Earlier this week, we talked about generating and downloading the Unattend.xml or Autounattend.xml answer file required to perform an unattended install of Windows 10. For the uninitiated, an unattended installation is nothing but a type of installation which requires no input from the user during the installation. The autounattend.xml helps us to automate the installation of Windows 10.
Since most users prefer installing Windows using a bootable USB as installation media instead of a traditional DVD, in this guide, we will see how to prepare unattended Windows 10 USB and perform an unattended installation of Windows 10 from it.
Prepare unattended Windows 10 USB
NOTE: In this guide, we have used a Windows 8.1 PC to prepare the unattended Windows 10 USB. The same procedure works great on Windows 7 and Windows 10 as well.
Step 1: The first step is to generate the Autounattend.xml answer file for Windows 10. To do so, visit this page of Windows Answer File Generator, enter your product key, and other required details.
The only thing that you need to be very careful is the partition settings. Be sure to select the right disk, partition, partition format, partition letter, and partition order.
If you have plenty of disk space on the drive where you plan to install Windows 10, then select No for Wipe Disk. The Install to disk is the number of the disk on which you’re going to install Windows 10. You can check the disk number by opening Disk Management.
Select the partition format as NTFS, and double-check the drive letter by opening This PC or Computer before selecting the main partition letter. The Partition order number can be found by launching Disk Management.
Likewise, configure other settings.
Step 2: Once the Autounattend.xml is configured, scroll down the page, and then click Download File link to download Autounattend.xml on to your PC.
Step 3: Next, prepare the bootable USB of Windows 10 of either using Rufus or Command Prompt. If you’re not sure how to make the bootable USB of Windows 10, please go through our how to prepare bootable USB of Windows 10 guide.
Step 4: Once the bootable USB of Windows 10 is ready, move the Autounattend.xml file that you downloaded in Step 2 to the root of the USB. The root of the USB is the place that appears when you double-click on the USB drive.
Your unattended Windows 10 USB is ready now. Connect it to the PC, make necessary changes to boot from USB, restart your PC, press any key when asked to do so to boot from USB, and begin the unattended installation of Windows 10.
Sit back and watch the unattended installation of Windows 10. Good luck!
To prepare unattended ISO of Windows 10
Preparing an unattended Windows 10 ISO is not an easy job as we need to edit the ISO file to place the Autounattend.xml file in the root, and none of the free software allows you easily add or edit bootable Windows ISO image file.
To prepare unattended Windows 10 ISO, here is what you need to do:
Step 1: First, configure and download the Autounattend.xml file by following instructions mentioned in the above method.
Step 2: Next, place the Autounattend.xml file in the root of the ISO by following our how to edit a bootable Windows ISO file guide. The procedure to edit the bootable Windows ISO, although it is easy, it’s time-consuming. That said, you should be able to edit the ISO and prepare the unattended ISO in less than 20 minutes on most PCs.
If you follow the instructions in the guide without any deviations, you will have a bootable and unattended Windows 10 ISO. That’s it!
