nLite

[BobtheCkroach]

Has anyone ever used this application? I discovered it by accident the other day on a forum looking for something entirely different, but it seems like a wonderful tool.

http://www.nliteos.com/

Basically, you stick your windows CD (2000,XP,2003) in, copy the contents to a folder on your desktop (it wouldn't work for me off the disc) then startup nLite. Point it to the installation files that you dragged into the folder, then you can heavily modify how windows installs. You can change what applications come preinstalled, change a lot of your common options, such as which icons will be on the desktop by default, what style your menu is, etc, change what services are running by default - all kinds of stuff! You can also set the install options so that rather than sit there installing it'll just install for you - give it the login name, groupname, comp name, etc and it'll run.

It'll also integrate things like drivers, windows hotfixes and service packs right into the installation!

When it's all done it builds a bootable ISO that you can burn and you'll have a new install CD that is formatted to create a windows more like you're used to right off the bat!

I haven't had a chance to do the install yet, but if it works like it seems to, I think it's a heck of a tool!

I'll report what the install's like once I get it done.

[BobtheCkroach]

Well, I'm not sure what I think so far.

The "Unattended installation" was anything but. However, I don't mind that so much, if I can get this to install with Windows feeling like I like right away.

The installation actually threw out quite a few errors about xxx.dll missing, but I believe if I understand correctly, the installation process is unchanged - this program just removes the dlls from the installation to save room. I think over time and a few tries one evening, I could master what files need to stay even though I dont' think they do so that errors don't come up.

Also, my first run didn't work. I had to crank the burner down to 4x so that it'd work. Apparently this is a common thing, b/c the website addresses it.

I have an error everytime I boot up, and somehow I managed to click something so that IE didn't even install. I'm sure both of those are a result of things that I chose not to install, though. I'm not an expert on what everything was, so I just kinda clicked blindly, since I'm not hurting anything but a fresh install that I can just redo anyways.

I think the app holds potential, I just need to get familiar with it.

Any chance you've got experience w/ this, Bigg or Jim? Anyone else?

[JIMINATOR]

nah. microsoft makes a similar application that can build distribution versions of xp. it doesn't do all the desktop icons thingys, but will support reduced features, service packs and maybe additional apps. i haven't used that one either.

[BobtheCkroach]

nah. microsoft makes a similar application that can build distribution versions of xp. it doesn't do all the desktop icons thingys, but will support reduced features, service packs and maybe additional apps. i haven't used that one either.

Good to know. I'll have to look into that one as well. This one also had the option to drop in some other applications like Acrobat Reader, AVG, etc so that they were preinstalled when you got done, but I could live w/o that.

[<<Hybrid>>]

i am using this app to make backup of my XP, but with a good reason - i can remove useless MS products and add my own drivers stright to installation. Yeh that means whenever i reinstall OS i dont have to worry about them anymore