Apply Your Knowledge

You have seen how methods of automated deployment can save considerable time when you need to install Windows XP Professional on a series of computers. You can practice the use of Sysprep with an answer file with as little as two computers available.

To perform these exercises, you should have two or three computers available. You should not have any valuable data stored on any of these computers, and one of them should be running Windows XP Professional with SP2 installed manually as discussed in Chapter 1.

Exercises

2.1 Installing Setup Manager

Setup Manager is not included in Windows XP Professional by default. You need to install it from the Windows XP CD-ROM. In this exercise you install the Setup Manager Wizard and additional programs that it uses.

Estimated Time: 5 minutes.

1.	From My Computer, create a folder in the root of C: named `Deploy`.
2.	Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM.
3.	From the Welcome screen, select Perform Additional Tasks.
4.	Select Browse This CD to open an Explorer window that displays the folders on the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM.
5.	Browse to `Support\Tools\Deploy.cab`, and double-click this file.
6.	Select all the files, right-click, and choose Extract.
7.	In the Select a Destination dialog box, expand the directory listing to select `C:\Deploy`, and then click Extract.
8.	Close the Deploy.cab window and the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP Professional window. Leave the My Computer window open for the next exercise. Also leave the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM in the drive.

2.2 Running Setup Manager

In this exercise you run the Setup Manager Wizard to prepare an answer file that you will use in conjunction with Sysprep to install Windows XP Professional with a few added settings on a second computer. You also configure the answer file to start Notepad when the user logs on for the first time.

Estimated Time: 15 minutes.

1.	From the My Computer window, double-click `Setupmgr.exe`.
2.	Click Next to bypass the Welcome screen.
3.	Select Create a New Answer File, and then click Next.
4.	On the Product to Install page, select Sysprep Install, and then click Next.
5.	On the Platform page, select Windows XP Professional, and then click Next.
6.	On the License Agreement page, select Yes, Fully Automate the Installation, and then click Next.
7.	Type your name and organization, and then click Next.
8.	In the folder hierarchy that appears on the left side of the Setup Manager Wizard, double-click Time Zone and select your time zone from the list box that appears.
9.	Click Providing the Product Key and type the product key from the CD-ROM case in the spaces provided.
10.	Click Computer Names and type `Computer2` as the name of the computer to be installed.
11.	Click Administrator Password and type a strong password of your choice. Select the Encrypt Administrator Password in Answer File check box.
12.	Click Run Once. Type `c:\windows\system32\notepad.exe` in the text box provided, and then click Next.
13.	Click Finish.
14.	Confirm or modify the path and filename of `C:\Deploy\sysprep.inf`, and then click OK.
15.	Close the Setup Manager dialog box.

2.3 Creating a Sysprep Image

In this exercise you create a Sysprep image from the computer you have been working on.

Estimated Time: 5 minutes.

1.	From the My Computer window, double-click `Sysprep.exe`.
2.	Click OK to accept the message that informs you that Sysprep may modify some of the security parameters of the system.
3.	Click Reseal to run Sysprep in Reseal mode.
4.	Click OK to accept the warning message.
5.	Ensure that the list reads Shutdown, click Reseal, and then click OK again to proceed.
6.	After Sysprep completes, the computer shuts down. Turn the computer off.

2.4 Running the Mini-Setup Wizard

In the real world, you would use an imaging utility such as Norton Ghost to prepare an image of the computer on which you ran Sysprep, and then distribute this image to whatever new computers required the installation of Windows XP Professional. In this exercise you experience the events that happen after a new image has been deployed, by restarting the computer on which you ran Sysprep.

Estimated Time: 20 minutes.

