|  | Automating an Installation of Windows XP Professional Module Overview
In many organizations, staffing levels, distance, and time constraints make it impossible to manually deploy new operating systems on one computer at a time. An alternative to this labor- and time-intensive manual deployment is to automate the setup of the operating system by using answer files and Uniqueness Database Files (UDFs), or to create an image of a computer running Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional and then deploy that image to other computers. Automating an installation by using an answer file enables you to install Windows XP Professional on computers without user intervention, or with limited user intervention. Creating and deploying an image of a computer running Windows XP Professional enables you to copy the configuration of a computer to other identical computers. After completing this module, you will be able to: Describe the automation process, including how Setup uses answer files and Uniqueness Database Files. Create an answer file. Create a Uniqueness Database File. Perform an automated installation of Windows XP Professional. Describe the process for creating and deploying an image. Prepare a Reference Computer. Create, test, and deploy an image of a computer running Windows XP Professional. Describe the use of Remote Installation Services (RIS).