Knowledge Base

Answer File Parameters for Windows NT 4.0 System Preparation Tool

Article ID: 200567

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

APPLIES TO

This article was previously published under Q200567

SUMMARY

The System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) for Windows NT 4.0 prepares the Windows NT system for duplication. Upon placing the duplicated hard drives in the target computers and turning on the systems, a mini-setup wizard will run that will let you change or enter user specific information. This information includes items such as ComputerName, Username, and other items. There may be situations where automation of this wizard may be desired so answer file parameters for mini-wizard have been created.

To automate the mini-setup wizard for the System Preparation Tool, create a text file with the parameters supplied in the next section, and place it in the same directory as the Sysprep files. On a command line, type the following command:

Sysprep %answer-file% %optional parameters


Optional paramters for the sysprep tool are as follows:


-defeat = Bypasses the Compliance checking for Select and OEM media. This switch is to be used when the image is built using Non-Select or OEM media. Use this switch if you receive the following error message:

The use of this tool is prohibited on this product.

NOTE: Although the "-defeat" switch can be used when installing the retail version, a Select or Open agreement with Microsoft is still required to use the Sysprep.exe tool.

-reboot = Automatically restarts the system after Sysprep.exe has run.

-quiet = Suppresses any prompts that Sysprep.exe might cause.

NOTE: This switch does not effect the execution of the mini-setup wizard.

-NoSidgen = Does not run-generate a unique SID on the box. Useful where install has been performed manually on each system but mini-wizard interaction is wanted.

MORE INFORMATION

Supported Answer file Parameters

OemSkipEula
Value: YES | NO
This key disables the display of the end user license agreement (EULA) when set to YES. Default is NO.

ProductID
Value: xxx-xxxxxxx
Specifies whether the ProductID screen should be displayed or not. By default, the Product ID key is displayed.

FullName
Value: string
Used to specify the name of the user. If not specified or the string is empty, the "User name and Organization" page will be displayed.

OrgName
Value: string
This key specifies the organization or company name of the user. If not specified or the string is empty, the "User name and Organization" page will be displayed unless the FullName key has been specified with a valid string.

ComputerName
Value: string | "Auto"
This key specifies the computer name. If it is not specified or is an empty string, the "Computer Name" page is displayed. The string must be a minimum of 1 non-white space character and a maximum of 15 non-white space characters.

If this value is set to "Auto", setup will auto-generate a unique computer name based on a random number. This provides a mechanism to install multiple computers each having a unique computer name.

AdminPassword
Value: string
This key specifies the password for the Administrator account. If it not specified or is empty, the "Administrator Password" page is displayed. The string must be a minimum of 1 non-white space character and a maximum of 15 non-white space characters. To specify a blank or NULL password, use "*".

OEMBannerText
Values: text string
This key specifies a string to be displayed in the upper left corner of the computer screen. The text must contain the "Windows NT" sub-string or else it will be ignored. Multiple lines can be specified by using the * character as a separator.

OEMLogoBitmapFile
Values: file name [, resource id]
This key specifies a bitmap to be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen. If this line has only one field, it is assumed to be a .bmp file located in the directory where the System Preparation tool resides. However, if two fields are specified, the first field is the name of a DLL and the second is a base 10 number that represents the resource ID of the bitmap in the DLL. The DLL specified should be located in the directory that contains Sysprep.exe.

OEMBackgroundBitmapFile
Values: file name [,resource id]
This key specifies a background bitmap to be displayed. If this line has only one field, it is assumed to a be .bmp file located in the directory where Sysprep.exe resides. However, if two fields are specified, the first field is the name of a DLL and the second is a base 10 number that represents the resource ID of the bitmap in the DLL. The DLL specified should be located in the directory that contains Sysprep.exe.

OEMSkipWelcome
Values: 0 | 1
If this key is set to 1, the Welcome page is skipped. If the key is set to 0, the Welcome page is displayed.

OEMNoWaitAfterGUIMode
Values: 0 | 1
If this key is set to 1, then, when the wizard is finished, the computer automatically restarts and the Finished Page of the wizard is not displayed. If the key is set to 0, the Finished page of the wizard is displayed and the computer does not automatically restart.

NoSidGen
Value: YES | NO
NOTE: This key must not be used if you plan to duplicate the system.


To automate Sysprep, create a text file that has the following header as the first line.

[NT4Preinstall]


NOTE: This line must exist or the mini-wizard will ignore the answer file parameters.

Enter any of the above parameters and save the file using any name. When running Sysprep, refer to the answer file using the following command:

Sysprep.exe %answerfile%.txt <other optional params>


The following is an example of a correctly formatted answer file for use with the System Preparation Tool.

Sample Answer File:
[NT4Preinstall]

OemSkipEula=yes
ProductID=111-1111111
FullName="Your Name"
Orgname="Your Company"
ComputerName="Computer"
AdminPassword="password"
OembannerText="Banner Text Goes Here"
OEMLogoBitmapFile="logo.bmp"
OEMBackgroundBitmapFile="backgrnd.bmp"
OemSkipWelcome=1
OemNoWaitAfterGuiMode=1
NoSidGen=No

REFERENCES

For more information, please consult the Sysprep.doc that was supplied with the utility. For information on obtaining this tool or other information about Sysprep, please try one of the following:
  • Send an e-mail request to: winreq@microsoft.com. Include "Microsoft Deploy Tool License Agreement Request" in the subject line.
  • Send a fax request to: "Microsoft Deploy Tool License Agreement Request" at (206) 285-4403.
  • Leave voice mail with your request by calling 1-800-394-9621 in the U.S. and Canada or 001-1-206-378-5544 outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Additional query words: Sysprep Cloning Sysclone

Keywords: kbinfo KB200567


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