Custom Installation

Hello,

Does anyone here know how to accomplish creating a custom installation of windows xp with all the programs and service packs that I use?

I work in a very large company and I am frequently having to format and restore computers. It's a tedious task having to install XP, then install the usual programs like Winzip, Adobe Reader, Spybot, Office ect, ect....

If I can somehow, streamline all these applications into the XP install, that would be great! I seen someone do it before, but that was years ago and I have no way of contacting that person again.

Any suggestions would be welcomed!

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sprkymrk

A commercial program like Ghost Enterprise is the best way to go.

Otherwise you need to perform a slipstreamed installation of XP with SP2, use setupmgr to create an answer file and edit it for any changes you can't make by the setupmgr, create an OEM directory with custom files and drivers for the different platforms, and create and run a post installation script to do anything you can't do with Active Directory and Group Policy. You also need to sysprep the computer to create a new SID.

bbbngowc

Ghost Enterprise? I'll take a look at that. I tried it with Acronic True Image, but when I installed the image onto another computer and rebooted the other computer, it came up asking me to register Windows XP. That so defeats the purpose. The other way you mentioned is the way to go, but that just sounds like a lot of work. Any programs out there that can do all of that for me?

Slowhand

If you're ghosting a retail copy of XP, it'll be likely that you'll always have to activate the reinstall. The scenarios they talk about in the books are almost always VLM editions.

!30

An interesting view , may someone explain in detail how ? or a link somewhere , I was interested in this for a while !

Thanks !

djhouse77

You can use a freeware (I believe) program called nLite
lets you make slipstreamed, unattended install images with incredible amount of customizeability.
I never used it though.

sharptech

If you can - get Ghost as mentioned in a previous post- you can image one model type of computer and then its a very easy install from their..

bbbngowc

I read in another forum about nLite. I'm going to see if I can get my hands on a copy of it.

Thanks for the replies.