1.	Turn the computer on. When the Windows XP splash screen appears, insert the floppy disk containing the `Sysprep.inf` file.
2.	After a few minutes, the Welcome to Microsoft Windows screen appears. Click Next.
3.	Click Yes, I Accept, to accept the license agreement, and then click Next.
4.	Type the product key if requested, and then click Next.
5.	If you are connected to the Internet, click Help Protect My PC by Turning On Automatic Updates Now. Otherwise, click Not Right Now, and then click Next.
6.	If you need to modify your computer's name and description, do so in the next screen, and then click Next.
7.	Type and confirm the administrator password, and then click Next.
8.	Select No, Don't Make This Computer Part of a Domain, and then click Next.
9.	Select the appropriate option for connecting to the Internet, and then click Next.
10.	Type the appropriate values for the computer's IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS configuration.
11.	On the Ready to Register with Microsoft screen, select No, Not At This Time, and then click Next.
12.	Type your name on the Who Will Use This Computer screen, and then click Next.
13.	Click Finish.
14.	When the logon screen appears, log on as Administrator with the password you specified in step 7.
15.	Verify that Notepad opens because you specified this application when creating `Sysprep.inf`.

Review Questions

1.	What are the purposes of the `Unattend.txt` file and the uniqueness database file, and how do they differ from each other?
2.	What is the recommended means of creating and modifying answer files, and why?
3.	Besides the RIS server itself, which services must be running on the network for you to use RIS successfully?
4.	Why are the description and help text that you type when preparing an RIS image important?
5.	Name several situations in which Sysprep is not supported.
6.	What is the purpose of the Mini-Setup Wizard?

Exam Questions

Judy has run Setup Manager to create an answer file that she intends to distribute to users on a floppy disk that will be used for installing Windows XP Professional from a CD-ROM. She needs to ensure that the answer file has been given the proper name. Which name should this file have?

	A.	`Unattend.txt`
	B.	`Winnt.sif`
	C.	`Unattend.udb`
	D.	`Reminst.sif`

Norman is a support technician for a large community college that offers courses for aspiring computer technicians and administrators. The computer labs are highly utilized, and Norman needs to reinstall Windows XP Professional on several hundred computers within a few days at the start of each semester. He occasionally needs to reinstall computers at other times when students have misconfigured them. He has chosen to use Sysprep for automating installation of Windows XP.

Which of the following requirements must be met by the source and target computers so that he can use Sysprep to install Windows XP Professional on the target computers? (Choose all that apply.)

	A.	The source and target computers must have the same HAL and ACPI support.
	B.	The source and target computers do not need to have the same HAL or ACPI support.
	C.	The source and target computers must have the same HAL, but do not need to have the same ACPI support.
	D.	It is necessary to use a third-party disk imaging utility to deploy the images to the target computers.
	E.	Norman needs to copy the images to the RemInst share on a server so that the target computers can access the images.
	F.	The hard drive on each target computer must be at least as large as the hard drive on the source computer.

Sharon is a network administrator for a company that operates an Active Directory domain. Two Windows Server 2003 computers are domain controllers and run the DNS service. The network also has three member servers running Windows 2000 Server, 30 Windows NT 4.0 Workstation computers, and 75 Windows 2000 Professional computers.

The company receives a shipment of 45 new computers that are to replace the Windows NT 4.0 Workstation computers and provide computers for additional employees expected to be hired in the coming year. Sharon installs RIS on a Windows 2000 Server computer to automate the installation of Windows XP Professional on the new computers. She attempts to install Windows XP Professional on a new computer but is unable to connect to the RIS server from this computer. She then uses the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM to install Windows XP Professional on another new computer and is successful. The new computers are all located on the same network segment.

What should Sharon do so that the new computers can connect to the RIS server successfully?

	A.	Install a DHCP server on the network and authorize it in Active Directory.
	B.	Install a WINS server on the network and configure the DNS server to use it for name resolution.
	C.	Create an answer file named `Winnt.sif` and copy it into the RemInst shared folder on the RIS server.
	D.	Convert the DNS server zones to Active Directoryintegrated zones.

Jim is responsible for automating the deployment of Windows XP Professional to new companies in his company. He has installed Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 and a standard set of applications on a reference computer and is now preparing to run Sysprep on this computer. Which of the following parameters should Jim specify to use a Bill of Materials file that automates software installations and upgrades?

