[ANSWERED] Autologon user via Autounattend.xml

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

Hi, I'm trying to use winreducer on my windows 8.1 but it says that my copy is a windows upgrade copy.. any workaround for this? If not, there should be an option to use winreducer even for upgrade versions.. (i install it from bios, not from windows, though, i downloaded a copy from the Internet as i have a valid serial)

The only option if you want to use your original disk is to use my tutorial here. Currently there is no tool that can decrypt the install.esd file.
Once you capture the installation, you can delete the install.esd file and replace it with the new install.wim.

Thats what I always do. Every month or so, I start up the Virtual installation to update it or tweak it, capture it, and reduce it with Winreducer. Easy peasy  

Worked like a charm, thanks!

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

carlese wrote:

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

You want it in the autounattend.xml, is that correct?
Have a read of this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825104.aspx

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

You want it in the autounattend.xml, is that correct?
Have a read of this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825104.aspx

yes, correct.. so this i the right code or is there something wrong?



By the way i tried to split an image with winreducer and now i don't have the 2 swf files in the folder.. where did they go?  

carlese wrote:

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

You want it in the autounattend.xml, is that correct?
Have a read of this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825104.aspx

yes, correct.. so this i the right code or is there something wrong?

Spoiler :

By the way i tried to split an image with winreducer and now i don't have the 2 swf files in the folder.. where did they go?  

Hi Carlese.
Why do you want to enable the Administrator account? Its recommended to create an account of type Administrator instead. Thats what I do and there is not much I cannot do with that account.
Regarding the code, I am pretty sure to disable password, you need to enter a blank space as below:


Also, if you want to use it permanently, you need to change <LogonCount>5</LogonCount> to a blank space also, I think.

I will verify with my xml at home, as I have unlimited logons and no password.
I will copy that entire section for you

Regarding splitting the wim, I have never done that, so cant help you with that unfortunately..

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

You want it in the autounattend.xml, is that correct?
Have a read of this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825104.aspx

yes, correct.. so this i the right code or is there something wrong?

Spoiler :

By the way i tried to split an image with winreducer and now i don't have the 2 swf files in the folder.. where did they go?  

Hi Carlese.
Why do you want to enable the Administrator account? Its recommended to create an account of type Administrator instead. Thats what I do and there is not much I cannot do with that account.
Regarding the code, I am pretty sure to disable password, you need to enter a blank space as below:

Code:

<AdministratorPassword>
 <Value> </Value>
</AdministratorPassword>

.....

<Password>
  <Value> </Value>
</Password>

Also, if you want to use it permanently, you need to change <LogonCount>5</LogonCount> to a blank space also, I think.

I will verify with my xml at home, as I have unlimited logons and no password.
I will copy that entire section for you

Regarding splitting the wim, I have never done that, so cant help you with that unfortunately..

I don't know, I've always used the Administrator account on my PCs and I got used to it.. Withe the normal account (in the administrators group) is uac and other security confirmation disabled? I know what I'm doind so i don't want the system to ask for a confirmation on every action i take.. If so, i will try to create an "administrator" account named Carlese and see how it works.. The only reason i used Administrator is freedom..

Do this account require an email address? I use locall accounts since i don't use metro at all..

Thanks for your help mate!

carlese wrote:

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

You want it in the autounattend.xml, is that correct?
Have a read of this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825104.aspx

yes, correct.. so this i the right code or is there something wrong?

Spoiler :

By the way i tried to split an image with winreducer and now i don't have the 2 swf files in the folder.. where did they go?  

Hi Carlese.
Why do you want to enable the Administrator account? Its recommended to create an account of type Administrator instead. Thats what I do and there is not much I cannot do with that account.
Regarding the code, I am pretty sure to disable password, you need to enter a blank space as below:

Code:

<AdministratorPassword>
 <Value> </Value>
</AdministratorPassword>

.....

<Password>
  <Value> </Value>
</Password>

Also, if you want to use it permanently, you need to change <LogonCount>5</LogonCount> to a blank space also, I think.

I will verify with my xml at home, as I have unlimited logons and no password.
I will copy that entire section for you

Regarding splitting the wim, I have never done that, so cant help you with that unfortunately..

I don't know, I've always used the Administrator account on my PCs and I got used to it.. Withe the normal account (in the administrators group) is uac and other security confirmation disabled? I know what I'm doind so i don't want the system to ask for a confirmation on every action i take.. If so, i will try to create an "administrator" account named Carlese and see how it works.. The only reason i used Administrator is freedom..

Do this account require an email address? I use locall accounts since i don't use metro at all..

Thanks for your help mate!

For all other accounts, they are enabled by default, but you can turn them off, with WinReducer or manually if you like. But you have full access like in Administrator.
As you can see in the code snippet below, it is part of the Administrators group.

Actually, I was not correct in what I proposed earlier. Here is the relevant section of my autounattend.xml:



You can test it out by opening a previously created ISO, change the relevant section, add it to the ISO, save the ISO with PowerISO and it should still be bootable

Regarding your question to the split wim, I would recommend that you read the help guide pdf that winter attaches to each WinReducer package

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

theKramer wrote:

carlese wrote:

By the way, is it possible to create an Administrator account without password? It worked on winreducer for windows 8.. now i get a red bar if i don't write a password.. thanks!

You want it in the autounattend.xml, is that correct?
Have a read of this: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh825104.aspx

yes, correct.. so this i the right code or is there something wrong?

Spoiler :

By the way i tried to split an image with winreducer and now i don't have the 2 swf files in the folder.. where did they go?  

