation boot disk when The network adapter card in a client does

not have a PXE boot ROM The BIOS does not allow starting from the

network adapter card The boot disk simulates the PXE boot

process

25

Creating Boot Floppies (Cont.) Windows 2000 ships with the Windows

2000 Remote Boot Disk Generator, which allows you to easily create a boot disk. To start the Windows 2000 Remote Boot Disk

Generator, run RBFG.EXE in the \RemoteInstall\Admin\i386 folder on the RIS server.

Boot floppies support only the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)–based network adapters listed in the Adapter List.

To see the list of the supported adapters, click Adapter List in the Windows 2000 Remote Boot Disk Generator.

26

Introduction to Deployment Tools

Windows XP Professional provides tools that make it easier to deploy the operating system, including Files And Settings Transfer Wizard Disk Management snap-in Windows Installer

27

Introduction to the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard

The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard simplifies the task of moving data files and personal settings from old to new computers.

Settings that can be moved include Display settings Microsoft Internet Explorer options Microsoft Outlook Express options Dial-up connections Folder options Taskbar options

28

Methods for Connecting Old and New Computers

Use a direct cable connection. Use a network connection.

29

Requirements for a Direct Cable Connection

An available COM port (serial port) on both computers

A null modem cable (sometimes called a serial file transfer cable) long enough to connect the two computers

The null modem cable must be serial. Most older computers have 25-pin COM ports but

most new ones have 9-pin COM ports. You are ready to run the Files And Settings

Transfer Wizard after you connect the computers.

30

Requirements for a Network Connection You need

A network interface card (NIC) or a universal serial bus (USB) network interface installed in both computers

Network cables, and in most cases, a hub, to connect the two computers

You can run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard after you have connected the two computers and have used the Network Setup Wizard to set up your network, or set up both computers on a larger network.

31

Run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.

2. Click Files And Settings Transfer Wizard.3. In the Welcome To The Files And

Settings Transfer Wizard page, click Next.

32

Run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard (Cont.)

4. In the What Computer Is This? page, select the Old Computer option, and then click Next.

5. In the Select The Transfer Method page, select one of the following options, and then click Next: Direct Cable Floppy Drive Or Other Removable Media Other

33

Run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard (Cont.)

6. In the What Do You Want To Transfer? page, select one of the following options:

Settings Only Files Only Both Files And Settings

7. If you do not want to transfer all the default folders, file types, and settings, select the Let Me Select A Custom List Of Files And Settings When I Click Next check box and click Next.

If you do not select this check box, the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard displays the Collection In Progress page.

34

Run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard (Cont.)

8. When the Completing The Collection Phase page appears, write down any files and settings that the wizard could not collect and manually transfer them.

9. Click Finish to complete the wizard on your old computer.

10. Run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard on the new computer to complete the transfer.

35

Introduction to Disk Management The Disk Management snap-in provides a

central location for disk information and management tasks, which include

Creating and deleting partitions and volumes Formatting partitions and volumes with the file

allocation table (FAT), FAT32, or NTFS file system Assigning drive letters to partitions and volumes Adding and removing hard disks and changing the

disk storage type If you have the proper permissions, the Disk

Management snap-in lets you manage disks locally and on remote computers.

36

Setting Up a New Hard Disk

1. Initialize the disk with a storage type. Initialization defines the fundamental structure

of a hard disk. Windows XP Professional supports basic

storage and dynamic storage. A physical disk can be either basic or dynamic,

but you cannot use both storage types on one disk.

2. Create partitions on a basic disk or create volumes on a dynamic disk.

3. Format the disk with FAT, FAT32, or NTFS.

37

Understanding Basic Storage Basic storage is the traditional industry

standard. All versions of Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS, Microsoft

Windows NT, Windows 2000, and Windows XP support basic storage.

Basic storage is the default storage type for Windows XP Professional.

Basic storage dictates the division of a hard disk into partitions.

A partition is a portion of the disk that functions as a physically separate unit of storage.

Windows XP Professional recognizes primary and extended partitions.

38

Understanding Primary and Extended Partitions A basic disk can contain up to four

primary partitions, or up to three primary partitions and one extended partition.

A basic disk can contain only one extended partition.

A primary partition can be marked as the active partition.

An extended partition cannot be marked as the active partition.

39

Understanding Primary and Extended Partitions (Cont.) A primary partition can be formatted and

assigned a drive letter. An extended partition can be divided into

logical drives, each of which is formatted and assigned a drive letter.

Removable storage devices contain primary partitions only.

