Hi David,
Here is a method to accomplish what you are wanting to do:
Perform an unattended installation that uses an answer file. An unattended
installation allows you to define the installation folder by using the
TargetPath=<WinDir> parameter. You can even accomplish this while you are
booting from the Windows XP installation CD-ROM. Follow these steps:
1. Using Notepad or another text editor, create a file that is named
Winnt.sif and that contains the following parameters:
[Unattended]
UnattendMode=GuiAttended
OemPreinstall=No
TargetPath=<OldWinDir> <-Match the original folder name
[data]
unattendedinstall=yes
msdosinitiated=0
Make sure that the file name is Winnt.sif and that the file name does not
end with a .txt extension.
2. Save the Winnt.sif file to a floppy disk, and then boot from the
Windows installation CD-ROM while the floppy disk is in the floppy disk
drive. Windows Setup reads the Winnt.sif file and uses the folder name
that is specified in the TargetPath parameter instead of using the
default \Windows folder.
For additional information about performing an unattended installation,
click the article number below
to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
KBLink:314459.KB.EN-US: How to Perform Unattended Windows Installation
from CD-ROM
Regards,
Ken Simmons
Microsoft Technical Support for Platforms and Business Applications