Installing Windows 95 for Shared Installations

Each computer that starts from a hard disk must run Windows 95 Setup. For remote-boot workstations or floppy disk-based computers, run Windows 95 Setup once for each class of computers — that is, workstations that have identical network adapter configurations. Similar computers can then use their own machine directories with the startup floppy disk or boot image to run Windows 95.

The setup script tells Windows 95 Setup what kind of installation is allowed, based on the installation policy specified in Server-based Setup. The script can force a local hard-disk installation or a shared installation, or allow either. If the script is set to allow either, Setup asks the user to specify a shared or local installation.

Notice, however, that Windows 95 can be installed for remote-boot workstations only by specifying RPLSetup=1 in the [Network] section of a setup script.

For shared installations, you can use the default version of MSBATCH.INF stored on the server plus a list of computer names and machine directories to generate a setup script for each client computer. You can also create custom setup scripts using the MSBATCH.INF format. Also, you can archive setup scripts, in case you need to run Setup again for a particular computer (for example, if the Registry becomes corrupted and cannot be restored).

The appropriate setup script is specified as a command-line parameter when running Windows 95 Setup. You can use the following basic approaches for installing Windows 95 with setup scripts, as described in Chapter 5, "Custom, Automated, and Push Installations":

• Run Windows 95 Setup with a setup script from the command line; for example:

  setup n:\bob\bob.inf

• Use a login script that includes a command line to run Setup with a setup script, automatically installing Windows 95 when the user logs on
• Use Microsoft Systems Management Server or network management software from other vendors to run Windows 95 Setup with a setup script

When Windows 95 Setup runs with a setup script, Setup performs the following for both local hard-disk and shared installations:

• Detects and configures the hardware, storing the configuration in the computer's machine directory
• Prompts the user to specify or change any settings that are not defined in the setup script

For shared installations, the following additional installation tasks are performed:

• If DisplayWorkstationSetup=1 is specified in the setup script, Setup prompts the user for the path to the machine directory, if a path isn't specified in the setup script
• Setup creates the startup disk (or boot image), as described in "Configuring Shared Installations"
• If a protected-mode network client is to be used, Setup configures the system for making the transition from real-mode networking