Make your own "streamlined" Windows CD

[OOZ662]

I found this tutorial that allows you to create a Windows CD (2000, XP, or Vista, I think) that is custom tailored to what you want. Below is a little summary I wrote for a squad forum.

Now then, if you're like me and hate sitting twenty years to type 5 words during your Windows installation, check out this guide. It gives details on how to "slipstream" your windows CD. You can specify your Windows key and local users, and anything else you're prompted to enter upon installation. Advanced users can change any of Windows settings before installation (some that never even occur in the Windows GUI) and even remove unused services to speed up overall performance of the machine. When done completely and properly, this tool will allow you to simply pop in the Windows CD at boot, wait a while, and log in. It even has the option of removing the "Press any key to boot from CD" prompt at boot.

Another feature that I adore is being able to "update" a vanilla/SP1/SP2 CD into an SP3 CD. If you're really nuts, you can download all of the update files that you wish to include as well. The program will patch them into the install, so that they're there as soon as you reboot the machine for the first time.

I'm guessing a lot of you tech guys out there have already seen things like this, but I found it very interesting. I had found a better guide, but I lost it, so it might be worth it to search some more.

[Fulmar]

I may give this a try.  I have to 'rebuild' my parents computer and this may save me some time.

[OOZ662]

It's perfect for that situation. With a little reading up on what everything is and a pretty good hunk of time selecting everything you want/don't want, your parents could honestly reformat the computer all by themselves without having to do anything. Especially if Windows has its own separate partition so that the Program Files stay intact...although antivirus/firewalls/ect might have a tough time with that scenario.

[Fulmar]

Gonna give it a try right now.  Will post on updates.

[Fulmar]

Work like a charm.  I made a XP disk with SP3, it auto enters my CD-Key during install, along with admin password/usernames.  I can set google as my homepage.  Make program and control panel and networking settings all incorporated in the install.

Only thing I didn't do (for time reasons) was include hotfix windows updates and drivers with the disk, but avoiding installing SP3 etc, made setup a lot faster.  And if you have all the hotfixes etc, it could save even more time.  Formatting the drive took the longest.

Will use this extensively in the future.

[lambo31]

can you also set it up to load drivers for video card and sound card?


Lambo

[Fulmar]

can you also set it up to load drivers for video card and sound card?


Lambo

Yes

[llama]

The Big Time-Saver is being able to integrate Intel's SATA driver right on the CD. Otherwise, on a modern machine, you need to hook up a USB floppy drive, prepare a SATA driver floppy disk, and then press F6 and the start of XP's setup to manually load the driver.

-Llama

[Fulmar]

The Big Time-Saver is being able to integrate Intel's SATA driver right on the CD. Otherwise, on a modern machine, you need to hook up a USB floppy drive, prepare a SATA driver floppy disk, and then press F6 and the start of XP's setup to manually load the driver.

-Llama

I didn't notice it could do this.  Are you referring to the Raid/Scsi drivers?

[VonMessa]

Serial ATA

[Fulmar]

But I still have to load RAID/SCSI drivers via floppy yet?

[VonMessa]

I haven't had a floppy drive for almost 5 years.

I wouldn't think you would need either if you aren't running a raid array or a SCSI drive.

When I re-install my XP, they usually load from the CD.

[OOZ662]

I've yet to install Windows on an SATA-utilizing system without having to have separate drivers (usually labeled as RAID drivers) on a floppy. Extremely irritating when you launch off to the home of Mr. "my compy won't work" with a frickin' floppy drive in your pocket.

EDIT: By the way, if you want to include any drivers in your install, they have to be actual driver files (I feel stupid that I can't remember what they are; .ini or .inf, something like that). You can, however, put anything you like on the disk in its original form.
All the program does is create a folder on your hard drive with what will be your Windows CD in it, then can make an ISO out of it. There's a menu that prompts you to add anything else you want on the CD, be it text files, pictures, Firefox, ect. I just added a folder called "drivers" with all of my favorite drivers' .exe binaries. When you're done, it takes everything in the folder and makes it an ISO.

EDIT2: That reminds me...I don't recall; can you make CD-RW/DVD-RW bootable disks? I don't think so, but I don't remember.

[Fulmar]

I've yet to install Windows on an SATA-utilizing system without having to have separate drivers (usually labeled as RAID drivers) on a floppy. Extremely irritating when you launch off to the home of Mr. "my compy won't work" with a frickin' floppy drive in your pocket.

That's what I thought.  Exactly why I have 4-5 old floppy drives lying around.  Because they always crap out eventually.  However, I've had a Sony USB floppy drive for 5+ years and has never failed me.

[OOZ662]

Not sure what brand mine is. Sony too, I think. This is the third computer it's been in after I melted a hard drive onto the top of it when I was but a nublet.