Preferred Options in the Retail Product

These options affect the choices a user can make while installing the retail version of Windows NT Workstation.

Preserving Settings of Existing Windows NT Workstation Systems

By default, Setup installs Windows NT Workstation 4.0 with the retail default settings, except where different settings are specified in the answer file and the UDFs. As an option, you can have Setup upgrade existing installations of Windows NT Workstation, with the system settings intact.

To preserve existing settings when upgrading from an earlier version of Windows NT Workstation, add the following line to the [Unattended] section:

NtUpgrade = manual | yes | no | single

Where:

manual

indicates that the user is to be prompted as to whether the existing installation is to be completely replaced, or upgraded with system settings intact. If the user chooses to replace the existing version, he or she will also be prompted to specify a directory in which to install Windows NT Workstation 4.0. If the user chooses to retain existing settings, the remainder of the settings in the answer file and in the UDF will be ignored.

yes

indicates that the existing installation of Windows NT Workstation is to be upgraded with system settings intact. If NtUpgrade = yes, the remainder of the settings in the answer file and in the UDF will be ignored. If multiple installations are detected, the settings in first installation detected are used. On x86-based systems, the system that is listed first in the Boot.ini file is the first installation detected. On Alpha AXP-based, MIPS-based, and PowerPC-based systems, the first installation is the first one listed in the Startup Environment.

indicates that the existing installation of Windows NT Workstation is to be completely replaced. The retail default settings will be used, except where keys in the answer file or UDF override them. This is the default option.

single

indicates that if only one existing installation of Windows NT Workstation is detected, it is to be upgraded with system settings intact. If multiple previous installations are detected, the user must indicate which settings are to be retained.

This key can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

Preserving Settings of Existing Windows for Workgroups 3.1 or Windows 3.1 Systems

To preserve existing settings when upgrading from either of these systems, add the following line to the [Unattended] section:

Win31Upgrade = yes | no

Where:

yes

indicates that if an existing installation of Windows for Workgroups 3.1 or Windows 3.1 is detected, the existing settings are to be preserved.

If any other values are supplied for the Win31Upgrade key, the user will be prompted to specify whether the settings should be retained.

This key can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

Specifying the Directory in Which to Install Windows NT Workstation

You can specify the directory on the destination computer in which the files for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 are to reside. To do so, add the following line to the [Unattended] section:

TargetPath = manual | * | path

Where:

manual

indicates that the user is to be prompted for a directory.

indicates that the Setup program is to generate a unique directory name, and place the Windows NT Workstation 4.0 files in that directory. This is the default option.

path

indicates the name of the directory in which the Windows NT Workstation 4.0 files are to be placed. If the directory does not exist, it will be created.

This key can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

Replacing OEM Files with Windows NT Workstation Product Files

You can choose whether to replace older files that Setup finds on the system with files from the retail product that have the same name. By default, these files are overwritten.

To specify whether to keep the older versions of such files, add the following line to the [Unattended] section:

OverwriteOemFilesOnUpgrade = yes | no

If any Windows NT file in the existing installation has been overwritten by another application, you must set OverwriteOEMFilesOnUpgrade = yes.

This key can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

Converting to NTFS

In general, partitions greater than 512 MB should be converted to NTFS. To specify whether to convert the primary partition to NTFS during installation, add the following line to the [Unattended] section:

FileSystem = ConvertNTFS | LeaveAlone

Specifying When to Configure Graphics Devices

By default, graphics devices are configured during Setup. However, you can specify that the graphics devices be configured the first time someone logs on to the new system. To specify when the graphics devices are to be configured, add the following line to the [Display] section:

ConfigureAtLogon = 0 | 1

If ConfigureAtLogon = 1, no specific video setting is made during setup. Instead, the user is prompted to select the screen resolution the first time the computer is started after setup.

If ConfigureAtLogon = 0, graphics configuration will be done during setup. If this option is selected, the following other preconfiguration values may be set, also in the [Display] section:

BitsPerPel = n
XResolution = number_of_pixels
YResolution = number_of_pixels
VRefresh = n
Flags = n

If an entry has a value of 0, or the entry is not present, the defaults will be applied.

Table A.1 Default Values for Video Settings


Key	Default Value

BitsPerPel	8 If this is not a valid value, the lowest valid value is used.
XResolution	640 If this is not a valid value, the lowest valid value is used.
YResolution	480 If this is not a valid value, the lowest valid value is used.
VRefresh	60 Hz If this is not a valid value, the lowest valid value is used.
Flags	Any that are available.

For example, if all of these keys are set to = 0, the video settings would be 640x480, 256 colors, 60 Hz (as long as that mode exists).

As another example, if BitsPerPel = 16 and all other values are set to 0, then the card will be configured in 640x480, 64 K colors, and 60 Hz (again, as long as that mode exists).

Normally, the user is prompted to test the video settings. For an unattended installation, you might want the settings to be stored without testing. To specify whether the settings should be stored without testing, add the following line to the [Display] section:

AutoConfirm = 0 | 1

If AutoConfirm = 0, or if it is not specified, the video settings specified elsewhere in the [Display] section are used, and the user must test the selected video mode in order to save the setting and continue with setup.

If AutoConfirm = 1, the settings are stored with no user intervention.