Batchsetup with Compaq videodrivers

I think these files in \Windows\Inf folder.
BTW, when you want to install INF-file you right-click on it and
select Install from menu.

The problem is that I have to edit the files Custom.inf and Layout.inf. I don't know how to do that. What statements must be used to make 'setup' recognize the Compaq drivers?

Hmm, usually setup itself contains INF file, in which you see what
file copied to what location, what string added to registry, ...
etc.

No much help here, sorry.

vbuuren,
I'm studing batch right now. The best I can do is offer you this:
Go to: http://www.masteringcomputers.com/util/win95/batchset.htm
and D/l Batch Setup Version 2.0, install it on a computer that is setup as you want it. Once that's done it will have everything you need to do the batch setup.

save the batch file it produces then ininstall it, as it writes
a lot to your registry.

To clean your registry, get WRP.
WRPV3.ZIP is the Best and easiest Registry Backup/Restore I've Seen. Go To:
http://www.webdev.net/orca/system and Search WRP: Install and backup.
This is a well written batch file driven bakup and restore, so it writes nothing to your system. Far better than Microsofts URU.
===============

Try using the INF Installer (available on Microsoft's WEB site) to add the setup information to the batch install. Hope this helps.

I just downloaded that inf generator file. When run, it lets you choose any inf file from your HD, select the netwrok clients  where you wanna install the drivers and it generates a batch file that actualy CONTAINS the inf file.

http://www.masteringcomputers.com/util/win95/inftool.htm

File is ig.exe.

Hi Bud, thanks for the invite. This is jumping in the middle, but it looks like your close, so I'll just standby here.
Dennis

I have downloaded the INF generator file. I tried to make new INF files with the information included in Compaq.inf (video drivers). That doens't work. The message: "INF files in the selected directory could not be integrated. Need to be Optional Component or Network INF's". I also tried to merge a network INF with the 'Compaq.inf', but the same message appears. Maybe it isn't possible to integrate the Compaq drivers with the INF installer. Still any ideas?

I said let Dennis handle this one, but Smee..??
Regards

Ok vbuuren,
I locked this by answering for one reason. We have invited Dennis
to help us out,
As I said, I'm not that good with batch setup, so i was just waiting for him to showup.
Now, you can reject my answer and request Dennis's help.
I'd like to learn how to do this as bad as you.

I have been told that once the generator is made that the
video.inf can be incorporated but I don't know how.

OK, Dennis. Come help us.

Hi VBuuren, Bud, Mag, Ian:

Since I don't know how your network is setup or how many workstations are involved, I'll provide you with two methods and you can choose which best fits what your situation.

Netware makes it a little more difficult than let's say an NT network because of the need for 8 character path statements, but if you keep that in mind when reading MS documents, there shouldn't be any problems. It seems that MS techs forgot that Netware truncates long file names.

First Method:
================
The first method would be a push installation from the server to the workstation. This is probably the easiest to implement. This amounts to the creation of a directory on the server where you will store a master of the setup you will use and then push it to each workstation. This involves your having to setup one Compaq machine completely, then copying that entire setup up to the server into a special directory. Once this is accomplished, you then log future machines into the server via a dos boot, prepare the hard drive using windows 95 setup files and then copy down the entire setup from the server. For differences in hardware, you just replace INF files that are pertinent to the change.

Second method:
=================
This method is a bit more difficult, but it's designed for complete remote setup with or without user intervention. The remote machine is connected to the network via a dos boot the same as before. If your using netsetup, you have what is referred to as a flat copy of Win95 on the server in a directory having no more than 8 characters, "and you intend to use a shared copy of windows 95 on a network". Just so nothing is lost here, you have a decision to make, is this to be a stand alone install or a shared install of Windows 95 (eg: Win95 runs from the server not the workstation). If it's stand alone, you don't net netsetup to do this.

Your also going to need a couple of other programs other than the INF installer. Your going to need the INF generator and as Bud mentioned Batch 2.0. You will need to create a file called Msbatch.inf. This will contain the installation script as well call other custom INF files as well as other specialized scripts if needed. You may also want to pickup a copy of the Microsoft Windows 95 Resoruce Kit. It's packed with Q&A that will help you immensely.

To install Windows 95 source files on the network and create setup scripts, you must run Server-based Setup under Windows 95, and follow the instructions to do the following:

Copy the Windows 95 source files onto the server.      This is the only step required to make Windows 95 source files available for running Windows 95 Setup from a network source.

For shared installations, create a machine directory for each computer. This step is required for floppy disk-based and remote-boot installations. For computers that start from the hard disk, you must run Windows 95 Setup on each computer, even if the computer will use a machine directory on the network.

Create setup scripts for automated installation of Windows 95 on client computers.
 
Note Run Windows 95 Setup from the directory where SETUP.EXE is stored.
 
The files that make up Server-based Setup are uncompressed files in the ADMIN\NETTOOLS\NETSETUP directory on the Windows 95 compact disc. The program can be run directly from the compact disc, which is the recommended method.

As a side note, the INF tool mentioned above is not the same as the INF generator. The Inf Generator tool (Ig.exe) can help you customize the automatic installation of Windows 95 in a  networking environment.
 
The following are features available in Inf Generator:
 
You can specify separate settings for the company, department, and user when Windows 95 is being installed. This is especially useful when static TCP/IP addresses are assigned.
 
You can configure a batch Setup that prevents icons for The Microsoft Network and the Inbox from being created on the desktop.
 
To install the Inf Generator tool, follow these steps:
 
1. Download the Ig.exe file from one of the services listed below to an empty folder.
2. Double-click the Ig.exe file to extract the files it contains.
3. Double-click the Readme.txt file for installation instructions.
You can find Ig.exe, a self-extracting file, on the following services: Internet (anonymous FTP):
 
ftp ftp.microsoft.com
Change to the PEROPSYS/WIN_NEWS/FREESOFTWARE directory     Get Ig.exe
 
      http://www.microsoft.com/windows/software/servpak1/isprof.htm
 
This should give you and idea of what you need for utilities as well as some choices how you want to do the setup. Let me know what type of setup you want and I'll try and walk you through the process.

Dennis

Thanks Dennis.
I'm going to follow along as I'm avid on having a better understanding of this process.

vbuuren, whenever you want, please reject my answer and request
that Dennis lock your dialog with his answers. You won't be locking others out until you grade the answer.

That way I can take notes:)))

I'm glad to see you here Den
Regards

Thanks Bud, Mag!

Hi Dennis, Bud, Mag (and any others?)

I believe I gave too little information about the overall situation here. I have already made an installation version of Windows 95 on the fileserver. I did this with the program 'netsetup'. I created a default script (MSbatch.inf) with the options I want. After that installation I started 'Batch.exe' (ver 2.0) to set some options that can't be made with 'netsetup'. Then I wanted to implement Intel network drivers. The floppy with the drivers contained a file 'Net82557.inf'. In that script are all names, variables, locations, etc. of the drivers I want to use. I modified that INF file so that I could select a 'netcard' in 'MSbatch.inf'. Following that I started the INFinstaller and selected the (modified) file 'Net82557.inf'. The drivers, scripts, etc. were then automaticly copied to their appropriate directories in the installation version of Windows 95 on the fileserver. The files 'MSbatch.inf', 'Custom.inf' and 'Layout.inf' were also updated. The right network card is automaticly selected when running 'setup' to install a PC. Thus far no problems. After that I tried to do the same with the additional Compaq video drivers. But when I tried to install the file 'Compaq.inf' using the INFinstaller the message: "INF files in the selected directory could not be integrated. Need to be Optional Component or Network INF's". Bad luck... so I studied the script file 'Compaq.inf' to see what actions must be taken to put the drivers in the appropriate directories of the Windows 95 installation set. I succeeded in doing this. I copied the files from the Compaq floppy into the installation set. After doing this the files 'MSbatch.inf', 'Custom.inf' and 'Layout.inf' had to be updated. 'MSbatch.inf' didn't give any trouble of course, but I don't know how to change the other files. I spent a lot of time searching for the right statements, but didn't succeed. So this is what the problem is all about. I prefer to use a tool to put the Compaq drives automatically on the fileserver in the installation set of Windows 95 (like INFinstaller), because that is the easiest way to update drivers (of any kind). Manually making changes in the divers scripts would take a long time. More than 200 PC's had to be installed with the 'batchsetup'. They are all Compaq computers, but netcards and videocards are not all the same. I like to have a flexible installation set where changes can be made in an 'easy' way. I hope this makes the problem quite clear. I am looking forward to your reaction.

