Component setting are the configurable aspects of each component in a Windows 7 installation for unattended setup.
The Autounattend.xml is generated using different component settings areas. Below I am sharing a sample Autounattend.xml answer file that includes basic Windows Setup configuration and minimum Windows Welcome customizations. I am creating an answer file using Windows System Image Manager (SIM), a utility for creating and modifying unattended answer files. However, because any answer file can be used to install any Windows image, if there are settings in the answer file for components that do not exist in the Windows image, those settings are ignored. This enables you to validate the settings in the answer file to the settings available in the Windows image. The answer file for Setup is typically called Autounattend.xml or Unattend.xml.Īnswer files created in Windows System Image Manager (Windows SIM) are associated with a particular Windows image. You can also specify values that apply to the Windows installation, such as the names of user accounts, display settings, and Internet Explorer Favorites. In an answer file, you specify various setup options, including how to partition disks, the location of the Windows image to install, and the product key to apply. An “answer file” is an XML-based file that contains setting definitions and values to use during Windows Setup.
