Configure Visual Studio for Unattended Install

Because a silent installation occurs without any user involvement, you must make the setup option selections before you install the program. To do this, modify the .stf file. Use the ACOST tool that is located in the Setup folder on CD-ROM 1 to modify the .stf file.

1.	Copy the Visual Studio 6.0 Disk 1 to a server hard disk (assume C:\VS6CD1).
2.	Remove the read-only attribute from C:\VS6CD1\Setup\Vs98ent.stf.
3.	Run C:\VS6CD1\Setup\ACost.exe.
4.	On the File menu, click Open STF, and then click C:\VS6CD1\Setup\Vs98ent.stf.
5.	Click to select the check boxes for the Visual Studio 6.0 components that you want to install. Click to clear the check boxes for the components that you do not want to install. If you clear the check box for a root, you prevent the installation of every component that is nested under it (that is, you do not have to clear the check box for each component in the nested list individually).
6.	On the File menu, click Save As, and then click C:\VS6CD1\Setup\Vs98ent.stf. Note If you try to use the Save As command on a file that is read-only, the ACOST tool fails silently. You do not receive an error message.

Use the following modified network CD-ROM image of the Visual Studio 6.0 disks as the installation source:

1.	Share out the folder that contains the disk images.
2.	On the client computer, connect to that share, and then run the following command: path of the share\VS6CD1\SMSINST.EXE /k your CD Key