Unattended setup (Sysprep & unattend.xml) is not working for me

I've been trying to create a customized Win10 Pro (Build 1903) install image for the last week or so. No matter how many tutorials I follow, answer files I create, or installs I perform, I just cannot get it to work properly. Every time I go to install Windows from my custom image file, Setup still

• Asks my language, time and currency, and keyboard layout
• Whether I want to actually install or repair my computer
• Prompts me for the product key
• Forces me to accept the EULA
• Gives me the option for "Upgrade" or "Custom" install
• Makes me choose which hard disk to install to

I want my answer file to take care of all of this so our technicians who deploy it don't have to concern themselves with it.

I've followed tutorials on Ten Forums, Win10Guru, docs.microsoft.com, and many others. I've made my own with the Windows System Image Manager and I've used the Answer File Generator online. I've copied and pasted others I've found online. Nothing seems to work. Now, my most recent answer file, generated completely by the official WSIM, crashes Setup altogether. It says it cannot parse or process the file for oobeSystem and mentions component Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup.

Here's my answer file:

Code:

<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<SetupUILanguage>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
</SetupUILanguage>
<InputLocale>0409:00000409</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
<UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
</component>
<component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
<DiskConfiguration>
<Disk wcm:action="add">
<CreatePartitions>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Size>450</Size>
<Type>Primary</Type>
</CreatePartition>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>2</Order>
<Size>100</Size>
<Type>EFI</Type>
</CreatePartition>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>3</Order>
<Size>16</Size>
<Type>MSR</Type>
</CreatePartition>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>4</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<ModifyPartitions>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>WinRE</Label>
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
<TypeID>DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC</TypeID>
</ModifyPartition>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Format>FAT32</Format>
<Label>System</Label>
<Order>2</Order>
<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>3</Order>
<PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>Windows</Label>
<Letter>C</Letter>
<Order>4</Order>
<PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
</Disk>
</DiskConfiguration>
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<Key>VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T</Key>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</ProductKey>
<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
<FullName>**********</FullName>
<Organization>**********</Organization>
</UserData>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="oobeSystem">
<component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<InputLocale>0409:00000409</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
<UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
<UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
</component>
<component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<AutoLogon>
<Password/>
</AutoLogon>
<ClientApplications/>
<DesktopOptimization/>
<Display/>
<FirstLogonCommands/>
<FolderLocations/>
<LogonCommands/>
<OEMInformation/>
<OEMWelcomeCenter/>
<OEMWelcomeCenterLinks/>
<OOBE>
<VMModeOptimizations>
<SkipAdministratorProfileRemoval>false</SkipAdministratorProfileRemoval>
</VMModeOptimizations>
<HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
<HideLocalAccountScreen>true</HideLocalAccountScreen>
<HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
<HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
<HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>
<ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
<UnattendEnableRetailDemo>false</UnattendEnableRetailDemo>
</OOBE>
<UserAccounts>
<AdministratorPassword>
<Value>
**********
</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</AdministratorPassword>
<LocalAccounts>
<LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
<Password>
<Value>**********</Value>
<PlainText>false</PlainText>
</Password>
<Description>Administrator Account</Description>
<DisplayName>Installer</DisplayName>
<Group>Administrators</Group>
<Name>Installer</Name>
</LocalAccount>
</LocalAccounts>
</UserAccounts>
<VisualEffects/>
<WindowsFeatures/>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<component xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS">
<OEMInformation/>
<CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
<ComputerName>*</ComputerName>
<OEMName>**********</OEMName>
<RegisteredOrganization>**********</RegisteredOrganization>
<RegisteredOwner>**********</RegisteredOwner>
<TimeZone>035</TimeZone>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" cpi:source="wim://nmx-lt/my%20stuffwin10cm/iso_files/sources/install.wim#Nomax_Win10"/>
</unattend>

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong??

nomaxtech said:

I've followed tutorials on Ten Forums, Win10Guru, docs.microsoft.com, and many others.

Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong??

First, welcome to Ten Forums.

Please do not take this wrong: I have written each and every Sysprep and Windows image customization tutorial and instructions post you can find both here on Ten Forums, and on Win10.guru. Every single of them is valid, instructions correct, and if user follows them, the answer files and custom deployment will work.

The same can be said from docs.microsoft.com; I've never seen them to post invalid instructions regarding this topic.

Your answer file does not follow any instructions found in my tutorials or Microsoft Docs. It contains loads of unnecessary properties and settings, has errors, and does not pass validation.

I am trying to clean up your answer file, and will do test installs using it on both physical and virtual machines. This might take half an hour, even a full hour, but I will for sure post back as soon as ready.

Kari

Hi Kari,

Thank you! I'm honored to be greeted by you! Your name is all over this place. Not taken the wrong way at all! I recognize your name from nearly every tutorial I've followed on this subject. You've been a wonderful help! Instructions are crystal clear and the screen shots are on point. I can't thank you enough for the effort you've put into this!

That being said, I wonder why my answer file has so many errors... This most recent time, I followed every instruction found here:

Windows 10 Unattended install media – Part 2: Answer file for Windows Setup – Win10.Guru

And even ran it through validation afterwards. It notified me that it would remove anything left unchanged but it had no hard errors. After that, the answer file is 100% directly out of the WSIM with no manual editing or changes. I put it in my image and tried installing, and this is where I am.

I'm building the custom image in a VMWare virtual machine and I have snapshots of it saved along the way so I can quickly go back to any point during its build. No matter what I try though, I cannot get setup to be truly unattended.

Thank you for your assistance!

Jim

nomaxtech said:

I followed every instruction found here: Windows 10 Unattended install media – Part 2: Answer file for Windows Setup – Win10.Guru

Much easier, use the Ten Forums tutorial instead. It combines all steps in one tutorial: Create media for automated unattended install of Windows 10

nomaxtech said:

And even ran it through validation afterwards. It notified me that it would remove anything left unchanged but it had no hard errors.

This is what I see when I open your answer file in WSIM:


(Click to enlarge.)

Yellow highlight in Answer file pane (top middle) shows a bunch of unnecessary, empty not used settings. In addition to errors shown as white X on red circle in Messages pane at bottom, those unnecessary settings are marked with exclamation point on yellow triangle.

First severe error comes already in disk setup. If, as in your answer file, partition setting Extend = FALSE is used, then the size must be given, but size is missing in your file:



I am working on it, this will really take some time. I'll post back as soon possible.

Kari

nomaxtech said:

This was the error I was getting at the end of the install. I removed that entire component.

That error was caused by wrongly configured, most probably unnecessary setting Autologon. It is used to tell credentials for pre-configured user, which will be logged in automatically (same as netplwiz command).

That setting was in your answer file like this:

Code:

            <AutoLogon>
                 </Password>
             </AutoLogon>

It's missing username completely, and only end tag for password is shown. Here's an example of correctly configured Autologon setting:

Code:

            <AutoLogon>
                <Password>
                    <Value>VABpAHQAeQBzAG8AZgB0ADEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </Password>
                <Username>Kari</Username>
            </AutoLogon>

I am still working with your answer file, but it seems to take some time. Thanks to my insomnia (it's half past two AM here) and a nice bottle of whisky I got, I will continue until I have found all errors, doing it without any consultation fees... (wink wink ).

