Here there are those famous seven places where answer file may be placed to be discovered automatically during Windows Vista (Server 2008) Install. The only one option is not mentioned in this table and that one is the most commonly used:
setup.exe /unattend:[elsewhere][name of the share]unattend.xml.
Search Order | Location | Description |
1 | Registry HKLMSystemSetup!UnattendFile | Specifies a pointer in the
registry to an answer file. The answer file is not required to be named Unattend.xml. (That is fun! Shall we make the same registry record for both WinPE and target image? Never checked, pretty oblique understanding how it would work — my remark). |
2 | %WINDIR%PantherUnattend | The name of the answer file must
be Unattend.xml or Autounattend.xml. Note Windows Setup
only searches this directory on downlevel installations. If Windows Setup
starts from Windows PE, the %WINDIR%PantherUnattend directory is not
searched. |
3 | %WINDIR%Panther | Windows Setup caches answer files
to this location. | Important:
| | Do
not overwrite the answer files in these directories. (Though, you can, while editing in off-line mode and it will work — my remark 🙂 ) |
|
4 | Removable read/write media in
order of drive letter, at the root of the drive. | Removable read/write media in
order of drive letter, at the root of the drive. The name of the answer file must
be Unattend.xml or Autounattend.xml, and the answer file must be located at
the root of the drive. (Here I disagree — only Autounattend.xml works — my remark) |
5 | Removable read-only media in order
of drive letter, at the root of the drive. | Removable read-only media in order
of drive letter, at the root of the drive. The name of the answer file must
be Unattend.xml or Autounattend.xml, and must be located at the root of the
drive. (The same as previous). |
6 | windowsPE and offlineServicing
passes: • | Sources directory in a Windows
distribution |
All other passes: | In the windowsPE and
offlineServicing passes, the name of the answer file must be
Autounattend.xml. For all other configuration
passes, the file name must be Unattend.xml. |
7 | %SYSTEMDRIVE% | The answer file name must be
Unattend.xml or Autounattend.xml (If you start from WinPE, %SYSTEMDRIVE% returns X: — thus, put it in the root of your WinPE image — my remark). |