	A.	`-reseal`
	B.	`-clean`
	C.	`-audit`
	D.	`-factory`

Tom is responsible for installing Windows XP Professional on 20 new computers in his company. Using Setup Manager, Tom creates an Unattend.txt file and copies it to a floppy disk. He then starts the installation on a test computer by inserting the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM and inserting the floppy disk after the computer starts. Although Tom has set the user interaction level to fully automated mode, he is prompted for all the required parameters. He wants to ensure that the unattended installation does not prompt the users for input. What should he do?

	A.	In the [`Unattended`] section of `Unattend.txt`, set the OEMPreinstall parameter to Yes.
	B.	Copy the `Unattend.txt` file to the root of the destination computer's C: drive, and then restart the computer from the CD-ROM.
	C.	Rename `Unattend.txt` on the floppy disk to `Winnt.sif`.
	D.	Change the user interaction level to Hide Pages.

Kristin is responsible for deploying 85 new computers to her company's network and has decided to use Sysprep to deploy a customized image of Windows XP Professional to these computers, including a couple of proprietary applications. She wants to automate the setup process as much as possible from the time a user turns on a computer; in particular, she wants to ensure that the user does not need to manually enter any responses that are normally required.

Kristin installs Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2, and the proprietary applications on one of the new computers, and configures additional settings as required by the company. She next creates an answer file with standard responses to questions asked by the setup wizard. What should she do next? (Each correct answer presents a complete solution. Choose two.)

	A.	Copy the answer file to a floppy disk. Insert this disk in the source computer and then run Sysprep on this computer.
	B.	Copy the answer file to a floppy disk. On each target computer, insert the floppy disk after the Windows Setup screen appears.
	C.	Copy the answer file to the source computer. Then run Sysprep on this computer.
	D.	Copy the answer file to a floppy disk. On each target computer, insert the disk and run Sysprep.
	E.	Copy the answer file to a shared folder on a computer running Windows Server 2003. On each target computer, run Sysprep and specify the answer file as a parameter.

Richard is using RIS to install Windows XP Professional on 275 new client computers. The computers are equipped with network adapter cards that are not PXE-compliant. What does Richard need to do to connect these clients to the RIS server?

	A.	Use a boot floppy created with the `Rbfg.exe` utility.
	B.	Use a boot floppy created with the Network Client Administrator.
	C.	Configure the BIOS to boot from the PC card.
	D.	Richard should use `Sysprep.exe` instead. He cannot connect to the server without a PXE-compatible adapter.

Ann is using RIS to perform a rollout of 65 new Windows XP Professional computers. All computers contain PXE-compatible network interface cards (NICs). After installing 41 computers without difficulty, she encounters a computer that displays the message Operating System Not Found when she starts it. She verifies that the NIC is seated properly and restarts the computer, only to receive the same message. What should she do to start the computer and access the RIS server?

	A.	Modify the computer's BIOS settings, and set the computer's boot password to the same as the RIS server's Administrator password.
	B.	Modify the computer's BIOS settings to configure the computer to boot from the NIC.
	C.	Modify the DHCP server configuration to include a DHCP reservation for the computer.
	D.	Replace the NIC because it must be faulty.

You are installing Windows XP Professional on a new computer with only MS-DOS and a network client installed. The answer file is named Unattend.txt and the Windows installation files are located at \\Server1\xpinstall\i386. Which of the following commands should you use?

	A.	`winnt /unattend:Unattend.txt /s: \\Server1\xpinstall\i386`
	B.	`winnt /u:Unattend.txt /s: \\Server1\xpinstall\i386`
	C.	`winnt32 /unattend:Unattend.txt /s: \\Server1\xpinstall\i386`
	D.	`winnt32 /u:Unattend.txt /s: \\Server1\xpinstall\i386`

10.

