Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10

Followed Kari's excellent tut - Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10

WSIM

Getting the following Answer File Validation problem:

The setting has not been modified. It will not be saved to the answerfile. Components/windowsPE/amd64_Microsoft-Setup_neutral/ImageInstall

The tut didn't do anything with it. Is this something to be concerned with? Is there something needed, if so what should I edit?

Many thanks

I've been automating my installs since Windows NT. The advancements in that area are excellent. The WSIM is a great tool, albeit a little convoluted and hard to get used to. I do hand edits on my autounattend.xml files cautiously. I always validate the file through WSIM after a hand edit.

I don't know exactly your problem, but there's a lot of info the xml file carries with it. You always have to rebuild the catalog and xml file if you use a different Windows iso. The xml file also carries the local path for the iso and catalog file. I would try rebuilding with a freshly generated catalog file.

If the file passes validation then then it's good to use. If WSIM is not accepting something you're trying to add you'll have to figure out why it's happening.

CraigHB said:

I don't know exactly your problem, but there's a lot of info the xml file carries with it. You always have to rebuild the catalog and xml file if you use a different Windows iso. The xml file also carries the local path for the iso and catalog file. I would try rebuilding with a freshly generated catalog file.

If the file passes validation then then it's good to use. If WSIM is not accepting something you're trying to add you'll have to figure out why it's happening.

Thanks CraigHB, I did generate a fresh catalog but the same thing happened and I also got further validation issues as I went along the process.

As you say the WSIM takes some getting used to but such is life. I have been looking back over everything and can't find the cause. I assume what it is saying is that a setting has not been altered and therefor it will not be saved and it won't affect anything, though I could be assuming wrongly.

I am just wondering if the current setup is a little different to that when the tut was written and WSIM requires additional input.

Meanwhile I like a challenge so I will battle on and see what I can find.

The setting has not been modified. It will not be saved to the answerfile. Components/windowsPE/amd64_Microsoft-Setup_neutral/ImageInstall

I managed to sort this particular one. The tut didn't deal with the ImageInstall branch that Validate had an issue with. When I set the DiskID to 0 and the PartitionID to 2 the Validation Answer File process didn't report any issues this time. So maybe it's because of a newer WSIM version since the tut was written.

Got a ways to go yet but it is very interesting learning. I'm sure I'm not all the way there and lots more to learn and get to grips with. So not marking post as solved at this time.

I've actually decided to do the disk formatting manually with win10. On win7 I was fully automating it. On win10 I've been leaving that part out so setup stops and displays the disk setup portion. Not a big deal since I just delete existing system disk partitions and let setup go on its merry way creating them how it wants.

The main reason I do disk configuration by hand is it gives me a bail out point before any disk writes. I always run multiple disks and If something doesn't go right, setup can start doing operations on the wrong disk. I've had that happen on win7 before.

That makes a lot of sense. I had to sort a W7 machine yesterday, user didn't want to go to W10. I manually sorted the HD with diskpart and that way managed to save the data partition, he thought was lost.

I seem to recall having some trouble with that pass some years ago when I first starting using WSIM. Without the "install to" and "disk configuration" sections you'll get setup's disk configuration panel. Here's what my winPE settings pass looks like for the win10 iso I'm using;

Code:

    <settings pass="windowsPE">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <SetupUILanguage>
                <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            </SetupUILanguage>
            <InputLocale>en-US</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
            <ImageInstall>
                <OSImage>
                    <InstallFrom>
                        <MetaData wcm:action="add">
                            <Key>/image/index</Key>
                            <Value>1</Value>
                        </MetaData>
                    </InstallFrom>
                </OSImage>
            </ImageInstall>
            <UserData>
                <ProductKey>
                    <Key>XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX</Key>
                </ProductKey>
                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
            </UserData>
        </component>
    </settings>

Kari said:

To fix this validation error, the solution is exactly as what you did: set disk ID and partition number in Configuration pass 1 WindowsPE, in setting ImageInstall > OSImage > InstallTo.


A strange comment! The tutorial step 3.18 quite clearly tells and shows this. Screenshot of that step:


Kari

Sorry Kari I must have been tired, not enough Malt Based Liquid, when I read the tut. It was there in 3.18 as you said. My comment was not intended to besmirch your good name, so I beg your forgiveness.

CraigHB said:

I seem to recall having some trouble with that pass some years ago when I first starting using WSIM. Without the "install to" and "disk configuration" sections you'll get setup's disk configuration panel. Here's what my winPE settings pass looks like for the win10 iso I'm using;

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Thanks CraigHB, but right now I'm having a problem with ADK and therefore WSIM, posted under general on the forum, because for some reason Windows ADK and WindowsPE, though loaded in fall release 1809 and version 1903 (18343) does not work. Both have been installed correctly and appear in Program Files(x86) correctly but when I type WADK or WSIM I get directed to the web and not the utilities on the PC. I assume that this is because they have not been correctly installed on my machines. Still trying to find out what the issue is though, so if you have any thoughts then please let me know.