Windows 10: Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10

Followed Kari's excellent tut - Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10

WSIM

Getting the following Answer File Validation problem:

The setting has not been modified. It will not be saved to the answerfile. Components/windowsPE/amd64_Microsoft-Setup_neutral/ImageInstall

The tut didn't do anything with it. Is this something to be concerned with? Is there something needed, if so what should I edit?

Many thanks

:)

 

Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10  

At the very end of the tutorial is short Step Eight. If you have followed the tutorial steps One through Seven, this last step contains two links:




The one highlighted yellow contains link to a tutorial to show how to create a USB install media: PowerShell Scripting - Create USB Install Media for Windows 10 | Windows 10 Tutorials

The link highlighted blue contains a link to a tutorial which instructs how to use OSCDIMG.EXE (which replaced now deprecated ImageX) to create a bootable ISO image: Create Windows 10 ISO image from Existing Installation | Windows 10 Tutorials

 

Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10  


Most common reason is that you are using autounattend.xml with partitioning scheme for GPT partitioned UEFI machines on a MBR partitioned BIOS machine or vice versa.


EDIT:

I just created a Generation 1 VM (BIOS / MBR) in Hyper-V and run unattended install from my UEFI / GPT install media to get this screenshot:




Reason for this error is me using wrong autounattend.xml file, one that tries to partition disk as GPT on a BISO based machine instead of MBR.

I would need to prepare autounattend.xml separately for BIOS / MBR and UEFI / GPT machines, as told in tutorial starting from step 3.12. Examples showing differences in partitioning MBR and GPT disks are shown in step 3.14.

 

Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10


Hi Falconer, welcome to Ten Forums!

My apologies, I simply forgot that from original answer file and tutorial. I've now edited step 4.7 to include it and replaced screenshot accordingly.

I have no good excuse. I just forgot it.

You need to start from scratch in reference machine. Thinking of that, I edited tutorial adding new step:

I added this tip in step 7.7, to be done just before you run Sysprep:


Tip If you are using a Hyper-V VM as reference machine, create a checkpoint now. It allows you to return to this point in few seconds if something goes wrong with image capture or to make changes in image before it's captured.

A suggestion:

You could "inject" drivers to your install media, making it specific for that PC. Tutorial: DISM - Add or Remove Drivers on an Offline Image

Keep a copy of your custom hardware independent install.wim file, only apply drivers for a specific PC to install media you will use for that PC. If the PC is already running Windows, all devices and drivers working, and you want to reinstall, check the note in step 2.2 in above mentioned tutorial. It shows how to capture drivers from existing Windows installation. Applying them to image you have all devices working straight after setup.

Notice that this might make your install.wim file to be bigger than 4GB which in its turn might make it impossible to use a standard FAT32 formatted USB flash drive. In that case see end of this quite long post of mine in another thread for a workaround using Rufus to create USB media: How to move Windows 10 from OLD desktop to NEW laptop - Windows 10 Forums

To avoid need to run Windows Update after Windows has been installed, you could also apply Windows updates to your custom install media. Tutorial: PowerShell Scripting - Update Windows 10 USB install media