Custom Installations for Windows 95: The Basics

You can use the Server-based Setup program to install source files and create setup scripts to automate all kinds of Window 95 installations. After using Server-based Setup to create a basic setup script, you can use a text editor to customize setup scripts for your site.

To install Windows 95 source files on the network

Run Server-based Setup (NETSETUP.EXE), as described in Chapter 4, "Server-Based Setup for Windows 95."

You have several options for customizing Windows 95 when users install Windows 95 using source files on a server. The most basic options include the following:

Create custom MSBATCH.INF files. The custom setup scripts contain predefined settings for all the options that can be specified during Setup, and can contain instructions for installing additional software.
Create user profiles and system policies to customize the desktop and system settings, or to restrict users' abilities to change the configuration.

The following table compares the customization methods formerly used for Windows for Workgroups versus the methods prescribed for Windows 95.

Comparison of Customization Methods

Windows for Workgroups	Windows 95
SETUP.SHH to customize system settings	MSBATCH.INF settings
SETUP.INF to copy additional files or to force Setup options	MSBATCH.INF settings
CONTROL.INF to list incompatible TSRs or force selection of devices or network clients	NETDET.INI for NetWare TSRs; built into Setup for all others
APPS.INF to create PIFs for applications	APPS.INF (same format)
WRKGRP.INI to control workgroup membership	WRKGRP.INI (similar format, with a new entry for Windows 95 features)
[New.Groups] in SETUP.INF for custom program groups	System policies to customize the desktop contents
setup /p to restore program groups; manually copying .GRP files to restore desktop contents	GRPCONV.EXE to convert program groups or restore default menus, as described in Chapter 6, "Setup Technical Discussion"
SYSTEM.INI, WIN.INI, or CONTROL.INI to modify system or desktop settings	For upgrades from Windows 3.x, custom settings are migrated; for the rare cases in which there is no equivalent in the user interface or in system policies, you can still modify INI files

After a setup script and other customization files are created, Windows 95 can be installed automatically by running Setup at each client computer, using the name of the setup script as a command-line parameter. Setup can be run from any of the following:

A login script
From server-based system management software
From a batch file that contains the appropriate setup command line, distributed on floppy disk or by electronic mail