Hi Carlese.
Why do you want to enable the Administrator account? Its recommended to create an account of type Administrator instead. Thats what I do and there is not much I cannot do with that account.
Regarding the code, I am pretty sure to disable password, you need to enter a blank space as below:

Code:

<AdministratorPassword>
 <Value> </Value>
</AdministratorPassword>

.....

<Password>
  <Value> </Value>
</Password>

Also, if you want to use it permanently, you need to change <LogonCount>5</LogonCount> to a blank space also, I think.

I will verify with my xml at home, as I have unlimited logons and no password.
I will copy that entire section for you

Regarding splitting the wim, I have never done that, so cant help you with that unfortunately..

I don't know, I've always used the Administrator account on my PCs and I got used to it.. Withe the normal account (in the administrators group) is uac and other security confirmation disabled? I know what I'm doind so i don't want the system to ask for a confirmation on every action i take.. If so, i will try to create an "administrator" account named Carlese and see how it works.. The only reason i used Administrator is freedom..

Do this account require an email address? I use locall accounts since i don't use metro at all..

Thanks for your help mate!

For all other accounts, they are enabled by default, but you can turn them off, with WinReducer or manually if you like. But you have full access like in Administrator.
As you can see in the code snippet below, it is part of the Administrators group.

Actually, I was not correct in what I proposed earlier. Here is the relevant section of my autounattend.xml:

Code:

      <UserAccounts>
        <LocalAccounts>
          <LocalAccount wcm:action="add">
            <Name>User name here</Name>
            <Group>Administrators</Group>
            <Password>
              <PlainText>true</PlainText>
              <Value />
            </Password>
          </LocalAccount>
        </LocalAccounts>
      </UserAccounts>

You can test it out by opening a previously created ISO, change the relevant section, add it to the ISO, save the ISO with PowerISO and it should still be bootable

Thanks, solved it out.. by the way is there an option to never ask for serial after the installation? I want an universal image for me and my friends, everyone can put its own serial after.. is there a way?

How can i remove this with autounattend or winreducer?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RCILRwCNeZ8/TneOUzLLbyI/AAAAAAAABek/dmeZ8JxL6Fs/s1600/clave_windows_8.png

Thanks!

Simply open google.com and enter "install windows 8 without key" and here you GO  

caphp wrote:

Simply open google.com and enter "install windows 8 without key" and here you GO  

I already have the ei.cfg file in my iso and it worked before using winreducer.. after it asks always for a product key!

Help please..

I'm not sure how.
I downloaded the windows 8.1 pro x64 iso via technet, extracted it into a folder and add this ei.cfg



When I start testing something new with winreducer, I always use this extracted folder with the ei.cfg and I was never asked for a key while installing.

caphp wrote:

I'm not sure how.
I downloaded the windows 8.1 pro x64 iso via technet, extracted it into a folder and add this ei.cfg

Code:

[EditionID]
Professional

[Channel]
Retail

[VL]
0


When I start testing something new with winreducer, I always use this extracted folder with the ei.cfg and I was never asked for a key while installing.

I did the same and not working.. maybe i renamed the image wrong or something..

Hello,

Take care about one thing, if you use a recent laptop or company computer, they embed in the Bios a serial key (I forgot the name). If it's the case you don't need any serial or ei.cfg. Windows 8.1 will read automatically the serial key. Maybe this help ?

winterstorm2050 wrote:

Hello,

Take care about one thing, if you use a recent laptop or company computer, they embed in the Bios a serial key (I forgot the name). If it's the case you don't need any serial or ei.cfg. Windows 8.1 will read automatically the serial key. Maybe this help ?

Nope.. the problem is this:

Before trying to use winreducer i had an iso file with ei.cfg and everything worked great.. then i used sysprep (installed all updates and office, imagex the install.wim and createad a new iso) and then i used winreducer to remove things.. now it keeps asking me for the serial, before it never asked.. so i don't know if there is a problem with winreducer or with windows AIK or the image name..

Hi carlese.
Its not the image name, as its always install.wim.
Did you try to copy back the file ei.cfg manually to the reduced iso, before creating the iso in winreducer?

theKramer wrote:

Hi carlese.
Its not the image name, as its always install.wim.
Did you try to copy back the file ei.cfg manually to the reduced iso, before creating the iso in winreducer?

Yes I tried to copy my ei.cfg to the iso and overwrite the old one but still asks for the serial.. what i'm gonna try now is to reduce the iso before entering sysprep (for the updates and office integration)and see what happens..

Edit: tried again and still the same result.. i am trying on a VM, maybe on a real machine it will work..

Hi carlese.
Did you try doing it without sysprep? 
See my other guide in the tutorials section.

You only need Sysprep if you want to deploy image to a number of different computers.

If like me, you only want to install to one PC, you dont need Sysprep and therefore save yourself a lot of time also. See my guide in the tutorials section.

theKramer wrote:

Hi carlese.
Did you try doing it without sysprep? 
See my other guide in the tutorials section.

You only need Sysprep if you want to deploy image to a number of different computers.

If like me, you only want to install to one PC, you dont need Sysprep and therefore save yourself a lot of time also. See my guide in the tutorials section.

Hi.. what I call sysprep is actually the shift+f3 thing, don't know if sysprep is the correct name.. i need to do this because everyone in my family uses my images.. the only flaw is the screen in which i have to enter a serial.. of course i can press ignore and then it boots into windows, but it would be great not to have that screen at all, like in windows 8..

May i add something.. this is my ei.cfg

[EditionID]

Professional

[Channel]

Retail

[VL]

1

It should automatically skip the oobe serial, and it does.. but after i reduce the iso it asks me for a serial, so it seems like there is something in winreducer that doesn't allow to proceed.. can you point me to the right direction???