Unattended Installation / Activating XP

[peterattheboro]

I've read somewhere that when you create the CD in Vista that when you come to activate XP, it doesn't like the serial. The serial I am using is legit.

Also i've tried creating the disc on an XP machine but for some reason, when I come to install, it asks for Drive A: (Don't have a floppy in the machine I am installing on)

I am creating the disc without the need of a floppy. (Just putting winnt.sif within I386)

Any tips?

TIA.

 

[RichDuffy]

When you burned the CD from XP, did you forget to change 'Floppy emulation' to 'No emulation'...?

 

[peterattheboro]

When you burned the CD from XP, did you forget to change 'Floppy emulation' to 'No emulation'...?

Nope.

Chose No Emulation and Data Sectors = 4.

Also changed the location of the I386 folder to A: D: E: etc

Still wouldn't get passed the floppy request.

 

[RichDuffy]

Hmmm. I might be mistaken, but I think this may be one of the final limitations of Windows XP - that it absolutely requires a floppy for unattended installation. Perhaps someone could correct me?

 

[peterattheboro]

Hmmm. I might be mistaken, but I think this may be one of the final limitations of Windows XP - that it absolutely requires a floppy for unattended installation. Perhaps someone could correct me?

Like I say. I've created the disc in Vista and XP has installed perfectly, apart from when it comes to activate, it doesn't like the serial.

 

[peterattheboro]

Wrote another disc from a virtual XP machine.

Went straight through the whole process (apart from asking which partition to install on) right through to the desktop.

Also activated without any fuss!

I think what did it was, I used another copy of I386 from another HP restore CD and the fact that I did it on XP!

 

[uv]

just use nlite?

even if you don't rip anything out, it's unattended options are fantastic.