Slipstream XP, Win-2000. Insatll iso backup disk.

[Omnios]

Hi -all-

This story so far.

I just purchased and recieved a new laptop from dell and it came with Vista installed. As for vista any rebate from there is no where near the purchase cost of it so I got it intending it as a back up os, expecially when xp support dies. Anyways I am not impressed with it so far, way to slow for the hardware its running on. It alsos has a huge hard drive imprint on my 160G drive which is not going to workfor my dual boot needs.

Now I searched the dell forum on how to up-down grade vista to XP and came accross what they call Slipstream.
Here is a link to the slipsteam I read.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/How-To--Slipstream-your-XP-installation

Slipstreaming is an interesting concept where you are taking you win aka XP Cd that you purchased putting it on you hard drive and allows you to download server packs, hot fixes - patches, Drivers and all kinds of other stuff. In affect if you own a win cd with OEM code you are making a back up cd of it with service packs, etc, and more importantly drivers.

Now how does this affect you, Simple You gain a bak-up of your cd. You can add service pack 2 to a regular xp cd so you do not have to do it after and have security fixes etc fresh in the intall.
Now the most important part here is being able to add drivers etc . As hardware changes the problems with Xp will get worse and worse as the base cd can not even work with newer hard drives etc. Slipstream will allow you to add that hard drive driver to the install cd and will work as apposed to having to use floppys on the install.

I also came across this program called nLite which works like a lucky charm and it is free ware.

http://www.nliteos.com/

It allows you to add service packs, hotfixes-patches, remove components, add you oem key to the disk, regestry tweeks, and making a iso bot image of the innstall cd.

I am thinking of doing this as a side job type thing making boot cd-backups for people that have a legel cd key and cd. The main point of this though is to mke a tweeked backup cd that will allow users to install Xp on vista machines where it can not normally be installed ftom the base CD. Also this creates a windows install backup disk for the new whardware.

[r76]

Thanks, this is the sort of useful thing that should be posted here - especially for occasional Windows users or those who don't use Windows on a daily basis but need to help others who do!

Slipstreaming is really useful, I made an XP SP2 slipstream for quicker and more secure installation but I never considered adding extra drivers before. It could be useful as my disk didn't entirely successfully install on a laptop pre-loaded with Vista which I down/up-graded to XP - it needed some shenanigans with SATA drivers to make it happen, I guess these could have been included on my slipstream disk.

I'll remember that for next time, as I'll probably make a new slipstream disk soon, sometime after XP SP3 is released and if it doesn't have any problems.

[Omnios]

I have been doing some searching online and am trying to find out the legal issues pertaining to slipstreaming. What I want to do is offer a Slipstream service where a customer would have a legal OEM key and a windows disk. Then make a hardware list, main part of this would be for monitor, vid card driver but more importnt any driver pertaining to modems and ethernet etc. The main drier added would be hard drive, cd-dvd drivers for the client.

[rickyjones]

I used nlite to create a customized XP install for my Dell Latitude that I just bought. It also came with Vista. I needed the SATA driver for Windows XP slipstreamed. Nlite worked like a charm.

-Richard