Microsoft Windows Setup switches
Updated: 03/13/2021 by Computer Hope
Below is a listing of the different switches and options that run with Microsoft Windows 95 and Windows 98 setup.exe.
Windows 2000 setup switches
Below is a listing of switches that run with WINNT.EXE or WINNT32.EXE for the setup of Windows 2000. If you are familiar with Windows NT setup, you may recall the WINNT /b switch that allowed for diskless installation of Windows NT. Fortunately, this was incorporated into the default installation of Windows 2000.
| Switch | Description |
|---|---|
| /s | Location of Windows NT source files. |
| /unattend | Unattended installation. |
| /udf | Specifies Uniqueness Database File for unattended install. |
| /tempdrive | Location of temporary files. |
| /copydir | Installs additional directory. |
| /copysource | Copies source files to local directory. |
| /cmd | Executes command after GUI (Graphical User Interface) mode. |
| /syspart | Copies temporary files to specified drive. |
Windows 98 and Windows Me setup switches
| Switch | Description |
|---|---|
| /m | Causes Windows to not play the introduction .wav sound file. |
| /na | Bypasses the Microsoft Windows program check and can run with the options below.
|
| /nd | Force Microsoft Windows to overwrite most newer files. Note: The /nd switch can cause compatibility issues with Windows and in some cases Windows to no longer function. |
| /nf | Stop the prompt to remove the floppy disk from occurring. |
| /nh | Bypass running the hwinfo.exe program. |
| /nm | Bypass running the minimum system hardware requirement test. |
| /nx | Skip the check for versions of setupx that are running. |
| /ia | Turn off the after providers listed in setupc.inf under [AfterProvider] |
| /ib | Turn off the before providers listed in setupc.inf under [BeforeProvider] |
| /ic | Clean boot. |
| /ie | Skip the Windows 98 startup disk wizard screens. |
| /in | Do not call the setup code. |
| /ir | Do not update the MBR (Master Boot Record). |
| /iv | Do not display the setup screens during an upgrade within Windows. |
| /ix | Do not perform a character set test. |
| /f | Fast. Notifies setupx dosFindFirst looks in file name cache. |
| /u:<UPI> | Enables users to specify an UPI (User Program Interface). |
Windows NT setup switches
Below are various switches that can be combined with the setup command used to set up Windows NT 4.0.
| Switch | Description |
|---|---|
| /b | Option to not make the three setup boot disks. |
| /c | Skips the check for available free space. |
| /I:inf_file | Specify the name of the Setup information file. The default file name is Dosnet.inf |
| /f | Options to skip the verifying of files as they are copied. |
| /l | Creates a log file called $WINNT.LOG that lists all errors that occur as files are being copied to the temporary directory. |
| /ox | Creates the three setup boot disks and then stops. |
| /s:server_path | Specifies the location of the installation source files. |
| /t | Specifies a temporary drive. |
| /u | Allows all or part of an installation to proceed unattended. The /b option for floppy less installation is automatically invoked and the /s option for location of the source files must be used. The /u option can be followed with the name of an answer file to fully automate installation. |
| /udf | Use during an unattended installation to specify settings unique to a specific computer that are contained in a uniqueness data file. |
| /w | Undocumented switch that enables the WINNT.EXE program to execute in Windows instead of requiring execution from an MS-DOS command prompt. |
| /x | Does not create the three boot disks. You must already have the three boot disks. |
Windows 95 setup switches
| Switch | Description |
|---|---|
| /? | Displays a brief listing of the available options for the setup.exe command and how to use them. Note: Not all the commands listed on this page are listed in this command. |
| /c | Does not run smartdrive. |
| /d | Does not use or ignores the existing win.ini and the system.ini. |
| /id | Does not check for free space. |
| /ig | Run setup for older computers. |
| /ih | Runs ScanDisk in foreground. |
| /im | Ignore the conventional memory check. |
| /iq | Does not run ScanDisk. However, does check for cross-linked files. |
| /is | Does not run ScanDisk. |
| /it | Does not check for TSRs. |
| /IW | This switch skips the license agreement. Make sure the "IW" is capitalized. |
| /l | Uses Logitech mouse. |
| /n | Run setup without using a mouse. |
| /t:<dir> | Where to copy setup's temporary file. When finished, all files in this directory are deleted. |
| -s | Utilize a different setup .inf file for installing Windows. |