Overview of Custom Installations

In Windows 98, you cannot modify the default INF files to customize the Setup steps or the final Windows 98 installation. Instead, Windows 98 provides more flexible, easier to use tools that rely mainly on setup scripts in Msbatch.inf format.

This chapter describes the following methods for customizing your installation:

• Using the new Windows 98 tools — Microsoft Batch 98 (Batch.exe), INF Installer (Infinst.exe), and Dbset.exe — to create and edit custom setup scripts and to add custom drivers.
• Customizing the Netdet.ini file for detecting components on NetWare networks.
• Customizing the Wrkgrp.ini file to specify a list of workgroups that users can choose to join.
• Creating user profiles and system policies to customize the desktop and system settings, or to restrict users’ abilities to change the configuration. Additional information for using user profiles and system policies are described in Chapter 7, "User Profiles," and Chapter 8, "System Policies."

Introduction to Custom Setup Scripts

A custom setup script is a file in Msbatch.inf format that contains predefined settings for all the options that can be specified during Setup and many additional settings. Custom setup scripts can contain instructions for installing additional software.

Windows 98 provides Setup scripting capabilities to make an organization-wide rollout easier and less time consuming. Because Windows 98 is an upgrade to Windows 95, it automatically analyzes the Windows 95 installation and identifies the installed components and upgrades accordingly. However, by using a custom setup script it is possible to install any number of these components to suit the needs of your organization and users.

Also, if you need to upgrade more than 50 computers, you will probably want to use an automated installation, which also requires that you create or customize an existing setup script. For more information on creating automated installations, see Chapter 4, "Automated Installations."

You can specify custom settings for Windows 98 installations by creating a custom setup script with Microsoft Batch 98 (Batch.exe in the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit utilities) and using this setup script when installing Windows 98. The default setup script is stored with the source files on the server. Custom setup scripts can be stored in users’ home directories or in an installation point on a network server.

Creating a Custom Setup Scripts

The easiest way to create a custom setup script is a two-step process. First, you install Windows 98 on a model computer with all the optional components needed for other similar computers in your organization. To select optional components during Setup, you use the Custom option in the Setup Options dialog box, as explained in "Running Setup from MS-DOS" in Chapter 2, "Setting Up Windows 98."

Second, you run Microsoft Batch 98 (Batch.exe) as explained in "Using Microsoft Batch 98 (Batch.exe)" later in this chapter. You can find Batch.exe in the Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit utilities.

Tip

The Microsoft Windows 98 Resource Kit utilities include generic setup scripts for a variety of cases. These scripts can be used as is or modified to automate Windows 98 Setup.

A setup script contains sections that are identified by headings and it contains at least the following two sections:

[Setup]

[OptionalComponents]

[Setup] Section

In the [Setup] section of the script file it is possible to control how much, if any, user interaction is required during the Setup procedure. In an environment where a large number of computers must be upgraded with a minimum amount of time and user input, proper use of this section can make a big difference in the cost of upgrading in terms of time spent.

The following sample [Setup] section lists some common settings for an unattended setup:

[Setup]
EBD=0; Do not create the Windows 98 Startup Disk.
ShowEula=0; Do not display the license agreement.
UNINSTAL=0; Do not prompt to save uninstall information.

[Optional Components] Section

The [Optional Components] section controls what components of Windows 98 are installed on the system. In the upgrade scenario this section is most valuable for adding new components to the existing installation during the upgrade procedure. Any item followed by "=1" will be installed. Conversely, if the item if followed by "=0" it will not be installed.

The following is a sample list of optional components new to Windows 98 that can be installed, or not installed, depending on the settings in this section:

[OptionalComponents]
"Accessories"=1
"Communications"=1
"Accessibility"=1
"Accessibility Options"=1
"Accessibility Tools"=1
"Personal Web Server"=1
"Dial-Up Networking"=1
"Dial-Up Server"=1
"Internet Tools"=1
"Microsoft Outlook Express"=0
"Microsoft Chat 2.1"=1
"Web TV for Windows"=1
"WaveTop Data Broadcasting"=1
"Imaging"=1
"Microsoft NetMeeting"=1
"Microsoft NetShow Player 2.0"=1
"Online Services"=1
"America Online"=1
"AT&T WorldNet Service"=0
"Web Publishing Wizard"=1
"Windows Scripting Host"=1
"Microsoft VRML 2.0 Viewer"=1

For a complete list of all components, see Appendix D, "Msbatch.inf Parameters for Setup Scripts."

Editing an Existing Setup Script

You can modify existing setup scripts with a text editor to create alternate or more detailed setup scripts.

To edit Msbatch.inf

1. Use a text editor, such as Notepad, to open the Msbatch.inf file.
2. Edit the file, and save it in text-only format.

The following are the editing guidelines for setup scripts:

• Each section starts with a unique section name enclosed in brackets ([ ]).
• Only sections and key words defined in Appendix D, "Msbatch.inf Parameters for Setup Scripts," are evaluated by Windows 98 Setup.
• Each section can contain one or more entries. The typical entry consists of a key word and a value separated by an equal sign (=).
• Key words within a section do not have to be unique, but each key word and its value should follow the guidelines for that key word.
• A comment can be included anywhere on a line by starting the comment with a semicolon (;).

Automating Installations with Custom Setup Scripts

After a setup script and other customization files are created, Windows 98 can be installed automatically by running Setup on each client computer, using the name of the setup script as a command-line parameter. Setup can be run from any of the following:

• From a logon script.
• From server-based system management software.
• From a batch file that contains the appropriate setup command line, distributed on floppy disk or by electronic mail.

For more information on automating installations with logon scripts, system management software, and distribution of batch files through e-mail, see Chapter 4, "Automated Installations."

Setup Components that Cannot Be Customized

Some Windows 98 Setup dialog boxes cannot be customized. Table 3.1 summarizes the items that cannot be customized or the screens that cannot be skipped when running Windows 98 Setup with a custom script. Error messages cause Setup to stop and wait for user input.

For example, messages that cannot be skipped include "Looking for a Previous Version of Windows" and warnings about disk space and conflicting network components.

Table 3.1 Setup components that cannot be skipped or customized

Comparison of Customization Methods

This section compares the customization methods used for Windows 95 and Windows for Workgroups versus the new ones prescribed for Windows 98.

Windows 95 Versus Windows 98

If you are upgrading from Windows 95, you can refer to Table 3.2 to comparethe customization methods used for Windows 95 versus the ones prescribed for Windows 98. This table does not include all of the new tools available to customize Windows 98. These tools are described in "Using the New Windows 98 Tools to Customize Installations" later in this chapter.

Table 3.2 Comparison of customization methods for Windows 95 and Windows 98

Windows for Workgroups Versus Windows 98

If you are upgrading from Windows for Workgroups, you can refer to Table 3.3 to compare the customization methods used for Windows for Workgroups versus the methods prescribed for Windows 98.

Table 3.3 Comparison of customization methods for Windows for Workgroups and Windows 98