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Unattended Install Guide

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Emalfai edited this page Mar 22, 2026 · 1 revision

🪟 Windows Unattended Installation

Install Windows 11 clean and debloated — without clicking through setup screens

❓ What is this?

An autounattend.xml is a special file that automates the Windows installer. Place it on your USB drive or into your ISO, and Windows will configure itself automatically — no extra clicks, no bloatware, no telemetry prompts.

This file does more than skip setup screens. It also runs scripts during installation that remove pre-installed apps, disable tracking, and clean up the interface. You don't need any technical knowledge — just follow one of the installation methods below.

🛠️ Want to customize? This file was generated with Unattend-Generator — you can use it to create your own version

🔧 Integrated with Winrift — a desktop shortcut is created automatically for further post-install tweaks

✨ What You'll Get

After installing Windows with this file, your system will have:

  • 25 bloatware apps removed — no Cortana, Clipchamp, Teams, News, Weather, etc. (full list below)
  • No auto-installing apps — Copilot, OneDrive, Teams, and Outlook won't sneak back in
  • Clean taskbar — no widgets, no search box, no Task View button
  • Empty Start menu — no pinned ads or suggested apps
  • File Explorer opens to "This PC" — with file extensions and hidden files visible
  • No system sounds — startup sound and all event sounds disabled
  • Works on unsupported hardware — TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and RAM checks bypassed
  • SmartScreen disabled — see Warnings for details
  • Winrift desktop shortcut — one-click access to further customization

📥 Installation Guide

Download: autounattend.xml

Method 1 — USB Flash Drive (Simplest)

  1. Create a bootable Windows USB using Rufus, the Media Creation Tool, or Ventoy
  2. Download autounattend.xml
  3. Copy autounattend.xml to the root of the USB drive (same level as setup.exe)
  4. Boot from the USB drive and install Windows as usual — the file is detected automatically

Method 2 — Modify an Existing ISO (AnyBurn)

  1. Download AnyBurn and the autounattend.xml file
  2. Open AnyBurn and select "Edit Image File"
  3. Browse to your Windows ISO file
  4. Click "Add" and select autounattend.xml
  5. Make sure it's placed at the root level (not inside a folder)
  6. Click "Save" to produce the modified ISO
  7. Burn the ISO to a USB drive or mount it for a virtual machine

Method 3 — Automated ISO Build

Use tiny11maker-reforged — a PowerShell script that builds a trimmed-down Windows 11 image (supports 24H2 and 25H2). This strips components at the image level rather than using an answer file, so it produces a smaller ISO.

⚠️ Warnings

SmartScreen is disabled system-wide. It normally blocks unrecognized apps and downloads. Re-enable it anytime via Windows Security > App & browser control.

Windows Defender is NOT disabled — only the tray icon is hidden. Defender still runs in the background. You can show the icon again in Windows Security settings.

Edge SmartScreen and PUA detection are disabled for the default user profile. Re-enable in Edge Settings > Privacy if you want download warnings back.

TPM and Secure Boot checks are bypassed. This allows installation on unsupported hardware, but BitLocker may not work without TPM.

All telemetry is disabled with the most restrictive privacy setting Windows offers.

PowerShell execution policy is set to RemoteSigned. Local scripts run freely; downloaded scripts need a digital signature.

🎛️ Customization

  • Generate your own: Use the Schneegans Unattend-Generator to create a customized version with different app removals, settings, or configurations
  • Edit directly: Advanced users can modify the XML file manually, or import it back into the Unattend-Generator to tweak settings through the UI and re-export
  • Post-install tweaks: Use Winrift after installation for additional optimization — a desktop shortcut is created automatically

📦 Removed Apps

25 pre-installed apps removed during installation (click to expand)
App Package ID
3D Viewer Microsoft.Microsoft3DViewer
Bing Search Microsoft.BingSearch
Clipchamp Clipchamp.Clipchamp
Cortana Microsoft.549981C3F5F10
Family MicrosoftCorporationII.MicrosoftFamily
Feedback Hub Microsoft.WindowsFeedbackHub
Get Help Microsoft.GetHelp
Get Started (Tips) Microsoft.Getstarted
Mail & Calendar microsoft.windowscommunicationsapps
Maps Microsoft.WindowsMaps
Mixed Reality Portal Microsoft.MixedReality.Portal
Movies & TV Microsoft.ZuneVideo
News Microsoft.BingNews
Office 365 Hub Microsoft.MicrosoftOfficeHub
OneNote Microsoft.Office.OneNote
Outlook (new) Microsoft.OutlookForWindows
People Microsoft.People
Power Automate Microsoft.PowerAutomateDesktop
Quick Assist MicrosoftCorporationII.QuickAssist
Skype Microsoft.SkypeApp
Solitaire Collection Microsoft.MicrosoftSolitaireCollection
Sticky Notes Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes
Teams MicrosoftTeams / MSTeams
To Do Microsoft.Todos
Weather Microsoft.BingWeather

