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

It seems that you must forget automating first phase of Windows installation, Step Three in tutorial completely. If you do Step Three (3.1 through 3.22) the whole disk, all partitions on it will be wiped clean and any existing data will be lost. There is no way you can leave existing partitions intact.

In your case, just do Steps One and Two, skip Three, then continue from Four.

In Windows SIM, expand Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup component, right click FolderLocations setting, select Add Setting to pass 7 oobeSystem, select FolderLocations in Answer File pane, enter location for Users folder in ProfilesDirectory:




(Click to enlarge.)

 

Hi Kari,
Thanks for you superquick reply! LEt me explain you a bit more about how I have my disks configured:
A) My Laptop: A primary SSD disk where windows is installed, and a Secondary Disk where I have 4 partitions (\Documents, \Downloads, so on...)
B) My desktop: A primary SSD disk where Windows is installed, a secondary SSD with \Users folder (Thanks for it!) and a RAID 1 disk with 4 partitions (Documents, Downloads, etc).

So, in your tutorial, you mention to set a Disk ID when adding a new disk. I dont mind creating the system partitions when installing Windows 1709, but I'd need to be sure that Windows will be installed in the right disk, otherwise I could lose information *Smile
3.11) Select the disk you added in Answer File pane, set DiskID to be 0 and WillWipeDisk to true:

In my case, on Laptop the primary disk might as well be DiskID 0, but on my Desktop it's DiskID 1 (since it's a PCI SSD)

I guess that if I skip whole Step 3, I'll be able to choose in which Disk can I install windows, am I right?
If that's the case, it doesn't bother me, since I prefer to make sure where windows will be installed *Smile

Thanks for your excellent support, I'll keep digging in your tutorials!!

 

Yes, skip Step Three entirely and you have normal option to partition disks and select on which disk Windows will be installed. Do Step Four, though, to automate OOBE.

 

Cool! I'll try this weekend *Smile By the way, if the user folder exists, let's say in drive D:, Will it be overwritten during installation, or if it already exists, will be kept with all data? *Smile

I intend to re-install windows with this image, with my same existing username located on the d:\users folder

Will it be ok, and all data kept exactly as is now?

Thanks so much for your patience!

 

No, you can't use an existing Users folder from another installation. The target drive should be empty.

 

I think Kari that step 6.3, 6.4 & onwards can only be performed on a physical machine & not on a virtual machine (virtualbox) as it is not possible to send the crtl+alt+f3 command to a virtual machine

 

I do not know VirtualBox, being a great fan of Hyper-V. I have never had any issues to boot any VM to Audit Mode with CTRL + SHIFT + F3.

Some alternative ways for you:

Alternative 1: make VM full screen, then press CTRL + SHIFT + F3

Alternative 2: Use On-Screen Keyboard, select Fn key to show F (function) keys, select CTRL, select SHIFT, click F3:




Alternative 3: Press SHIFT + F10 to open Command Prompt, type following command and press Enter:

sysprep\sysprep.exe /audit /reboot




Alternative 2, using On-Screen Keyboard should be a trick known by all VM users as a valid and practical way to enter any keyboard shortcuts or commands in case VM is not reading host keyboard.

 

Thanks Kari. I will try it out.

 

Kari-I am getting a message"Windows could not prepare the partition selected for installation". How do I get over this error.

 

Please describe as exactly as possible what have you done and at which point you are getting that error, which step in tutorial are you doing when error occurs?

 

Kari-- I think I have erred somewhere along the line. I will redo the process & get back to you if I get the error again. Good night to you.

 

OK.

The tutorial really shows a fail proof method, I have tested and checked it incredible many times. If you follow the steps exactly as told, following instructions step by step it will work.

Notice that there are no "maybe I don't have to do this" steps in tutorial: you must do everything told in tutorial, exactly as told.

 

As have many of us other readers and enthusiasts here. *Smile

 

You got me a bit confused. I have no idea what you are referring to?

 

As have many other readers and enthusiasts who have used this tutorial.