How To Save an Hour (Or More) On XP Installs

Information Week ^ | September 20, 2004 | Fred Langa

[Stoat]

Pre-patch your XP Setup CD once; never have to install SP2 again. Fred Langa walks you through a 16-step process.

Our recent discussions about Windows XP's SP2 show that the huge patch is working fine for most users; and that with caution (make a full backup or image beforehand; read and follow all of Microsoft's pre-SP2 installation tips), even potentially troublesome installations can be handled smoothly.

But not swiftly: The update process can take a considerable chunk of your workday, even if you don't count the download time or install from the free SP2 CD. Twenty to 40 minutes seems about the norm for installs on faster PCs; older, slower systems can take well over an hour.

There's not a lot that can be done about that, but you can achieve a huge time savings on future installations and reinstallations of XP by integrating SP2's files with those of your original XP setup CD. Your hybrid install CD will work exactly as the original one did, even to the point of using the same 25-character Product Key, but it will be completely up to date with all patches and updates, up to and including SP2. Any system you set up with the hybrid CD will be pre-patched to current levels, in one step. You'll be totally up to date from the start, rather than facing maybe an hour or more of additional downloads to bring the new installation or reinstallation to SP2 levels.

Creating a new hybrid installation CD is surprisingly easy--a point and click exercise with only a few geeky parts. And it works very well. In fact, in most ways, this method of pre-patching an installation CD is basically the same process software vendors use to produce an updated version of their installation software; indeed, starting this fall, Microsoft will offer for sale fully prepatched versions of XP on CD. But you don't have to wait: You can create your own totally legitimate prepatched copy of XP on CD today.

Before you begin, you'll need the following:

1) A legitimate XP setup CD (almost any variation will work: Pro or Home; retail or OEM; full install CD or upgrade CD; etc.)

2) A CD burner, blank CD, and software capable of creating a bootable CD (eg. Nero, Roxio, etc.)

3) About a gigabyte of free space on your hard drive for temporary file storage. (This space can be recovered after you've made your new CD.)

Ready? Let's dig in, step by step: The Steps Required
Step One: Using Windows Explorer, navigate to the top level of your hard drive, or to some other suitable location that's easy to get back to.

Step Two: Create a new folder. We'll use this new folder to hold the components of your CD project. You can give it any name, but for clarity, let's call it XPSP2 in this working example.

Step Three: Open the newly created XPSP2 folder. Inside, create three new (empty) folders; name them Root, Boot, and SP2. These folders will house various components that later will be combined into a new, pre-patched setup CD.

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Step Two: Create a working folder for your CD project in a convenient location (e.g. c:\) and with an obvious name. The disk you select to host the project should have at least about one gigabyte free.				Step Three: Create these three empty folders inside your main project folder. These subfolders will be used to store the working pieces of the new CD you're building.

Copying Files, Folders
Step Four: Put your original, unpatched XP installation CD in the CD drive; copy all of its files and folders to the new "Root" folder you just created in Step Three. (i.e. C:\XPSP2\ROOT )

Step Five: Open the Root folder; you'll see the files that have just been copied from the installation CD. Click to open the Support folder; then click to open the Tools folder inside that. Delete the file named "deploy.cab" inside the Tools folder. (In other words, delete: C:\XPSP2\ROOT\SUPPORT\TOOLS\DEPLOY.CAB )

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Step Four: Copying the contents of your original read-only setup CD to a normal read/writable hard drive makes the setup files patchable. Getting the files off the CD can take a long time on older, slower systems, but isn't too onerous on newer PCs.				Step Five: The original Deploy.Cab, in the \ROOT\SUPPORT\TOOLS\ folder, must be deleted. Later, we'll replace it with an updated Deploy.Cab.

Step Six: Download the (free) "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Deployment Tools" from Microsoft.

