To customize Windows NT Setup, you need a clear understanding of the Windows NT information (.INF) files and the TXTSETUP.SIF file, which control the Setup program. You modify these files to customize Windows NT Setup for your organization.
The .INF files are used by Windows NT Setup to install the operating system. The structure of the Windows NT .INF files is somewhat different than those used in Windows 3.x and Windows for Workgroups. One main difference is that Windows NT .INF files utilize a scripting language that allows the Setup program to perform various tasks.
The .INF files also contain lists of files that need to be copied to the target computer; for each file a disk number is specified to indicate where Setup can find the file. The location of the source file depends on the source media used—3.5-inch floppy disks or compact disk (CD). If you are setting up from a shared network directory, Setup ignores any source disk numbers it finds, assuming instead that all files are on that shared directory. The .INF files also list destinations for the files it copies.
A new feature in Windows NT 3.5 is the TXTSETUP.SIF file. This file controls the text mode portion of Setup, including changes to the Registry when you are upgrading from an earlier version of Windows NT. Because the TXTSETUP.SIF file lists all of the files supplied for a specific platform, it is used when you repair your system if it becomes damaged.