How to Automatically Log On After an Unattended Setup

• Microsoft Windows NT Server version 4.0
• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation version 4.0

SUMMARY

This article describes how to automatically log on to a Windows NT 4.0- based computer after an unattended Setup. By default, Setup restarts the computer and waits for user input at the Press CTRL+ALT+DELETE To Log On dialog box after an unattended Setup. The method in this article allows Windows NT 4.0 to automatically process the logon using the Administrator account to provide access to the desktop without user intervention. Note that this works only on the initial logon after Windows NT 4.0 Setup is finished.

MORE INFORMATION

To enable automatic logon during unattended Setup, follow these steps:

1. Create a new share on a network server and then copy the i386 folder (or appropriate platform folder) from the Windows NT 4.0 CD-ROM to the new share.



2. Using any text editor (such as Notepad), add the following entry to the [Unattended] section of the Unattend.txt file:
   

   
         OEMPreinstall = Yes 




3. Add the following entry to the [GUIUnattended] section of the Unattend.txt file:
   

   
         OEMBlankAdminPassword = 1 

   
   For additional information about parameters for the Unattend.txt file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q155197
   TITLE : Unattended Setup Parameters for Unattend.txt File




4. Save and then close the Unattend.txt file.



5. Create a new folder named $OEM$ in the share you created in step 1.



6. In the $OEM$ folder, create a file with the following entries. Save the file as <filename>.inf, where <filename> is your choice of names, for example, Mychange.inf.
   

   
         [Version]
         Signature = "$Windows NT$"
   
         [DefaultInstall]
         AddReg = AddReg
   
         [AddReg]
         HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
            \Winlogon","DefaultUserName",,"administrator"
         HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
            \Winlogon","DefaultPassword",,""
         HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion
            \Winlogon","AutoAdminLogon",,"1" 

   
   NOTE: These lines should be continuous. They were wrapped and indented for ease of readability.
   
   The below line is used to control the default Domain/Machine name to logon too. If using unattended setup to JOIN a domain. The default is the domain name. Add this line if you want to logon to the machine name, for example, machine name is MACHINENAME:
   

   
         HKLM,"SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
            NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon","DefaultDomainName",,"Machinename" 




7. In the $OEM$ folder, create a file named Cmdlines.txt. This file should contain the following entries including the quotation marks surrounding the entry:
   

   
         [Commands]
         "rundll32 setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 128
            .\<filename>.inf" 

   
   NOTE: This line should be continuous. It was wrapped and indented for ease of readability. The .\ stands for current directory and there should be a space after 128.
   
   Make sure to replace <filename> in this line with the name of the file you created in step 6.

Additional query words: deployment sysdiff unattend

Keywords          : kbsetup ntsetup nthowto NTSrvWkst 
Version           : 4.0
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbhowto 

Last Reviewed: January 27, 1999