You cannot create extended partitions, logical drives, or dynamic volumes on a removable storage device.

A primary partition on a removable storage device cannot be marked as active.

40

Understanding the System Partition and Boot Partition The system partition is the active partition

that contains the hardware-specific files required to load the operating system.

The boot partition is the primary partition or logical drive where the operating system files are installed.

The boot partition and the system partition can be the same partition.

The system partition has to be on the active partition, but the boot partition does not.

41

Understanding Dynamic Storage Windows 2000 and Windows XP Professional

support dynamic storage. Dynamic storage is a standard that creates a

single partition, including the entire disk. A dynamic disk is a disk that you initialize for

dynamic storage. You can divide dynamic disks into volumes,

which can consist of a portion, or portions, of one or more physical disks.

Creating volumes on a single hard disk allows you to efficiently organize data for tasks such as backing up.

42

Types of Volumes A simple volume contains disk space from a

single disk. It is not fault tolerant.

A spanned volume includes disk space from multiple disks (up to 32). Windows XP Professional writes data to a

spanned volume on the first disk, completely fills the space, and continues in this way through each disk in the spanned volume.

A spanned volume is not fault tolerant. If any disk in a spanned volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost.

43

Types of Volumes (Cont.)

A striped volume combines areas of free space from multiple hard disks (up to 32) into one logical volume. In a striped volume, Windows XP

Professional optimizes performance by adding data to all disks at the same rate.

If a disk in a striped volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost.

44

Working with Simple Volumes

You can create a simple volume and format it with FAT, FAT32, or NTFS.

To create a simple volume on a dynamic disk 1. In Disk Management, right-click the

unallocated space you want to use to create the simple volume, and then click New Volume.

2. In the New Volume Wizard, click Next. 3. Click New Volume, and then follow the

instructions on the screen.

45

Working with Simple Volumes (Cont.)

You can extend a simple volume only if it is formatted with NTFS.

To extend a simple volume on a dynamic disk 1. In Disk Management, right-click the simple

volume that you want to extend, and then click Extend Volume.

2. Follow the instructions on your screen.

46

Working with Spanned Volumes A spanned volume consists of disk space

from multiple dynamic disks. You can combine various-sized areas of free

space from 2 to 32 dynamic disks into one large logical volume.

Windows XP Professional organizes spanned volumes to fill the space of one disk with data, and then fill the space of the next disk, and so forth.

Spanned volumes cannot be part of a striped volume and are not fault tolerant.

47

Working with Spanned Volumes (Cont.) Deleting any part of a spanned volume

deletes the entire volume. Only NTFS spanned volumes can be

extended, and you cannot extend the system volume or a boot volume.

You extend existing spanned volumes formatted with NTFS by adding free space.

Disk Management formats the new area without affecting any existing files on the original volume.

48

Working with Striped Volumes Striped volumes offer the best performance

of all the Windows XP Professional disk management strategies.

In a striped volume, data is written evenly across all physical disks in 64-KB units.

Because all the hard disks that belong to the striped volume perform the same function as a single hard disk, concurrent I/O commands can be issued and processed simultaneously on all hard disks. This method increases system I/O speed.

49

Working with Striped Volumes (Cont.) You create striped volumes by combining

areas of free space from multiple disks (from 2 to 32) into one logical volume.

On a striped volume, files are written across all disks so that data is added to all disks at the same rate.

Striped volumes do not provide fault tolerance. If a disk in a striped volume fails, the data in the entire volume is lost.

You cannot extend striped volumes.

50

Adding New Disks When you install new disks in a computer

running Windows XP Professional, they are added as basic storage.

To add a new disk Install or attach the new physical disk (or

disks). Click Rescan Disks on the Action menu of the

Disk Management snap-in. You must use Rescan Disks every time you

remove or add a disk to a computer.

51

Adding New Disks (Cont.) You do not need to restart the computer

when you add a new disk. However, you might need to restart the computer

if Disk Management does not detect the new disk when you run Rescan Disks.

Once you have installed your new disk, on the Action menu, point to All Tasks, and then select one of the following: Mark Partition As Active Change Drive Letter And Paths Format Properties

52

Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Disk The General tab

Lists the device type, manufacturer, and physical location of the device, including the bus number or Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) identifier

Lists the device status Provides access to the Troubleshooter for

the device The Policies tab lets you set the options

for Write Caching and Safe Removal.

53

Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Disk (Cont.)

The Volumes tab lists the volumes contained in the disk.