Download an Install Package
Step Seven: The file you download In Step Six will have a name like "WindowsXP-KB838080-SP2-DeployTools-ENU.cab". Rename this to "deploy.cab" and copy it into the C:\XPSP2\ROOT\SUPPORT\TOOLS\ folder, replacing the "deploy.cab" you previously deleted there.

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Step Six: Microsoft's free "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Deployment Tools" can be downloaded for free, and will become the basis of the new "Deploy.Cab" you'll need for your prepatched setup CD.				Step Seven: Rename the Deployment Tools to "deploy.cab" and copy them to the \ROOT\SUPPORT\TOOLS\ folder.

Step Eight: Download the (free) "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers" from Microsoft. Download the file to the C:\XPSP2 folder; or if you downloaded it elsewhere, copy it into the C:\XPSP2 folder. Once it's there, rename the downloaded file (which is named something like WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU.exe ) to "SP2.EXE"

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Step Eight: Download a (free) copy of the complete SP2 patch from Microsoft.				Step Eight: Rename the downloaded SP2 file to "SP2.EXE" and place it in the C:\XPSP2 folder.

Step Nine: Extract the Service pack files to the SP2 folder: Click Start/Run, and then type this command in the Run box: C:\XPSP2\SP2.EXE /U /X:C:\XPSP2\SP2

Click OK, and the self-extracting SP2.exe file will unpack its contents into the SP2 folder.

Step Ten: Use XP's built-in "Update" tool to apply the SP2 patches to the original XP setup files. Click Start/Run and type the following command in the Run box:

C:\XPSP2\SP2\I386\UPDATE\UPDATE.EXE /S:C:\XPSP2\ROOT

Windows will open an "Updating Your Windows Share" dialog, and will show you the progress of the patching. When it's done, the SP2 patches will be seamlessly integrated with the original XP setup files.

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Step Nine: The SP2 patch will self-extract to the folder of your choice. See the Step Nine text for specifics on how to get the files ready for integration with the original setup files.				Step Ten: A single command typed on the "Run" line (see Step Ten) merges the SP2 files with those on the original setup CD, making the setup files fully up to date and ready for use.

Making It Bootable
Most original XP setup CDs are bootable; and your new patched setup files will be most useful if they likewise reside on a bootable CD. Then, you can use the prepatched setup CD on any PC--- even one where the hard drive is completely unformatted. (Of course, the PC must be capable of booting from a CD in the first place; we'll assume that's a given.)

Different CD-burning tools have different ways of setting up a bootable CD. I'll walk you through using Roxio's CD Creator, as it's one of the most widely used CD-burning tools. Many of the concepts will apply to other tools, although the menu items and dialog names will be different. (I'll also link to additional step-by-step guides for other CD tools at the end of this article.)

Step 11: In addition to the content files, which you created in steps 1-10 above, you also need the actual boot code. The good folks at TackTech, in addition to offering a wealth of information, also make available, free, CD boot code files. Grab a copy at http://www.tacktech.com/pub/microsoft/bootfiles/bootfiles.zip . It's a standard ZIP file; open the file and copy the compressed file inside, called "boot.ima" to the folder C:\XPSP2\BOOT you previously created.

Step 12: Start your CD burner utility--- in this example, Roxio's CD Creator:

Step 13: Select File/New Project/Bootable Disc. When the dialog opens, set Bootable Disc Type: to No Emulation. Click the ">>Advanced" button, and set the Load Segment: to 0x000 and the Sector Count: to 4. Now click "Browse" where the dialog asks you to "locate the image file that contains the bootable image." Browse/navigate to C:\XPSP2\BOOT. Click on the "boot.ima" file you placed there in Step Eleven, and then click "Open" and "OK."

