About Automated Installation

An unattended installation feature enables you to install Windows 2003 without keyboard interaction. Just start the process and walk away. Unattended installation uses a script file that pipes in information and keyboard strokes from a data file that you compose in advance. If you already know all the answers to the questions that the installation program asks, you can answer these questions and place them in a data file. You can use more than one data file for different types of installations.

Unattended installation is great for organizations that install Windows 2003 over and over on machines with the same hardware configurations. Large enterprise networks that include remote offices can also take advantage of unattended installation, because home office administrators can customize script files and transmit them to remote offices. The caveat here is that you must test the script files for accuracy thoroughly in the central office; otherwise , the folks in the remote office may soon be screaming for help!

Details on creating the automation scripts are contained in the Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit.