Windows Network Install

[TheQuirk]

Is it even possible? Google search didn't help. Maybe I missed something?

[Master of Reality]

what do you want?
If you are asking how to isntall windows over a network, then you are on the wrong website. try asking the hillbillies at www.windowsbbs.com

[TheQuirk]

I'm asking if it's possible, you monkey.

[saddlemagic]

Anything is possible. Next question.

[Master of Reality]

exactly, of course its possible... it might take breaking into MS and stealing their sourse code then modifying it extensively, but it is possible, it might not be feasible though, but thats relatively speaking. And of course you can relate anything to something and something to anything so therefore it can be done be done feasibly too.

[ August 16, 2002: Message edited by: Master of Reality / Bob ]

[mobrien_12]

I do know you could install the Win95 Upgrade version through a network if you had a working Win 3.11 setup with networking.

Was kindof useful back in 95.  Buy two liscences of win95 upgrade, and upgrade 2 computers through cdrom instead of floppys, even if one comp. had no CDROM drive.

[voidmain]

I've installed Windows 3.11 through Win2k over the network using a custom boot disk that I created. Haven't tried XP, nor will I.

Another hint. The boot disk I created was DOS 6.22 and Workgroups for DOS based, had drivers for all of the network cards and CDROMs used on our corporate network. Was TCP/IP based and obtained an address via DHCP and used NetBIOS over TCP/IP to map network drives. This was a pretty ingenious disk as it all fit on a single floppy and could be created by clicking on a web page link.  But the disk isn't important.  Being able to map a network drive from a DOS booted floppy is.

If installing NT or 2K from a network drive (just need the I386 directory from the install CD on the network) you run the "winnt" command from that directory on the mapped drive with options.  I believe if you do a "winnt /?" you will get install options.  The gist of NT/2K is the first thing it will do is copy all of the installation files to an area on the local hard disk and bootstrap the install from there.

Microsoft also has a utility that I beleive is freely downloadable that can do a scriptable network install for a custom installation. Don't remember what that is called but we never used it. But what we normally did is create a standard PowerQuest DriveImage image of a standard workstation install and from my network boot disk you could run DriveImage from a network mapped drive and install an image from another mapped network drive or CD (if you could create a small enough image to fit on CD).

So it is possible, and the above are some hints.  You should be able to pick from the above or use different techniques.