Step 14: Click to File/Project Properties. This opens one dialog with several tabs, and many choices and sub choices. Basically, you use this dialog to set up the new CD to match the characteristics of your original XP setup CD. For example, if your original XP setup CD is an unpatched, retail, full-install version, its volume label is probably "WXPFPP_EN," so that's what you'd enter in the "Volume Label" portion of the dialog box. You can simply check your original CD with Windows Explorer to see the volume label, or you can figure it out from the comprehensive list at http://www.tacktech.com/display.cfm?ttid=342

Likewise, set the other features in this dialog to match that of the original setup CD:

File System = Joliet
Physical format of CD = Mode 1: CDROM

Click Advanced, and enter the following:

Publisher Name = MICROSOFT_CORPORATION
Prepared By = MICROSOFT_CORPORATION

The remaining default settings are probably OK, but to be sure:

Select "Use original file date."
Select "All Files" under the "File Filter" tab.
Uncheck "Do not add Hidden files" and "Do not add System files."

When you're done, click OK.

Step 15: You're almost ready to burn. You already added the boot image files to the project in Step thirteen; now select and add all the files and folders in the C:\XPSP2\ROOT folder to the burn project, and click "Burn to disc."

Step 16: The final dialog then opens, and offers a few last choices. If they're not already selected, select "Record CD" under "Record Options," and "Disc-at-Once" under "Record Methods." Click OK, and you're done!

Note that the burning software may complain about the "folder depth" being too many levels deep--ignore this warning, as it has no effect on the usability of this CD. More Options and Alternatives
Of course, there are many variations on the process, and these sites cover most of them:

Other ways to produce a prepatched ("slipstreamed") setup CD:
 

• Slipstreaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2)
  
   
• Universal Windows Slipstreaming and Bootable CD Guide
  
   
• Slipstreaming Windows 2000/XP [SP1,SP1a,SP2]
  
   
• Slipstreaming Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Create Bootable CD
  
   
• Create A Bootable/Slipstreamed Windows XP Installation CD
  
   
• Updating Your Windows XP Install CD: A Slipstream & Bootable CD Guide
  
   
• Google: Create Bootable CD xp sp2

Create a Bootable CD:

• Creating bootable Windows 2000/XP/2003 Disc (Easy CD and DVD Creator 6)
  
   
• Google: Create a Bootable CD xp

What ways have you used to "slipstream" or prepatch a CD? What pitfalls have you encountered that you might share with the rest of us? What sites have given you the best advice on the process? Join in the discussion!

 

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To discuss this column with other readers, please visit Fred Langa's forum on the Listening Post.

To find out more about Fred Langa, please visit his page on the Listening Post.

[dennisw]

if you download SP2 you DO NOT need SP1.....


I know. I'll try and slipstream SP2 and load it onto unused hard drive as an experiment.

[dennisw]

Really? You don't need to install SP1 before SP2?......


Yup

[FesterUSMC]

Really? You don't need to install SP1 before SP2? (I ask because I haven't installed SP1 yet.

If you downlaod SP2 you have NO need to download SP1 as SP2 will have all the stuff inside of it...

[billorites]

I followed your directions precisely and now everything looks like this.

[no-s]

Dear linux and mac bigots (ps that's me too): This may shock you but some folks have a perfectly reasonable need to use windows xp and apply SP2 in an efficient way - that's what this article is all about. Your advocacy is trivial and clueless...please stifle it unless you have something valuable to add to the conversation....

Thank you Stoat! I am the de-facto system administrator for my clan and I will be sure to burn an updated XP install cd soonest to save myself from all of the pestering of "can you fix my computer (without installing linux)?"...

[coconutt2000]

Awww... I don't think humor constitutes calling someone a bigot, even if you are including yourself. I sometimes have a need for Windows XP, usually to run some random program.

I understand that, but this thread didn't leave much room for discussion since it was a how-to, not a how-do-i.

[Fresh Wind]

My screen looks like this. Did I do something wrong?

[js1138]

placemarker

[no-s]

Sorry...I see Coconutt2000 and and had a flashback to Bush2000 (see his posting history), don't want to go there again from the contrarian direction...

[coconutt2000]

Eheh, I'll look... but just so you know, I've been using this particular handle since 2000, just not here.

[BlessedBeGod]

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

[Alas Babylon!]

