Objective 1.2: Perform and Troubleshoot an Unattended Installation of a Windows Desktop Operating System


As a DST, you might have to assist a user in performing an unattended installation of Windows XP. In an unattended installation, questions that are normally answered during the setup phase are answered through a file or script, appropriately called an answer file. The answer file is typically created by an administrator, and not a DST, but you should be prepared to answer questions that a user might ask you in regard to an unattended installation.

In larger companies, where hundreds of installations can be conducted in one day, sitting in front of each PC with a CD in hand is not very practical.

To answer the questions in this objective, you should know how Windows XP Professional can be installed using the Remote Installation Services (RIS) server. Be sure you know that a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE)–compliant network interface card (NIC) is needed to connect to a RIS server or that a bootable RIS disk, created by an administrator, can also be used.

Objective 1.2 Questions

  1. You are a DST for a help desk. A user calls you and says she is installing Windows XP on five computers in her department. She heard from one of her colleagues that she could create a file that would answer the questions that are normally asked during an attended installation. Another coworker told her that the file is very difficult to create unless one has programming experience. Which utility should you recommend to her that creates a standard answer file as well as a uniqueness database file (UDF)?

    1. You should recommend that she uses the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC.

    2. You should recommend that she uses the Setup Manager Wizard.

    3. You should recommend that she uses the Setupapi utility.

    4. You should inform her that answer files are created using a text editor, such as Notepad, and that there is no utility available.

  2. A RIS client requires which of the following? (Choose one answer.)

    1. A bootable CD-ROM drive

    2. 256 MB RAM

    3. A PXE-compliant NIC or RIS disk

    4. An NTFS formatted partition

  3. You are a DST for a large hotel chain and perform a Windows XP Professional unattended installation on 20 workstations in Honolulu, Hawaii. After the installation, you notice that each of the workstations has its time zone set to Tijuana, Mexico. Other than this error, the configurations of the workstations are correct. You will need to install an additional 50 workstations next week and want to correct the time zone error. The manager of the department asks you if it were possible to modify the answer file without having to use Setup Manager. What should you tell him?

    1. You should tell the manager that because the answer file was created using Setup Manager, it will have to be used to modify the file.

    2. You should tell the manager that a new answer file will need to be created to replace the old one because modifications of answer files are not allowed.

    3. You should tell the manager that any text editor could be used to modify the answer file that was created using Setup Manager.

    4. You should tell the manager that editing the answer file should only be done using the regedt32 command and is not recommended or supported by Microsoft.

  4. As the DST for a large textile company, you will assist the network administrator with deploying Windows XP Professional to more than 300 users. She is concerned that an attended installation would not only take an inordinate amount of time, but also would be prone to errors. One of the users is amazed that the computers can be installed without anyone responding to the questions posed during a typical installation. He understands how an answer file responds to common configurations shared by many workstations, such as the time zone and network adapter type, but he doesn’t understand how 300 workstations could be configured with the same computer name because you cannot have duplicate computer names on a network. What should you tell him?

    1. You should tell the user that the answer file will name each of the workstations with a default name of computer1, and that these names will have to be changed manually after the installation.

    2. You should tell the user that the answer file contains two sections. One section responds to the common configuration questions, and the other section contains the unique information of each computer.

    3. You should tell the user that a computer programmer will need to create a separate application to handle the duplicate computer names generated by the answer.

    4. You should tell the user that a UDF prevents the computer from identifying multiple workstations with the same computer name, and that the answer file works in conjunction with the UDF.

Objecitve 1.2 Answers

  1. Correct Answers: B

    1. Incorrect: Active Directory Users and Computers MMC is used to create organizational units (OUs), user sccounts, groups, and so on. It is not used to create answer files or a UDF.

    2. Correct: Setup Manager Wizard is a program that allows you create an answer file, as well as a UDF. You can specify network settings, computer names, display settings, and so on, through Setup Manager, which creates text files that are later used during the Windows XP setup. This utility is typically used by an administrator, not a DST or a user.

    3. Incorrect: Setupapi.log is a log file used to troubleshoot an installation. It is not a utility used to create an answer file.

    4. Incorrect: Answer files can be created using a text editor, but this method is more complex than using Setup Manager. Many administrators with experience use Setup Manager to create a standard answer file, and then edit the file using a text editor when minor changes are required.

  2. Correct Answers: C

    1. Incorrect: A RIS client connects to a RIS server, which then installs a Windows XP image on the client. A CD-ROM drive is not needed.

    2. Incorrect: The minimum required amount of RAM on a RIS client is the same as that of any workstation that will be installed with Windows XP: 64 MB.

    3. Correct: A PXE-compliant NIC is required for a RIS client to connect to the RIS server, or a RIS disk, which is created by the administrator, if the workstation does not have a PXE-compliant NIC. You should be aware that the RIS disk contains only certain NIC drivers.

    4. Incorrect: Because an image of Windows XP will be installed from the RIS server to the RIS client, the RIS client does not need to contain a formatted partition.

  3. Correct Answers: C

    1. Incorrect: Even though the answer file was created using Setup Manager, any text editor, such as Notepad or WordPad, can be used to edit the answer file.

    2. Incorrect: Answer files created with Setup Manager can be modified using the wizard or any text editor.

    3. Correct: Even though the answer file was created using Setup Manager, any text editor, such as Notepad or WordPad can be used to edit the answer file.

    4. Incorrect: Regedt32 is the utility used to edit and view entries in the Registry, not to edit answer files.

  4. Correct Answers: D

    1. Incorrect: Answer files are used to provide common configuration information during setup, but a UDF supplies the unique information for each workstation, such as computer name.

    2. Incorrect: Answer files are used to provide common configuration information during setup, but a UDF supplies the unique information for each workstation, such as the computer name.

    3. Incorrect: The UDF works in conjunction with the answer file to respond to the setup questions requiring a unique value.

    4. Correct: The UDF works in conjunction with the answer file to respond to the setup questions requiring a unique value. As a DST, you will not create an answer file or a UDF, but you should be aware of how and why they are used.




MCDST Self-Paced Training Exam 70-271(c) Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Micro[... ]ystem
MCDST Self-Paced Training Exam 70-271(c) Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Micro[... ]ystem
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2006
Pages: 195

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