Continued discussion from another thread...
The idea of this thread is to share how to install Windows Server 2012 (Beta) Essentials on a server without display/keyboard. On my part, I installed it on my old WHS server, which is an enhanced (new CPU, more memory) HP MediaSmart server EX 490.
What I did was this:
- Prepare the USB stick (I used the"Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool"); Also copy autounattend.xml to the USB stick; Plug-in the stick at the back of my server (front USB ports don't boot).
- Remove all disks from the server.
- Clean the disk intended as the system disk (I did this in my desktop PC, with DISKPART).
- Install the cleaned disk in the bottom bay.
- Turn on the machine, and wait for a long time (it took almost an hour, much longer than an installation on a virtual machine).
- Browse to the server (http://server/connect)
- Enter data (product key etc.), and wait some more
- Once set-up, proceed with connecting the clients
The autounattend.xml was produced with Windows System Image Manager (aka WSIM).
Here is the autounattend.xml, which works on the system described above:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<unattend xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:unattend">
<settings pass="windowsPE">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-International-Core-WinPE" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<SetupUILanguage>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
</SetupUILanguage>
<InputLocale>de-CH</InputLocale>
<SystemLocale>de-CH</SystemLocale>
<UILanguage>en-US</UILanguage>
<UserLocale>de-CH</UserLocale>
<UILanguageFallback></UILanguageFallback>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<DiskConfiguration>
<Disk wcm:action="add">
<CreatePartitions>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Order>1</Order>
<Size>350</Size>
<Type>Primary</Type>
</CreatePartition>
<CreatePartition wcm:action="add">
<Extend>false</Extend>
<Order>2</Order>
<Type>Primary</Type>
<Size>122880</Size>
</CreatePartition>
</CreatePartitions>
<ModifyPartitions>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Active>true</Active>
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>Boot</Label>
<Order>1</Order>
<PartitionID>1</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
<ModifyPartition wcm:action="add">
<Format>NTFS</Format>
<Label>System</Label>
<Order>2</Order>
<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
</ModifyPartition>
</ModifyPartitions>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<WillWipeDisk>true</WillWipeDisk>
</Disk>
</DiskConfiguration>
<ImageInstall>
<OSImage>
<InstallFrom>
<MetaData wcm:action="add">
<Key>/IMAGE/NAME</Key>
<Value>Windows Server 2012 Essentials</Value>
</MetaData>
</InstallFrom>
<InstallTo>
<DiskID>0</DiskID>
<PartitionID>2</PartitionID>
</InstallTo>
<InstallToAvailablePartition>false</InstallToAvailablePartition>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
</OSImage>
</ImageInstall>
<UserData>
<ProductKey>
<WillShowUI>OnError</WillShowUI>
<Key></Key>
</ProductKey>
<AcceptEula>true</AcceptEula>
<FullName>[Your Name]</FullName>
<Organization>[Your Org]</Organization>
</UserData>
</component>
</settings>
<settings pass="specialize">
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-Shell-Setup" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<ComputerName>Everest</ComputerName>
<RegisteredOrganization>[Your Org]</RegisteredOrganization>
<RegisteredOwner>[Your Name]</RegisteredOwner>
<TimeZone>W. Europe Standard Time</TimeZone>
<ProductKey>XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX</ProductKey>
</component>
<component name="Microsoft-Windows-TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<fDenyTSConnections>false</fDenyTSConnections>
</component>
<component name="Networking-MPSSVC-Svc" processorArchitecture="amd64" publicKeyToken="31bf3856ad364e35" language="neutral" versionScope="nonSxS" xmlns:wcm="http://schemas.microsoft.com/WMIConfig/2002/State" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<FirewallGroups>
<FirewallGroup wcm:action="add" wcm:keyValue="Remote Desktop">
<Active>true</Active>
<Group>@FirewallAPI.dll,-28752</Group>
<Profile>all</Profile>
</FirewallGroup>
</FirewallGroups>
</component>
</settings>
<cpi:offlineImage cpi:source="wim:d:/temp/install/install.wim#Windows Server 2012 Essentials" xmlns:cpi="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:cpi" />
</unattend>