Bump!

[goodnesswins]

Okay....someone tell this dummie why I need SP2.....I have a hardwired firewall (this is a home where we have a router set up for a couple of computers).....

[Stoat]

"Okay....someone tell this dummie why I need SP2.....I have a hardwired firewall (this is a home where we have a router set up for a couple of computers)....." Most computer industry writers and pundits that I have read on this issue have agreed that if you have been pretty much up to date with previous patches, upgrades and fixes you are not facing any imminent danger or major threat that is addressed solely by SP2. Actually, I've been extremely aggressive about keeping up to date up to this point but I'm waiting with SP2 because one of my favorite programs is on Microsoft's list of programs that "may" experience conflicts with SP2. The developer of this program promises that the next release will be fully compliant, so I'm holding off for the moment. One big reason for SP2 is it's default activation of the XP firewall (an "okay" firewall....better than nothing but easily surpassed by third party products). Microsoft feels that by unleashing a giant marketing campaign for SP2 which will reach lackadaisical users, the users who are completely lax about security will at least have this minimal protection activated, which will probably help a lot in the grand scheme of things. If you're a coherent person who already has firewalls in place, you can easily deactivate the SP2 firewall after your SP2 install. Below is a list of reasons to install SP2 from Microsoft....as for myself, my biggest interest is in improvements to Outlook Express, as I'm managing a puter for someone who has barely learned OE and can't be expected to learn a different email client. Any security upgrades for OE will mean less worry for me in this instance. I'm guessing also that some future patches, security fixes and upgrades may be dependent upon the user having first upgraded to SP2. Anyway, here's Microsoft's rationale for SP2: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sp2/topten.mspx

Top 10 Reasons to Install Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)

 

Help protect your PC from harmful attachments.   By alerting you to potentially unsafe attachments, Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) helps guard your computer from viruses that can spread through Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and Windows Messenger.

Improve your privacy when you’re on the Web.   SP2 helps protect your private information by applying the security settings that guard your PC to the files and content downloaded using Internet Explorer.

Avoid potentially unsafe downloads.   Internet Explorer download monitoring and the Internet Explorer Information Bar warn you about potentially harmful downloads and give you the option to block files that could be malicious.

Reduce annoying pop-ups.   Internet Explorer Pop-Up Blocker makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable by helping you reduce the unwanted ads and content that pop up when you’re browsing the Web.

Get firewall protection from startup to shutdown.   The powerful, built-in Windows Firewall is now turned on by default. This helps protect Windows XP against viruses and worms that can spread over the Internet.

Take control of your security settings.   The new Windows Security Center allows you to easily view your security status and manage key security settings in one convenient place.

Get the latest updates easily.   Enhancements to Windows XP’s Automatic Updates feature make it even easier to access Windows updates. Plus, new technology has been added to help dial-up customers download updates more efficiently.

Help protect your e-mail address.   Improvements to Outlook Express help reduce unwanted e-mail by limiting the possibility of your e-mail address being validated by potential spammers.

Take action against crashes caused by browser add-ons.   The new Add-On Manager in Internet Explorer lets you easily view and control add-ons to reduce the potential for crashes and enjoy a more trouble-free browsing experience.

Go wireless without the hassle.   SP2 improves wireless support and simplifies the process of discovering and connecting to wireless networks in your home or on the road.

[sweetiepiezer]

LOL

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Stoat]

"Thank you Stoat! I am the de-facto system administrator for my clan and I will be sure to burn an updated XP install cd soonest to save myself from all of the pestering of "can you fix my computer (without installing linux)?"..." You're quite welcome, and thank you for your kind words. I hope that this will be of some help :-)

[Stoat]

"I followed your directions precisely and now everything looks like this."


ROTFLMAO!!!

Are you sure that a Mac or Linux file didn't get into your install CD by mistake? (((evil grin))))

[techcor]

bttt

[Havoc]

Rofl. Mac, Linux, 386BSD, .... many options for saving time and trouble.