Custom Installations for Windows 95: The Basics

You can use the Server-based Setup program to install source files and create setup scripts to automate all kinds of Window 95 installations. After using Server-based Setup to create a basic setup script, you can use a text editor to customize setup scripts for your site.

To install Windows 95 source files on the network

You have several options for customizing Windows 95 when users install Windows 95 using source files on a server. The most basic options include the following:

The following table compares the customization methods formerly used for Windows for Workgroups versus the methods prescribed for Windows 95.

Comparison of Customization Methods

Windows for Workgroups

Windows 95

SETUP.SHH to customize system settings

MSBATCH.INF settings

SETUP.INF to copy additional files or to force Setup options

MSBATCH.INF settings

CONTROL.INF to list incompatible TSRs or force selection of devices or network clients

NETDET.INI for NetWare TSRs; built into Setup for all others

APPS.INF to create PIFs for applications

APPS.INF (same format)

WRKGRP.INI to control workgroup membership

WRKGRP.INI (similar format, with a new entry for Windows 95 features)

[New.Groups] in SETUP.INF for custom program groups

System policies to customize the desktop contents

setup /p to restore program groups; manually copying .GRP files to restore desktop contents

GRPCONV.EXE to convert program groups or restore default menus, as described in Chapter 6, "Setup Technical Discussion"

SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, or CONTROL.INI to modify system or desktop settings

For upgrades from Windows 3.x, custom settings are migrated; for the rare cases in which there is no equivalent in the user interface or in system policies, you can still modify INI files


After a setup script and other customization files are created, Windows 95 can be installed automatically by running Setup at each client computer, using the name of the setup script as a command-line parameter. Setup can be run from any of the following: