Ok, I want to create an unattended installation of Windows NT 4 Server & one for NT 4 Workstation using bootable CDs.

I can make a bootable cd, and I have my unattend.txt answer file created.

My problem is this:

1.) Cannot get El Torito bootable CD ROM theory to work since NT4 doesn't look for a winnt.sif file in the i386 directory.

2.) Tried using Win9x bootable CD with batch files pointing to the unattend.txt but no dice

3.) Using the Win9x bootable CD I added NTFSPRO and SMARTDRV and use the "lock|y" command to lock the fixed disk in DOS 8.3 format so NT can see the drive to install to, still no dice

4.) Using above mentioned without loading RAMDRIVE on Win9x bootable CD, no dice

I have been working with a very helpful and patient guy via e-mail.
We can't seem to make it work.

Any suggestions are welcome!!!

P.S. It has to be able to run from the CD and I want to be able to configure the partitions manually, but everything else is specified in the answer file.

I don't know about NT4, but with XP you must put your answer file, winnt.sif, on a floppy disk and have it in the drive as soon as the CD boots.

No, actually, with XP, you can recreate the CD, make it bootable using El Torito standards, and copy the winnt.sif file into the i386 directory. No Floppy needed.

But, with NT4, the winnt.sif will not work. That was only for W2K and XP.

Anyone know how to make a bootable unattended install CD of NT4?

Ok, how about editing the setupldr.bin to point to an answer file?

Any ideas?

It has to be named unattend.txt, not winnt.sif like later versions. This page tells how:

http://freespace.virgin.net/bob.beveridge/mcse/wksStudy1.htm

Yes I know.

But I can't figure out a way to get winnt.exe to point to it. I tried batch files, I tried other things, nothing seems to work.

In your batch file try: winnt /b /u:unattended.txt /s:cdrom\i386