unattended

http://www.mail-archive.com/unattended-devel@lists.sourceforge.net/msg02101.html

http://driverpacks.net/driverpacks/latest shows the latest versions of the DriverPacks.

Download the latest packs:

wget http://downloads.driverpacks.net/xp/x86/DP_Chipset_wnt5_x86-32_902.7z
wget http://downloads.driverpacks.net/xp/x86/DP_CPU_wnt5_x86-32_804.7z
wget http://downloads.driverpacks.net/xp/x86/DP_Graphics_A_wnt5_x86-32_906.7z
wget http://downloads.driverpacks.net/xp/x86/DP_Graphics_B_wnt5_x86-32_906.7z


Designing a Distribution Share

File Mangling

After getting the machines installed, i found that there were a variety of Windows XP patches missing from the Unattended scripts.

Download details for Windows patches can be obtained from the Update Lists of the Windows Update Downloader (WUD) program.

TextWrangler grep patterns
Find/replace patterns used in TextWrangler to convert the WUD list to Unattended .bat script format:
Find Pattern:

\t\t


The \lib\unattend.txt file can be adjusted to change your default install options.

Enable Auto Activation of Windows

Remove Windows Components

Hide MSN Explorer and Outlook Express:

Games and stuff:

[Components]
;---- Windows Games ----
Freecell = On ;Freecell


If you wish to store and organize installation settings for a large number of computers you are best off with a database of some sort. This is where Unattended really shines in large organizations.

Unattended offers two options: MySQL Database or a CSV Flat File

Setting up a CSV flat file system
Make a backup of the original config.pl and replace it with the cvs flat file-enabled sample:

These instructions are basically my adjustments to Unattended's step-by-step guide.

1. Create a directory for the install files
   
   cd <where you are going to put things>
mkdir unattended
cd uattended
2. Download Unattended
   • Zip file download

One thing I really appreciate about Macs and OS X is managing hardware drivers. Well, more that you generally DON'T have to manage it. Just pop in the OS X disc, install the OS onto the computer and that's it - you don't have to spend hours finding and installing a multitude of drivers for whatever hardware options that particular PC has.