The Driver tab lets you Get detailed information about the driver Update the driver Roll back the driver Uninstall the driver

54

Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Partition or Volume The General tab

Lists the volume label, type, file system, used space, free space, and total disk capacity

Lets you run Disk Cleanup On NTFS partitions and volumes, allows you to

compress the drive and to allow the Indexing Service to index the disk for fast file searching

The Tools tab lets you Check the partition or volume for errors Defragment the partition or volume Back up the partition or volume

55

Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Partition or Volume (Cont.) The Hardware tab

Shows you all drives on the computer Lets you view the properties of each device,

including the manufacturer, location, and status of the device

Lets you access the Troubleshooter for the device

The Sharing tab lets you Share the drive Set permissions on the share Determine the type of caching for the drive

56

Tabs of the Properties Dialog Box for a Partition or Volume (Cont.)

The Security tab Lets you set the NTFS permissions Is available only if the partition or volume is

formatted with NTFS The Quota tab

Lets you enable and configure quota management

Is available only if the partition or volume is formatted with NTFS

57

Adding Disks Removed from Another Computer

When you move a dynamic disk to your computer from another computer, you can see and use the existing volumes on that disk.

The only exception is a volume on the disk that extends to multiple disks when you do not move all the disks for that volume to your computer.

58

Upgrading a Disk from Basic Storage to Dynamic Storage

You can upgrade a disk from basic storage to dynamic storage at any time without loss of data. The disk must contain at least 1 MB of

unallocated space. Before you upgrade a disk, close any

programs running on that disk. Always back up the data on a disk before

converting the storage type.

59

Upgrading a Disk from Basic Storage to Dynamic Storage (Cont.)

The results of converting a disk from basic storage to dynamic storage are as follows: The system partition becomes a simple volume. The boot partition becomes a simple volume. All primary partitions become simple volumes. All extended partitions become simple volumes. All logical drives become simple volumes. All volume sets become spanned volumes. All stripe sets become striped volumes.

60

Upgrading a Basic Disk to a Dynamic Disk

1. In Disk Management, right-click the basic disk that you want to upgrade, and then click Upgrade To Dynamic Disk.

2. Follow the instructions in the wizard.3. Restart the computer after you finish

the upgrade.

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Converting a Dynamic Disk to a Basic Disk

Remove all volumes from the disk. In Disk Management, right-click the

dynamic disk that you want to revert, and then click Revert To Basic Disk.

All data on the dynamic disk will be lost when you convert it to a basic disk.

62

Using Refresh and Rescan Disks The Refresh command updates the drive letter, file

system, volume, and removable media information. It also determines whether unreadable volumes are now

readable. To update disk information, on the Action menu, click

Refresh. The Rescan Disks command updates the hardware

information. Disk Management scans all attached disks for disk

configuration changes. Disk Management updates information on removable media,

CD-ROM drives, basic volumes, file systems, and drive letters.

To update disk information, click the Action menu, and then click Rescan Disks.

63

Managing Disks on a Remote Computer In a workgroup environment, you must have

the same account with the same password set up on both the local and remote computers.

In a domain environment, members of the Domain Admins group or the Server Operators group can manage disks on remote computers.

To manage a remote computer 1. Open an empty Microsoft Management Console

(MMC). 2. Add the Computer Management snap-in and focus it

on the remote computer.

64

Introduction to Windows Installer Windows Installer and the .msi package file format

simplify the installation and removal of software applications.

If a problem occurs or the installation fails, Windows Installer can restore or roll back the operating system to its original state.

Windows Installer prevents an installation from overwriting a dynamic-link library (DLL) used by another application.

Windows Installer can determine if an application that it installed has missing or corrupted files and then can replace them.

Windows Installer lets you configure unattended application installations, and it supports both 32-bit and 64-bit applications.

65

Introduction to Windows Installer (Cont.)

To preserve users’ disk space, Windows Installer allows you to install only the essential files required to run an application.

It supports the installation of application features on demand. The first time a user accesses any feature

not included in the minimal installation, the necessary files are automatically installed.

66

Additional Features of Windows Installer Windows Installer supports Microsoft’s .NET

technology. The .NET framework and the common language

runtime allow developers to create write-once, compile-once, run anywhere applications.

The .NET framework delivers code reuse, code specialization, resource management, multilanguage development, security, deployment, and administration.

Windows Installer provides software restriction policies that provide virus protection.

67

Additional Features of Windows Installer (Cont.) Windows Installer is a core part of

Intellimirror and a core component of the Windows Group Policy–based change and configuration management technology.

Windows Installer has a client-side installer service, MSIEXEC.EXE, and a package .msi file. The installer service allows the operating

system to control the installation. Windows Installer uses the information stored

in the package file to install the application.