Also removed:

  • Capabilities: OneSync, Quick Assist (system capability), Steps Recorder
  • Features: Remote Desktop Connection client

🔄 What Happens During Installation

Stage 1 — Before installation (Windows PE)

The very first stage, before Windows is installed on disk:

  • Bypasses TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and RAM checks
  • Auto-accepts the EULA

You still choose language, disk, and Windows edition yourself.

Stage 2 — System configuration (Specialize)

After Windows copies files to disk, scripts run to configure the system:

  • Removes 25 pre-installed apps (full list above)
  • Removes capabilities: OneSync, Quick Assist, Steps Recorder
  • Disables feature: Remote Desktop Connection client
  • Removes OneDrive — deletes setup files and Start Menu shortcut
  • Blocks auto-install — prevents Outlook and Teams from installing after setup
  • Allows upgrades on unsupported hardware — sets AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
  • Sets password to never expire
  • Disables SmartScreen — turns off SmartScreen system-wide and hides Defender tray icon
  • Sets PowerShell execution policy to RemoteSigned
  • Prevents auto-reboot for Windows Update when users are logged in
  • Schedules active hours — keeps Windows Update reboot window away from your usage time
  • Disables widgets and news
  • Disables startup sound
  • Disables consumer features — blocks ads, app suggestions, and cloud-optimized content
  • Hides Edge first-run experience
  • Clears Start menu pins
Stage 3 — Default user profile settings

These settings apply to every new user account created on the system:

  • Disables Windows Copilot
  • Removes OneDrive from startup
  • Applies empty taskbar layout — replaces default pins, locks then unlocks after first login
  • Shows file extensions and hidden files
  • Hides Task View button
  • Disables Edge SmartScreen — both SmartScreen and PUA (Potentially Unwanted App) detection
  • Turns off all system sounds
  • Disables all content delivery — 15+ registry values covering app suggestions, pre-installed apps, subscribed content, and tips
  • Disables Bing search suggestions in the search box
Stage 4 — First login (OOBE)

During the Out-of-Box Experience and first user login:

  • All telemetry/express settings disabled (most restrictive)
  • EULA page hidden
  • Wi-Fi and account screens remain interactive — you still choose your network and create your account

Then two scripts run at first login:

Per-user setup (runs for every new user account):

  • Removes Copilot app package
  • Unlocks Start menu layout (so you can rearrange it)
  • Sets sound scheme to "No Sounds"
  • Opens File Explorer to "This PC" instead of Quick Access
  • Hides search box on taskbar
  • Hides all desktop icons
  • Restarts Explorer to apply changes

First logon only:

  • Creates "Winrift" desktop shortcut for post-install customization

🔧 Technical Details

Configuration Passes
  • windowsPE — Hardware check bypasses, EULA acceptance
  • specialize — App removal, registry tweaks, scheduled tasks, system configuration
  • oobeSystem — Telemetry disable, first-logon shortcut creation
Script Locations (after installation)
Script Path Purpose
Specialize.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Main system configuration orchestrator
RemovePackages.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Removes provisioned app packages
RemoveCapabilities.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Removes Windows capabilities
RemoveFeatures.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Disables optional features
DefaultUser.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Default user profile registry settings
UserOnce.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Per-user first-run configuration
FirstLogon.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Creates Winrift shortcut
SetStartPins.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Clears Start menu pins
TurnOffSystemSounds.ps1 C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Disables system event sounds
UnlockStartLayout.vbs C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Unlocks Start layout after login
MoveActiveHours.vbs C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\ Sets Windows Update active hours
Log Files

Logs are written during installation for debugging:

  • C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\Specialize.log
  • C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\RemovePackages.log
  • C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\RemoveCapabilities.log
  • C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\RemoveFeatures.log
  • C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\DefaultUser.log
  • C:\Windows\Setup\Scripts\FirstLogon.log
  • %TEMP%\UserOnce.log

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