Harry is the network administrator for a company that operates an Active Directory domain named examcram.com. Besides the domain, there is a workgroup to which computers used by developers belong. Harry receives five new computers to be used by developers, and uses an answer file to install Windows XP Professional on these computers.

Because of an error in the answer file, the new computers were joined to the domain rather than the workgroup. How can Harry correct this error with the least amount of administrative effort?

	A.	Create a startup script that specifies the name of the workgroup. At each computer, configure a local Group Policy object (GPO) that applies this script. Then restart each computer to apply the GPO.
	B.	Place all the computers in an organizational unit (OU), and configure a GPO that joins the computers to the workgroup. Then restart each computer to apply the GPO.
	C.	Correct the error in the answer file, and reinstall Windows XP Professional on each computer.
	D.	Manually reconfigure each computer to join the workgroup.

Answers to Review Questions

1.	The `Unattend.txt` file contains answers to the questions posed during the setup of Windows XP Professional that are common to all computers in a group. The uniqueness database file contains answers that are specific to individual computers on which unattended installations are being performed. For more information, see the section "Understanding the Role of Answer Files."
2.	You should use Setup Manager to create or modify answer files because this utility ensures that correct syntax is maintained. Improper syntax in the answer file can cause errors to occur during installation. For more information, see the section "Using Setup Manager to Create Unattended Answer Files."
3.	When you use RIS to install Windows XP Professional, the network must include DHCP, DNS, and Active Directory. Note also that DNS must be present before Active Directory can be installed on the network. For more information, see the section "Requirements to Use RIS."
4.	The description and help text that you type when preparing a RIS image are displayed to the user when she connects to the RIS server to begin an installation. They aid the user in selecting the proper image to install when more than one image is present on the RIS server. For more information, see the section "Creating an Image for RIS."
5.	Among the situations in which Sysprep is not supported are upgrades from older Windows versions, use on a production computer, incompatible HALs, OEM installation images, and an overwritten Default User profile. For more information, see the section "When to Use Sysprep."
6.	The Mini-Setup Wizard runs on a computer that has been imaged with Sysprep and enables the user to enter information that is specific to the computer being installed. For more information, see the section "Deploying an Image with Sysprep."