68

Configuring Windows Installer for a Workgroup Environment Although Windows Installer is used in a domain

environment, it can also be configured for workgroup environments.

To view how to configure Windows Installer Group Policy Options for users in a workgroup environment 1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to

Administrative Tools, and then click Local Group Policy.

2. In the Local Group Policy snap-in, click Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\ Administrative Templates\Windows Components\ Windows Installer.

69

Configuring Windows Installer for a Workgroup Environment (Cont.) To configure Windows Installer Group

Policy options for computers, in the Local Group Policy snap-in, click Local Computer Policy\ Computer Configuration\

Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Installer.

To add, modify, or remove categories for applications to be managed, you must be a domain administrator or have equivalent rights.

70

Troubleshooting Windows Installer Packages If the installation process stops before

completing, open Event Viewer and review the Application log. Either Windows Installer was unable to read the

package, or conditions on your computer prevented it from installing the application.

If a Windows Installer package has become corrupted, use the Windows Installer repair option.

Open a command prompt and type the following command:msiexec /f {package|ProductCode}

71

Troubleshooting Windows Installer Packages (Cont.)

Parameter Function P Reinstall only if the file is missing.

O Reinstall only if the file is missing or if an older version is installed.

E Reinstall if the file is missing or if an equal or older version is installed.

D Reinstall if the file is missing or if a different version is installed.

C Reinstall if the file is missing or if the stored checksum does not match the calculated value.

A Force all the files to be reinstalled.

U Rewrite all the required user-specific registry entries.

M Rewrite all the required computer-specific registry entries.

S Overwrite all the existing shortcuts.

V Run from source and recache the local package.

Optional parameters used with the /f switch

72

Additional Switches for MSIEXEC.EXE /i {package|ProductCode}: installs or

configures a product /a package: administrative installation

option /x {package|ProductCode}: uninstalls a

product /j [u|m]package: advertises a product as

follows: u: advertises to the current user m: advertises to all users

73

Additional Switches for MSIEXEC.EXE (Cont.) The path to the log file is

/l [i][w][e][a][r][u][c][m][p][v][+][!][*]logfile Parameter

Function

i Log status messages.

w Log nonfatal warnings.

e Log all error messages.

a Log all startup actions.

r Log action-specific records.

u Log user requests.

c Log initial user interface parameters.

m Log out of memory.

p Log terminal properties.

v Log verbose output.

+ Append to existing file.

! Flush each line to the log.

* Log all information except the v option (wildcard).

74

Publishing and Installing Applications Publishing an application

Does not install the application on users’ computers

Does not place any shortcuts on users’ desktops or Start menus

Published applications are stored in Active Directory, and the application is available to users to install.

Applications can be published only to users, not to computers.

75

Chapter Summary The Windows Setup Manager Wizard

Makes it easy to create UNATTEND.TXT files that are necessary for scripted installations

Provides a wizard with a graphical user interface with which you can create and modify answer files and UDBs

To use the Windows Setup Manager, you must extract the files in \Support\Tools\DEPLOY.CAB on the Microsoft Windows XP Professional CD-ROM.

76

Chapter Summary (Cont.) The System Preparation tool

(SYSPREP.EXE) prepares the master computer to be duplicated.

One of the primary functions of the System Preparation tool is to delete SIDs and all other user-specific information.

After you run SYSPREP.EXE on the master computer, you use a third-party tool to capture the image and copy it to the destination computers.

77

Chapter Summary (Cont.) If you have a Windows 2000 Server infrastructure in place

and the computers in your network support remote boot, remote installation is the most efficient method of deploying Windows XP Professional.

Remote installation is the process of connecting to an RIS server and starting an automated installation of Windows XP Professional on a local computer.

Client computers that support remote installation must have one of the following configurations:

A configuration meeting the Net PC specification and the network adapter set as the primary boot device within the system BIOS

A network adapter card with a PXE boot ROM and BIOS support for starting from the PXE boot ROM

A supported network adapter card and a remote installation boot disk

78

Chapter Summary (Cont.) The Files And Settings Transfer Wizard simplifies the

task of moving data files and personal settings from your old computer to your new computer.

The Disk Management snap-in provides a central location for disk information and management tasks on a local or remote computer.

A disk can be initialized for basic storage and contain primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical drives, or it can be initialized for dynamic storage and can be divided into volumes, which contain a portion, or portions, of one or more physical disks.

Windows Installer and the .msi package file format simplify the installation and removal of software applications.