Sections In Answer Files and UDFs

Information in the answer file is divided into sections. Each section begins with the section name in square brackets, on a line by itself. Each section may contain one or more keys, with associated values. Each key is a character string, recognizable by the Setup program, that controls an element of the configuration to be installed. For example, there is a key to specify the computername, a key to specify whether the primary partition is converted to NTFS, and a key to specify the time zone for the computer.

The same sections and keys are used in the UDFs, provided they are used after text-mode setup. Information that the Setup program uses during text-mode setup can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

The sections are:

[Unattended]

The keys in this section define the behavior of the Setup program during text mode setup. This section can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

[OEMBootFiles]

To install onto x86 computers, $OEM$\OEMFILES\TXTSETUP.OEM and all files listed in it (HALs and drivers), must be listed in this section. This section can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

[MassStorageDrivers]

This section is used to specify SCSI drivers. This section can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

[KeyboardDrivers]

This section is used to specify keyboard drivers. This section can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

[PointingDeviceDrivers]

This section is used to specify pointing device drivers. This section can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

[OEM_Ads]

This section describes a banner, logo, and background bitmap to be displayed during GUI-mode setup.

[DisplayDrivers]

This section is used to specify display drivers.

[Display]

This section is used to specify settings for video display.

[DetectedMassStorage]

This section is used to specify mass storage devices that Setup is to recognize, even if they are not physically present on the system at the time you perform the installation. This section can only be specified in the answer file, not in the UDF.

[GuiUnattended]

The keys in this section define the behavior of the Setup program during GUI mode setup.

[UserData]

The keys in this section specify information associated with each user or computer.

[LicenseFilePrintData]

This section pertains only to installations of Windows NT Server. It is used to supply information regarding the license agreement.

[Network]

This section is used to specify settings used for networking, such as protocols and adapters. If this section is not present, support for networking will not be installed.

[Modem]

This section header is used to identify whether a modem should be installed or not. It is used by RAS to install a modem if DeviceType = Modem is in the list of RAS parameters.

Some of the keys in these sections point to additional sections, which you must create and name. For example, to install protocols other than the defaults, you need to use the InstallProtocols key in the [Network] section to identify the name of the section in which the protocols are listed. You must also create and populate the section pointed to in the Install Protocols key.