Customize Windows installations by Using Answer Files to Automate an Installation Process

            An answer file is an XML file that contains information that is passed to the Windows Setup process. For example, an answer file can contain information on how to partition disks, the location of the Windows image to install, and the product key to apply. It also can contain values that apply to the Windows installation, such as the names of user accounts, display settings, and Internet Explorer favorites. The answer file for Windows Setup typically is named Unattend.xml.

Using an Answer File
           Use an answer file to customize Windows installations so that the versions of Windows operating systems deployed to each destination computer re configured in the same way. The two types of Windows installations are attended and unattended:

• In attended installations, you respond to Windows Setup prompts, selecting options such as the partition to which you want to install and the Windows image to install.
• In unattended installations, which offer many additional options, you automate this process to avoid installation prompts.

Before beginning your deployment process, identify all the requirements of your environment. Consider the following possible requirements:

• Hard drive partitions
• Computer name and domain membership
• Support for BitLocker or a recovery solution
• Additional out-of-box drivers
• Support for multilingual configurations
• Other post-installation modifications to Windows, such as installing additional apps

Settings in an answer file are organized into two sections: components and packages.
Components
          The components section of an answer file contains all the component settings that Windows applies during Windows Setup. You can configure components in different configuration passes: windowsPE, offlineServicing, generalize, specialize, auditSystem, auditUser, and oobeSystem. Each configuration pass represents a different phase of Windows Setup, and not all phases happen during Windows installation.
For example, generalize, auditSystem, and auditUser do not happen during Windows Setup. Settings can be applied during one or more passes. If a setting can be applied in more than one configuration pass, you can choose the pass in which to apply the setting.

Packages
          Microsoft uses packages to distribute software updates, service packs, and language packs. Packages also can comprise Windows features. You can configure packages so that you add them to a Windows image, remove them from a Windows image, or change the settings for features within a package. You can either enable or disable features in Windows. If you enable a Windows feature, the resources, executable files, and settings for that feature are available to users on the system. If you disable a Windows feature, the package resources are not available, but the Windows operating system does not remove the resources from the system. Some Windows features might require that you install other features before you can enable the installed version of the Windows operating system. You must validate your answer file and then add any required packages. For example, you can disable the Windows Media Player feature to prevent end users from running it. However, disabling the package does not remove those resources from the Windows image. The Windows operating system applies packages in an answer file to the Windows image during the offlineServicing configuration pass.