How do I Format my computer with AutoIt

[JLogan3o13]

Whatever makes you feel better

 

[JockoDundee]

4 hours ago, Earthshine said:

This is ridiculous this language cannot perform a format and re-install of windows it is not possible it is an interpreted language that needs a Windows host to operate. once you format the drive there’s no more windows host.

IMO, this is false.  There is always a windows host, even before, during, and after formatting the hard drive.  It’s either loaded from the CD or a USB drive etc...  There’s a command prompt on an x: drive available during installs.

Note: I am not claiming that Autoit can automate windows installs, only that there is always a windows image loaded..

 

 

[Subz]

@JockoDundee - AutoIt wouldn't work on bare-metal systems, it would require at a minimum WinPE but would have limited functionality.  Although in this case you would probably just use CMD to format, partition and image the machine.

@BrunoIvo - Recommend you look at two free Microsoft tools:

Microsoft Deployment Toolkit - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54259
Windows ADK + Windows PE add-on: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/get-started/adk-install

These tools allow you to setup a centralised repository allowing you to automate the entire install of Windows, including formatting, partitioning and installing Windows, you can also add applications, drivers.  The enterprise tool, Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (aka SCCM) uses the same framework so it's a good starting point if you want to learn how to deploy OS correctly.

[Earthshine]

5 hours ago, JockoDundee said:

IMO, this is false.  There is always a windows host, even before, during, and after formatting the hard drive.  It’s either loaded from the CD or a USB drive etc...  There’s a command prompt on an x: drive available during installs.

Note: I am not claiming that Autoit can automate windows installs, only that there is always a windows image loaded..

 

 

So you have no way to do it just like we told you. This is all I’m going to say about this and I assure you that you cannot do this with auto IT alone. Ok I’m done with this. Have fun

Edited January 18, 2021 by Earthshine

[JLogan3o13]

10 hours ago, JockoDundee said:

Note: I am not claiming that Autoit can automate windows installs, only that there is always a windows image loaded..

But AutoIt automating format and windows install is the OP's request, and all your side statements and arguments are at this point doing nothing more than derailing the thread. How about we take all the tangential arguments to another thread if you'd like to continue, and cease polluting the original post here.

[JockoDundee]

59 minutes ago, JLogan3o13 said:

How about we take all the tangential arguments to another thread if you'd like to continue, and cease polluting the original post here.

Yeah, well how about I just STFU?

[JLogan3o13]

That works too

[caramen]

You can use AutoIT as a crutch to control and automate another tool. 

I mean you could automate SCCM with AutoIt. You could automate BarMetal OS providing by using your host provider portal/API "with AutoIt" too. 

You could automate anything that you want, until you have a system to give your orders. The only way to do this with AutoIT is to manipulate an already existing tool that will interact with the bios and/or the post bios process of the machine. 

 

So you could do serial masterisation using AutoIT, if you're not using AutoIT "alone".

Edited January 19, 2021 by caramen

[ModemJunki]

Well I will throw my two cents in to this (convoluted) discussion.

In my previous work, I created a fully automated Windows installation that ran from Windows PE to deploy a Windows image (WIM image) and then made custom settings including setting up and formatting partitions on additional disk drives after the WIM image was up and running on the system.  The deployment could deal with multiple types of hardware.

The reason for the PE deployment without something like SCCM was that the systems were isolated from the world at large so effective deployment had to be "stand-alone". Started with CDs as the media and moved to DVD then to USB devices.

Requires that one knows about the Windows deployment tools as well as AutoIT and the inner workings of Windows, etc..

It's not easy but it can be done.

[Subz]

If you only want to create easy customised standalone installs, recommend NTLite https://www.ntlite.com/ comes in a free, home, pro and business editions, extremely easy to use, have used it previously for a couple of small businesses with 10 or less workstations.