Microsoft KB Archive/250985

= PRB: Missing Product Key in the "Unattend" Answer File Causes an Error Message During a Fully Automated Install =

Article ID: 250985

Article Last Modified on 9/28/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

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This article was previously published under Q250985



SYMPTOMS
If you click the Fully Automated option on the User Interaction page of the Windows 2000 Setup Manager Wizard, you are not prompted for the ProductID value, which is included under the [UserData] section of the Answer file (Unattend.txt). The following error message is displayed during a GUI-mode Setup because of the missing ProductID value:

Unattended Setup is unable to continue because a Setup parameter specified by your system administrator or computer manufacturer is missing or invalid. Setup must therefore ask you provide this information now. Once you have furnished the required information, unattended Setup operation will continue.



CAUSE
The ProductID value is missing under the [UserData] section of the Answer file (Unattend.txt).



RESOLUTION
If you select the Fully Automated option on the User Interaction page of the Windows 2000 Setup Manager Wizard, you must manually add the ProductID value under the [UserData] section of the Winnt.sif file by using a text editor. This is necessary to fully automate the installation of Windows 2000. For example:

Unattend.Txt

[UserData]

ProductID=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX

If you want users to type the Product ID manually, change the install mode from:

UnattendMode=FullUnattended

to:

UnattendMode=DefaultHide

When the UnattendMode parameter is set to FullUnattended, you must include all setup parameters in the Unattend.txt file, and you must provide a value for each setup parameter.

When the UnattendMode parameter is set to DefaultHide, the installation program uses the setup parameter values that are listed in the Unattend.txt file. If a value for a setup parameter is missing from the Unattend.txt file, the installation program displays the error message that is described in the "Symptoms" section of this article, and then waits for the user to type the required information.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a bug in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words: OPK pid RIS RipRep

Keywords: kbprb kbsbk kbsetup KB250985

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