Unattended XP install

Windows XP Setup >> Unattended XP install At our school, we're trying to implement unattended installs of xp.
We've had no problem creating the install shares and the unattended text
files.
But on our test computer we are experiencing problems.
The test computer is a fairly new ibm with 512 mb and a 40 gb hard drive.
We're using the network boot disk from http://www.netbootdisk.com/.
If we format the 40 gb drive with fat32 or ntfs, the install hangs. The
install gives the message that it can't find a large enough partition to
begin.
However, if we use fat32 to partition only 32 of the 40 gb of the drive (I
read to do this on the Microsoft Support site), installation starts fine.
Can anyone tell me how we can start installation using the full 40gb?

Thanks,

Windows XP136

Windows XP Setup >> Unattended XP install ComputerTeacher wrote:
> At our school, we're trying to implement unattended installs of xp.
> We've had no problem creating the install shares and the unattended
> text files.
> But on our test computer we are experiencing problems.
> The test computer is a fairly new ibm with 512 mb and a 40 gb hard
> drive. We're using the network boot disk from
> http://www.netbootdisk.com/. If we format the 40 gb drive with fat32 or
> ntfs, the install hangs.
> The install gives the message that it can't find a large enough
> partition to begin.
> However, if we use fat32 to partition only 32 of the 40 gb of the
> drive (I read to do this on the Microsoft Support site),
> installation starts fine. Can anyone tell me how we can start
> installation using the full 40gb?

You need to use a third party application to create/format the partition
before you start the installation.

By CD/DVD...
http://unattended.msfn.org/

By network...
http://unattended.sourceforge.net/

Your other choice might be to create a universal image - but I think you
would get more flexibility with an unattended installation.

http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html
(See the WinXP Blog addition - imaging with universal image)

http://www.gc.peachnet.edu/www/wbeck/W2KXP.htm#Master
(More on building and ghosting a master image)

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Windows XP Setup >> Unattended XP install 32gb are more than enough to install xp. Does an ordinary installation
succeed?(not unattended)

"Shenan Stanley" wrote:

> ComputerTeacher wrote:
> > At our school, we're trying to implement unattended installs of xp.
> > We've had no problem creating the install shares and the unattended
> > text files.
> > But on our test computer we are experiencing problems.
> > The test computer is a fairly new ibm with 512 mb and a 40 gb hard
> > drive. We're using the network boot disk from
> > http://www.netbootdisk.com/. If we format the 40 gb drive with fat32 or
> > ntfs, the install hangs.
> > The install gives the message that it can't find a large enough
> > partition to begin.
> > However, if we use fat32 to partition only 32 of the 40 gb of the
> > drive (I read to do this on the Microsoft Support site),
> > installation starts fine. Can anyone tell me how we can start
> > installation using the full 40gb?
>
> You need to use a third party application to create/format the partition
> before you start the installation.
>
> By CD/DVD...
> http://unattended.msfn.org/
>
> By network...
> http://unattended.sourceforge.net/
>
> Your other choice might be to create a universal image - but I think you
> would get more flexibility with an unattended installation.
>
> http://www.leinss.com/uniimg.html
> (See the WinXP Blog addition - imaging with universal image)
>
> http://www.gc.peachnet.edu/www/wbeck/W2KXP.htm#Master
> (More on building and ghosting a master image)
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>
>
>

Windows XP Setup >> Unattended XP install marinosa wrote:
> 32gb are more than enough to install xp. Does an ordinary
> installation succeed?(not unattended)

I believe the problem is that it limits to 32GB - because the native Windows
XP stuff will only format 32GB FAT32 partitions - thus my suggestion of
using a third party formatter before installing XP.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

Windows XP Setup >> Unattended XP install Thank you both for your input.
If I use the xp cd directly on the machine, xp will create and format a 40
gb partition.
I think the problem with the netbootdisk.com disk I was using is that it
doesn't recognize ntfs. Something along those lines.

But anyway, I have discovered a new toy - Bartpe. This lets me boot into a
machine with an ntfs operating system and read and write to the ntfs drives.
Tonight I finally figured how to add network drivers for my hardware. So
after the weekend I think I should be able to use it to boot to an
unattended install that uses the 40 gb partion.

Oh, and Marinosa - sure 32 gb is probably more then enough. But, just out
of principle, because it's there, I'd like to use the full 40 gb.

Thanks,

"Shenan Stanley" <EMail@HideDomain.com> wrote in message
news:%EMail@HideDomain.com...
> marinosa wrote:
>> 32gb are more than enough to install xp. Does an ordinary
>> installation succeed?(not unattended)
>
> I believe the problem is that it limits to 32GB - because the native
> Windows XP stuff will only format 32GB FAT32 partitions - thus my
> suggestion of using a third party formatter before installing XP.
>
>
> --
> Shenan Stanley
> MS-MVP
> --
> How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
> http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
>