Kari

OK, this is the corrected and cleaned answer file. It must be saved as autounattend.xml on root of install media:

Code:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
    <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>0409:00000409</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
            <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">
            <DiskConfiguration>
                <Disk wcm:action="add">
                    <CreatePartitions>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <Size>450</Size>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <Size>100</Size>
                            <Type>EFI</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <Size>16</Size>
                            <Type>MSR</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                        <CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Extend>true</Extend>
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <Type>Primary</Type>
                        </CreatePartition>
                    </CreatePartitions>
                    <ModifyPartitions>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>WinRE</Label>
                            <Order>1</Order>
                            <PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
                            <TypeID>DE94BBA4-06D1-4D40-A16A-BFD50179D6AC</TypeID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>FAT32</Format>
                            <Label>System</Label>
                            <Order>2</Order>
                            <PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Order>3</Order>
                            <PartitionID>3</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                        <ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
                            <Format>NTFS</Format>
                            <Label>Windows</Label>
                            <Letter>C</Letter>
                            <Order>4</Order>
                            <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                        </ModifyPartition>
                    </ModifyPartitions>
                    <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                    <WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
                </Disk>
            </DiskConfiguration>
            <UserData>
                <ProductKey>
                    <Key>VK7JG-NPHTM-C97JM-9MPGT-3V66T</Key>
                </ProductKey>
                <AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
                <Organization>Ten Forums</Organization>
            </UserData>
            <ImageInstall>
                <OSImage>
                    <InstallTo>
                        <DiskID>0</DiskID>
                        <PartitionID>4</PartitionID>
                    </InstallTo>
                </OSImage>
            </ImageInstall>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="oobeSystem">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core" 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">
            <InputLocale>0409:00000409</InputLocale>
            <SystemLocale>en-US</SystemLocale>
            <UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
            <UILanguageFallback>en-US</UILanguageFallback>
            <UserLocale>en-US</UserLocale>
        </component>
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-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">
            <OOBE>
                <HideEULAPage>true</HideEULAPage>
                <HideOEMRegistrationScreen>true</HideOEMRegistrationScreen>
                <HideOnlineAccountScreens>true</HideOnlineAccountScreens>
                <HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>true</HideWirelessSetupInOOBE>
                <ProtectYourPC>1</ProtectYourPC>
                <UnattendEnableRetailDemo>false</UnattendEnableRetailDemo>
            </OOBE>
            <UserAccounts>
                <AdministratorPassword>
                    <Value>UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkADEAQQBkAG0AaQBuAGkAcwB0AHIAYQB0AG8AcgBQAGEAcwBzAHcAbwByAGQA</Value>
                    <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                </AdministratorPassword>
                <LocalAccounts>
                    <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
                        <Password>
                            <Value>UABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkADEAUABhAHMAcwB3AG8AcgBkAA==</Value>
                            <PlainText>false</PlainText>
                        </Password>
                        <Description>Administrator Account</Description>
                        <DisplayName>Installer</DisplayName>
                        <Group>Administrators</Group>
                        <Name>Installer</Name>
                    </LocalAccount>
                </LocalAccounts>
            </UserAccounts>
            <RegisteredOrganization>Ten Forums</RegisteredOrganization>
            <TimeZone>Eastern Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
    </settings>
    <settings pass="specialize">
        <component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-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">
            <CopyProfile>true</CopyProfile>
            <OEMName>Ten Forums</OEMName>
            <RegisteredOrganization>Ten Forums</RegisteredOrganization>
            <TimeZone>Eastern Standard Time</TimeZone>
        </component>
    </settings>
</unattend>

You can download it here:

Download

Open it in Notepad, and replace all instances of Ten Forums with the name of your organization:



Kari

See my previous post (post #7), it is your answer file repaired and cleaned. It works for 100% sure, deploying Windows 10 PRO on any UEFI / GPT machine. It has US Eastern Time as time zone, your "Installer" admin account set up. I added password for built-in admin account, quite an important in enterprise / corporate deployment.

Change the organization name as I told in that previous post of mine, then open the answer file in WSIM and change password for built-in admin:



Also, change password for your local admin account Installer:



Now it's ready to be used. Remember, save it as autounattend.xml, not unattend.xml on root of install media.

I will check your last, edited answer file and try to find why it fails for you.

Kari

Just to let you know, I am still doing tests (past 5:30 AM here). It interests me why your unattended deployment does not work. Anyway, the answer file I posted, worked on both physical and virtual machines when I tested deployment.

Kari