Once you have recorded a parameter file, you can use the /s parameter to run the setup silently. By default, the installation process looks for the response file (.iss) in the same directory as the setup.exe. You use the /f1 parameter to specify a different location of the .iss file. You use the /f2 parameter to specify the location of the installation log file. In a silent install, the log file is generated in the same location as the response file. The location must be writable.
The response file (.iss) must be either be pushed out with the setup.exe file or reside in a location that is accessible to all computers and uses the same drive mapping as is stored in the response file.
To run the setup silently, use a command line as shown below. If the path names contain spaces, you must use quotes. The path names should also be absolute, as relative paths may have unexpected results.
Example: "<location of the setup file>\setup.exe" /s /f1"<location of the response file>\setup.iss"
Sample: "x:\my folder\setup.exe" /s /f1"x:\setup.iss"
While the setup file is running, there is no indication in the task bar. To verify that the setup process is still running, open Task Manager and view the Processes tab. Setup.exe should appear in the list. When the setup.exe disappears from the task list, you can verify that the installation was successful by opening the setup.log file and locating the [ResponseResult] section. If the value of the ResultCode is 0, the installation was successful.
Silent Installation and Languages
When you record the response file and select a different language from the "Select the language for the installation from the choices below" prompt, you must supply the language code during the unattended installation for the installation to work properly. If you are using English there is no need to supply the language code as this is the default.
The language codes are:
1031 - German
1033 - English
1034 - Spanish
1036 - French
1041 - Japanese
1043 - Dutch
The command line syntax with the language code is below. The command line variable to use for the language code is -l (small-case letter L).
Note: The example uses the language code for German.
Example: "<location of the setup file>\setup.exe" -l<language code> /s /f1"<location of the response file>\setup.iss" /f2"<location of the log file>\setup.log"
Sample: "x:\my folder\setup.exe" -l1031 /s /f1"x:\setup.iss" /f2"x:\setup.log"
If you record a parameter file in one language and install it on an operating system using the same language, you do not need to specify a language code.