Share via

Configure a Configuration File to be Unattended (Standard 8)

  • Article

7/8/2014

Learn how to create an unattended configuration file for Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8).

You can configure a configuration file in Windows Embedded 8 Standard (Standard 8) so that it is fully unattended, which means that Image Builder Wizard (IBW) suppresses the user interface that typically appears while it builds an image. If you provide specific settings in the configuration file, IBW can build the image without user intervention after you start it. You use Image Configuration Editor (ICE) to configure the settings in your configuration file.

Note

Help is available on individual settings. To view this help, click on the setting in the Settings tab of the Settings and Properties pane, and then press F1.

Prerequisites

  • You have installed Windows Embedded 8 Standard Toolkit (Standard 8 Toolkit) on your development computer.
  • You have hidden sensitive information in the configuration file. For more information, see Hide Sensitive Data in a Configuration File.
  • You have the following information available:
    • A valid Standard 8 product key.
    • The disk identifier (ID) of the disk where you want to install the image. IBW formats the disk in preparation for the image.
    • The partition identifier (ID) of the partition where you want to install the image, if you do not want to install it on the first available partition. IBW formats this partition in preparation for the image.
    • The language tag for the default system language.
    • The OEM information for the device such as the name of the manufacturer, device model, and a support URL.

Note

The Standard 8 setup process performs several verifications, which rely on your device’s date and time settings. For optimal performance, confirm that your device is set to the correct date and time.

To configure a configuration file to be fully unattended

  1. On your development computer, in Image Configuration Editor (ICE), create a new configuration file or open an existing configuration file.

  2. In the Configuration File pane of ICE, expand the Embedded Core node to display available nodes.

  3. Configure the Standard 8 settings as needed. The settings you configure for Standard 8 are the same as those for Windows 8. For more information on these settings, see the The Unattended Windows Setup Reference.

    To configure the setting, select the appropriate configuration pass in the Filter View By menu, then double-click the setting you wish to configure and add the appropriate value in the Value column. You can specify settings to be applied in one or more configuration passes.

    If you want to add settings for other modules, you must first add the module to the configuration file by right-clicking on the module in the Catalog pane and selecting Add to Configuration File. Then select that module in the Configuration File pane and configure the required settings.

  4. You must also include some settings in your configuration file to prevent the Image Builder Wizard (IBW) UI from displaying. The default behavior of IBW is to display the UI if the required settings are incorrect or unavailable. The following tables show the minimum settings required to perform an unattended installation on a device with a single partition.

    Note

    Unattended setup and deployment can be achieved on systems with multiple volumes and partitions, but the installation partition/volume will need to be specified using the Setup/ImageInstall/OSImage/InstallTo SMI settings shown in Step 5.

    IBW Language and Locale Settings

    Setting path

    Configuration pass

    Description

    Value

    International-Core-WinPE/ InputLocale

    WindowsPE

    Specifies the default language to use on the installed OS.

    Any acceptable value, such as “en-US”

    International-Core-WinPE/ UILanguage

    WindowsPE

    Specifies the default language to use during Windows Setup. During installation, Windows Setup displays installation progress in the selected language.

    Any acceptable value, such as “en-US”

    IBW Dialog Box Settings

    Setting path

    Configuration pass

    Description

    Value

    Setup/ImageInstall/OSImage/ WillShowUI

    WindowsPE

    This setting specifies when to display Standard 8 setup UI pages

    "Never" or "On Error"

    Setup/UserData/ AcceptEula

    WindowsPE

    Specifies whether to accept the Microsoft Software License Terms during IBW.

    "True"

  5. You must also specify where you intend to install Standard 8. You can either specify the exact disk ID and partition ID or you can install Standard 8 to the first available partition.

    Image Installation

    Setting path

    Configuration pass

    Description

    Value

    Setup/ImageInstall/OSImage/InstallTo/ DiskID

    WindowsPE

    Specifies the disk where you want to install Standard 8.

    Any acceptable value, such as "0"

    Setup/ImageInstall/OSImage/InstallTo/ PartitionID

    WindowsPE

    Specifies the partition where you want to install Standard 8.

    "1" (if not using BitLocker)

    or

    Setting path

    Configuration pass

    Description

    Value

    Setup/ImageInstall/OSImage/ InstallToAvailablePartition

    WindowsPE

    Specifies installing Standard 8 to the first available partition.

    "True"

  6. You must also specify the product key for the image being installed.

    Setting path

    Configuration pass

    Description

    Value

    Setup/UserData/ ProductKey

    Specialize

    Contains the 29-character product key to apply to an installation of Standard 8. You must always specify a value for this setting.

    <productkey>

For more information about the settings used to automate Windows Setup and Windows Welcome, see the The Unattended Windows Setup Reference.

See Also

Tasks

Create a Configuration File in Image Configuration Editor