Windows® System Image Manager (Windows SIM) displays the properties and settings of a selected component or package in the Properties pane. The component settings available to edit for each configuration pass can be managed and viewed in the Properties pane. You can also view properties and IDs where applicable. In the case of packages, editable Windows feature selections are displayed. Settings that are not available for each component or package appear grayed out. Settings that have been edited appear in bold.
What are Component Settings?
Component settings are the configurable aspects of each
component in a Windows® 7 installation for unattended setup.
For example, the Internet Explorer component setting
Home_Page can be configured to open to a particular
URL by configuring the default value of the setting in the
Properties pane of Windows SIM.
What are Component Properties?
The component properties are non-configurable attributes of the component. Component properties display differently when the component is added to the currently open answer file. The following table lists component properties for components that have been added to an answer file.
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
|
AppliedConfigurationPass |
The configuration pass that all child settings are applied to. |
|
Component |
The root ComponentSetting object that this setting override belongs to. |
|
Path |
The path to the setting from the component. The path appears in the following format: SettingName1/SettingName2/... |
|
Enabled |
Indicates whether the component has been installed. A setting of
|
What are Component IDs?
The component ID uniquely identifies the component of the operating system to which the settings belong. The ID contains the name, version, architecture, etc., for the component selected in the Windows Image pane or Answer File pane.
| ID | Description |
|---|---|
|
Language |
Specifies the language code. For more information, see the Language Codes in the MSDN Library. |
|
Name |
Specifies the long name of the component or package. |
|
ProcessorArchitecture |
Specifies the processor architecture of the component or
package. Some valid values include |
|
PublicKeyToken |
Specifies the public key token of the component or package. This is a string of 16 hexadecimal digits. Hash value of MS public key. The value is unique for MS and prevents ID collision. |
|
Version |
Specifies the version of the Windows component or package. |
|
VersionScope |
Specifies the version scope of the Windows component or package.
The possible values are |
What are Package Properties?
The package properties are non-configurable attributes of the package. Package properties appear when you highlight a package in the Windows Image pane or Answer File pane.
| Package property | Description |
|---|---|
|
CompanyName |
Specifies the name of the company that created the package. |
|
Copyright |
Specifies the copyright disclaimer of the package. |
|
Description |
Specifies the description of the package. |
|
Id |
Specifies the identifier for the package. The format is: ProcessorArchitecture_Version_Language_PublicKeyToken_VersionScope |
|
Keyword |
Specifies the keyword of the package. |
|
Path |
Specifies the file system path of the package file. This is blank if the package is from a Windows image. |
|
ProductName |
Specifies the product name that this package applies to. |
|
ProductVersion |
Specifies the product version that this package applies to. |
|
ReleaseType |
Specifies the PackageReleaseType of this package. PackageReleaseType is an enumeration that is documented in the Component Platform Interface (CPI) Reference. |
|
SupportInformation |
Specifies the support information for the package. This can contain contact information about the package author. |
What are Package Settings?
Package settings are the configurable attributes of the package selected in the Answer File pane. Package settings appear only when the package is selected in the Answer File pane because that is when you can edit them.
| Setting name | Available settings |
|---|---|
|
Action |
The action to be performed on the package within the answer file. Possible actions are Install, Configure, Remove, or Stage. |
|
PermanenceType |
Removable, permanent. Permanence types are members of the PackageActionType and must be documented in the Component Platform Interface (CPI) Reference. |
|
PrimarySourcePath |
The primary file system path that is the source of the package file. If the package is from a Windows image, this will be blank. |
Right-Click Menu Options
The following menu options are available by right-clicking a setting in the Properties pane.
| Menu options | Description | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
revert change |
Reverts to the previous state or setting. This option removes the entry for the setting from the answer file. The setting remains unchanged after the Unattend.xml answer file has been applied. |
||||
|
write empty string |
Writes the XML equivalent of an empty string for the setting in the answer file. By default, if no value is specified, the setting will be omitted from the answer file. However, you can specifically write an empty value for a string type in an answer file by using this option. This option applies to string types only.
|
||||
|
write image value |
Creates an entry for the setting in the answer file with the value of the setting currently in the Windows image. |
What are .NET Types in Windows System Image Manager?
.NET types appear at the bottom of the Properties pane. Component settings have a type that describes the kind of data that is valid for that setting. These types are mapped to their equivalent .NET types in Windows SIM. This section lists the possible types that can be associated with component settings.
| .NET type | Parameters | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
System.Byte |
0 to 255 |
Unsigned 8-bit integer |
|
System.SByte |
-128 to 127 |
Signed 8-bit integer |
|
System.UInt16 |
0 to 65,535 |
Unsigned 16-bit integer |
|
System.Int16 |
-32,768 to 32,767 |
Signed 16-bit integer |
|
System.UInt32 |
0 to 4,294,967,295 |
Unsigned 32-bit integer |
|
System.Int32 |
-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647 |
Signed 32-bit integer |
|
System.UInt64 |
0 to 18,446,744,073,709,551,615 |
Unsigned 64-bit integer |
|
System.Int64 |
-9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807 |
Signed 64-bit integer |
|
System.Boolean |
true | false |
Boolean data |
|
System.String |
Represents text as a series of Unicode characters |
String data |
What are Array Types?
Some component settings require arrays of data. These arrays are mapped to their equivalent .NET array types in Windows SIM. This section lists the possible array types associated with component settings.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
|
System.String[] |
Array of System.String |
|
System.Byte[] |
Array of System.Byte |
|
System.SByte[] |
Array of System.SByte |
What are List Items?
Settings are sometimes organized into groups called list items. List items specify one or more values for a list item type. A list item type may include one or more component settings. For example, you can create multiple favorites links by using the FavoriteItem setting for Internet Explorer.
You add a list item by right-clicking the setting for a container. For example, you can add a FavoriteItem list item by right-clicking the FavoritesList container in the Answer File pane. For more information, see Customize a Setting in an Answer File.
Key Settings for List Items
Each list item must have a unique identifier, which is known as the key for that specific list item. When you modify the key setting for the list item, the key identifier appears in brackets ([]) next to the list item in the Answer File pane.
List Item Actions
The following describes actions available for list items when you use Windows SIM.
Add a New List Item
Windows SIM enables you to add a number of list items to the currently open answer file. On the Setting Action drop-down list, select the AddListItem option. You must also add a unique key setting to the list item. The unique key setting appears in brackets ([]) next to the list item in the tree view of the Answer File pane. A plus sign (+) appears, indicating the list item is added to the Windows image when the unattended answer file is run.
Delete a List Item
Windows SIM enables you to delete a list item defined in a Windows image file. On the Setting Action drop-down list, select the RemoveListItem option. A minus sign (-) appears, indicating that the list item is deleted from the image when the unattended answer file is run.
Modify a List Item
Windows SIM enables you to modify a list item defined in a Windows image (.wim) file. To change the default value for an existing list item, select Modify in the Properties pane and enter the updated information under settings. The updated list item setting is added to the answer file.