Using unanttend.xml for answering Windows setup questions for SOI and image deployment
Article ID: 373097
Updated On:
Products
Issue/Introduction
You have created a golden image using Sysprep for deployment to your computers. After deploying the image and booting to Windows, you are prompted to go through the initial out of box questions such as selecting a country, etc.
You would like to be able to skip these questions altogether so your technicians don't have to answer them on each computer that they image.
Is there a way to provide a pre-defined set of answers to those questions?
Environment
GSS 3.3 RUx
Resolution
The usual approach to provide a set of actions during the imaging process is to use/modify a "unattend.xml" file.
Advanced Sysprep settings for distributing a disk image
Scripted OS Installation Wizard (broadcom.com)
Scripted Install for Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, and Later (broadcom.com)
Adding the desired responses to the initial Windows setup questions to your answer file (unattend.xml file) is up-to Microsoft documentation. We don't have much on that since it is a customization and they could be a different set of questions on each OS version.
There are sample unattend.xml files you can use for the answer file and modify as needed:
See "Sample_unattend.xml" under "C:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Samples" on your GSS server.
There some other examples here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Altiris\eXpress\Deployment Server\Sysprep
Another option is to check Microsoft documentation for how to provide the answers needed to your unattend.xml.
Windows System Image Manager is the tool
or Windows SIM
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