Answers to Exam Questions

1.	B. When you create an answer file that will be included on a floppy disk for users that are installing Windows XP Professional from a CD-ROM, you should rename the file as `Winnt.sif`. The user should insert this floppy disk after the first reboot, when the text-based portion of Setup is beginning. Judy would retain the default name of `Unattend.txt` when deploying Windows XP from a network share, so answer A is incorrect. `Unattend.udb` is the name of a uniqueness database file and not an answer file, so answer C is incorrect. `Reminst.sif` is the name of an answer file used with RIS, so answer D is incorrect. For more information, see the section "Deploying an Unattended Installation."
2.	A, D, F. So that Norman can use Sysprep successfully, several conditions must be met. The source and target computers must have compatible HALs and ACPI support. He needs to use third-party disk-imaging software or hardware devices to duplicate or clone the source computer images. The hard disk on the destination computer must be at least as large as that on the source computer. Because the HALs and ACPI support must be compatible, answers B and C are incorrect. Norman would place the images on the RemInst share if he were using RIS and not Sysprep, so answer E is incorrect. For more information, see the section "When to Use Sysprep."
3.	A. Sharon should install a DHCP server on the network and authorize it in Active Directory. Besides the RIS server itself, the network requires an Active Directory domain controller, a DNS server, and a DHCP server so that she can use RIS to install new computers. Here the DHCP server was not present. The DHCP server configures the new computers with TCP/IP information that enables them to access other computers on the network, including the DNS server, which resolves the name of the RIS server to its IP address. WINS is used to resolve NetBIOS names to IP addresses, and is not required on Active Directory networks, so answer B is incorrect. Sharon does not need to create an answer file for RIS to work; if she does create one, she should name it `Reminst.inf` and not `Winnt.sif`. Therefore answer C is incorrect. It is not necessary to create an Active Directoryintegrated DNS zone, so answer D is incorrect. For more information, see the section "Requirements to Use RIS."
4.	D. Jim should specify the `-factory` parameter. Factory mode uses a Bill of Materials file that automates software and driver installations and updates, including `.ini` files such as `Sysprep.inf`. The `-reseal` parameter prepares the computer for delivery after running Sysprep in factory mode, so answer B is incorrect. The `-clean` parameter cleans the critical device database, so answer C is incorrect. The `-audit` parameter verifies hardware and software installation after running Sysprep in factory mode, so answer D is incorrect. For more information, see the section "When to Use Sysprep."
5.	C. Tom should rename the `Unattend.txt` file to `Winnt.sif`. To automate a CD-ROMbased installation using an answer file on a floppy disk, the answer file needs to be called `Winnt.sif`, or else the Setup program cannot locate it. The `OEMPreinstall` parameter should not be modified, so answer A is incorrect. The answer file should remain on the floppy disk, so answer B is incorrect. Changing the user interaction level will have no effect without renaming the `Unattend.txt` file, so answer D is incorrect. For further information, see the section "Deploying an Unattended Installation."
6.	B, C. Kristin can copy the answer file to a floppy disk, and insert the disk at a target computer after the Windows Setup screen appears. Kristin can also place the answer file in the C:\Sysprep folder on the source computer, and then run Sysprep on this computer. If Kristin were to place the answer file on a floppy disk and insert it in the source computer before running Sysprep, its contents would not be included in the image, so answer A is incorrect. She would not run Sysprep on the target computers, so answers D and E are incorrect. For more information, see the section "About the System Preparation Tool."
7.	A. The `Rbfg.exe` utility is the Remote Boot Floppy Disk Generator program, and its purpose is to create a boot disk that emulates the PXE environment, thereby enabling computers that lack PXE-complaint adapters to connect to a RIS server. The Network Client Administrator was used in Windows NT 4.0 to create an MS-DOS network startup disk; the disk it creates cannot be used to connect to a RIS server, so answer B is incorrect. Booting from a PC card also cannot connect the computer to a RIS server, so answer C is incorrect. Because Richard can use `Rbfg.exe` to create a boot floppy and use RIS on these computers, answer D is incorrect. For more information, see the section "Creating a Remote Boot Floppy Disk."
8.	B. In this situation, the most likely reason that the computer was unable to access the RIS server was that BIOS settings did not specify the NIC as a boot option. The value of (or even presence of) a boot password does not affect the ability to access the RIS server, so answer A is incorrect. A computer does not need a reservation on the DHCP server to obtain an IP address and access the RIS server, so answer C is incorrect. If modifying the BIOS settings still does not allow the computer to boot from the NIC, Ann can suspect that the NIC may be faulty, but she should check the BIOS settings before opening the computer. For more information, see the section "Installing Windows XP Professional by Using Remote Installation Services (RIS)."
9.	B. The Winnt command is used to install Windows XP onto a computer with only MS-DOS or Windows 3.x installed. The `/u` switch is used to specify the name of the answer file, and the `/s` switch specifies the location of the distribution source files. The `/unattend` switch is used with the `Winnt32` command and not with the Winnt command, so answer A is incorrect. The `Winnt32` command is used to install Windows XP on a computer that is running Windows NT, Windows 9x/Me, or Windows 2000 only, so answers C and D are incorrect. For more information, see the section "Command-Line Usage and Options."
10.	D. Harry needs to manually reconfigure each computer to join the workgroup. He can do this from the Computer Name tab of the System Properties dialog box. It is not possible to configure a GPO, local or otherwise, that removes computers from a domain and joins them to a workgroup, so answers A and B are incorrect. He could correct the error in the answer file and reinstall Windows XP Professional on each computer. However, this takes far more administrative effort, so answer C is incorrect. For more information, see the section "Performing an Unattended Installation of Windows XP Professional."