Arno

Hi Arno: Great, thanks for the update. What you posted saves a lot of time. Here's what is normally done. There is no flexible way to create these files and edit them. If you followed Novell and/or MS, they would have a server install directory for each different installation or ask you to change the hardware. Bunk, we just made custom 'Custom.inf' and 'Layout.inf' files for the variations and then swapped them out, eg: we would do like groups each time. Obviously this pertains to unattended installs or installs where there is no user intervention. For instance, if we had a group of 20 machines with like hardware, we would pull a floppy or access a drive with the correct scripts and overwrite the existing scripts with the ones we needed for those machines. The only thing that mucks this up occassionally was when someone changed out a card and we weren't told about it. Otherwise we were doing several machines an hour. If you need specifics, let me know!
Dennis

Thanx Dennis,

I think using multiple 'Custom.inf' and 'Layout.inf' files together with different 'MSbatch.inf' files can be a solution in my case. Can you tell me how I can make custom 'Custom.inf'
and 'Layout.inf' files? In each set I want a network card and video card (with my Compaq drivers!). One way or another I have to put several lines in those files, but I don't know how? How does one edit the *.inf files? Do you have an example?

Arno

Arno: You can edit the INF files with Word Pad. Open Word Pad and then click all files instead of docs. Now you can edit any line you please. Since I don't work with compaq, it's hard to come up with an example there, but the INF generator has examples that come with it, and there should be a setuplog.txt on your system that shows you how yours was setup. This will give you some clues that you can use.

Hi Dennis,

It remains difficult  to edit the file 'Custom.inf' and 'Layout.inf', if you don't know what lines to add, remove or modify. I used a trick to implement de 'Compaq.inf' file. With INFinstaller I placed a network.inf in the installation set, so the 'Custom.inf' was updated. After that I replaced the network.inf file within the 'Custom.inf' with the 'Compaq.inf'. I copied the drivers manually to their appropriate directories (trial and error method). Now I can automatically select the Compaq drivers with MSbatch.inf.
It's not a very gentle solution but it works. Many thanks for your help (include all others who tried to help me).
Now another problem......... who am I gonne grade??
I am still expected to grade smeebud's answer.

Arno

Arno. Actually I thought you were aware that the files had to be in the directory being used for the setup. Sorry! As part of the batch process, the INF file you want to use should be in the setup directory and copied to the destination as an early part of the setup process. This way, when windows is called to install that driver, it's in the \windows\inf directory.

As for grading Smeebuds answer, you may reject that answer and then request the party that answered your question to post a psuedo answer that you can grade and accept!
Dennis

Yep, I've been watching, and amazed at how much I don't know about batch and inf setup's. That's why we, magigraf and myself
asked Dennis to come here to help you vbuuren.

I'm sure you've read where i've said reject my answer. I only locked it so this dialog didn't get cluttered with a herd of
"experts":)).

Not only reject my answer but please leave a comment that you want dennis to post his answer.

He certainly deserves the best grade.
And I thank you both for enlightening me.

I want this question answered by Dennis (Dew_associates)
In fact....he already did!
Many thanks
Arno

Dennis,
Thanx for helping me with such a difficult question!
Till the next time.
Arno