In a nutshell: Microsoft continues to impose strict and, to many, unfair requirements for Windows installation, prompting users to push back by finding creative ways to circumvent these limitations. A newly released script now includes everything needed to facilitate a seamless, unattended, and user-friendly Windows installation experience.
UnattendedWinstall is a PowerShell script created to streamline and optimize the Windows installation process. This open-source tool leverages Microsoft's own "Answer files" feature, a built-in option designed for customizing Windows settings during OS setup. With answer files (also known as unattended files), there's no need to tweak DLLs or hack the system as this customization method is Microsoft-approved and commonly used in enterprise and power-user environments.
Described as an excellent way to "purify" the Windows 11 setup experience, UnattendedWinstall allows for extensive feature customization right from the start. One popular capability is bypassing the forced online account activation that Microsoft now requires, offering more flexibility for users.
The tool defaults to installing Windows 10/11 Pro and includes additional valuable features, such as bypassing Windows 11's hardware requirements, disabling Windows Defender services, and turning off User Account Control by default. For privacy-conscious users, UnattendedWinstall can configure registry keys to reduce telemetry, restrict Windows Update to security patches only for a year, optimize the registry, and more.
After running the UnattendedWinstall script (UWScript.ps1), users must place the newly generated autounattend.xml file in the root directory of their installation media or image file. The script developers have provided detailed instructions and video tutorials to help users customize their Windows setup experience. They report that the script has been successfully tested on Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 24H2, supporting 32-bit, 64-bit, and ARM64 versions.
The developers released the first version of UnattendedWinstall just last week but quickly followed up with version 2.0.0, incorporating improvements and new features. Before using the script, users are advised to open PowerShell with full administrator privileges to ensure the script runs correctly.
As more tools and methods for customizing Windows setup emerge, users have a growing number of options despite Microsoft's attempts to restrict certain modifications. One popular option is Ventoy, which enables custom installation media and even bypasses forced online account creation by default in Windows 11 setups.
