Topic: Installation From Network

Hi All

I am wondering if the following is possible:

I would like to start an installation of XP\Vista from CD or USB, and then after the first reboot would like the installation to seek its files from a network share so that I can remove the media and walk away.

I am fullly up to date on slipstreaming etc.

Does anyone have any ideas on this?

Hope the above makes sense

Regards

Mark

Last edited by nonamenone (2009-11-28 03:49:30)

Re: Installation From Network

RIS is the traditional way to do this... RIS is not directly supported by DriverPacks however our good friend RogueSpear created AutoImage. AutoImage will create a RIS image and integrate DriverPacks. You must have DriverPacks installed and the DriverPacks downloaded to the DriverPacks folder. See our tutorial, link in my signature. (hint most PC's support boot from network so you would not even need a disc to boot from. wink)

You could also use a Ghost boot CD to boot and copy an image. This could be a sysprep image, or an image that runs setup, or a completed image.

You could also use BartPE boot CD to to deploy your OS. Again multiple options here. RIS, SysPrep, Image, direct install from disc, etc...

USB:
If you're going to use a USB thumb drive then you might as well just go ahead and install from there, it will be a super fast install wink.
If you are going to use a USB HDD... see above
If you are going to use a USB CD ROM See section previous to "USB:"

I hope that helps...

Please also visit the "Universal imaging" section of our forum and also do a search for "RIS" and "SysPrep" and "Ghost" "network install" (perhaps combinations of those smile)

Welcome to DriverPacks please take a moment to look around, since we have been here over five years there is quite a wealth of knowledge to glean from. Please ask if you can't find something. ( Warning: I will make fun of you if the answer is in the FAQ section of our forum big_smile

Have an awesome day and I hope that helped.

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Re: Installation From Network

AutoImage requires a registry entry to correctly identify that DriverPacks BASE is present.  Way back when, DriverPacks BASE actually had an installer that set this reg entry.
Since this is no longer the case, AI no longer notices that DriverPacks BASE is installed.
I'll try to find the entry and post it here.

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Re: Installation From Network

Many thanks for your replies.

Why I would like this is that we support a lot of clients and it would be an easy way to start an install, wait for the reboot and then walk away. Also we would like to standardise the install process to all our sites as some have servers and some do not (therefore RIS would not help).

This idea was just a thought based upon the varied hardware we look after, i.e. all have CD’s, some wont boot from USB, some do not have floppies, some do not have PXE enabled NIC’s etc,  so we are looking for an install type for all and the common denominator is the CD drive\network share.

I am wondering if there is another similar way to do this, maybe another boot CD that has all LAN drivers and can pull off the install from a network share.

Thanks again

Mark

Re: Installation From Network

You don't have to have a server to do a RIS style install...
you can use the RIS source from a network share, you just won't have PXE support. wink
you would need to have a BartPE boot CD to initialize the network and start the setup. big_smile

The KEY TO THIS is that the RIS source files are properly configured to complete through the network, whether or not you will use PXE to connect. wink

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