My PC Quick Reference

Slipstream

Slipstream combines the original installation software with the latest service packs to create a new version of the installation software that includes the service pack. This makes installations quicker. Microsoft's Windows XP Installation CD supports this but unfortunately some PC manufacturers provided OEM CD does not.

I've tried many different procedures for slipstreaming SP2 with my Gateway OEM Windows XP Home Edition SP1 CD. On this page I have documented those procedures that I've used. The reason I slipstream SP2 is to use it create a bootable cd and create an installation Windows XP Home Edition CD with SP2.

So far I have only been successful in creating bootable cd's. My attempts at creating a new installation CD for Windows XP with SP2 has failed so far. I have been able to burn the CD but when I boot up the PC with the CD it stops booting when I get the message NTFS.SYS was corrupted.

Slipstream a Gateway OEM Windows XP CD

These are the steps I follow when slipstreaming my Gateway OEM Windows XP Home Edition CD.

1) Create Folders
2) Copy Windows CD to C:\BootCD\WinXP_CD
3) Delete SVCPACK.INF in directory C:\BootCD\WinXP_CD\i386
4) Download Network version of SP2 to C:\BootCD\WinXP_SP2
5) Extract Service Pack

6) Combine SP2 & CD

Create Windows XP Installation CD

To create an installation CD that includes the latest Service Packs requires building the CD with a boot image. So far I have not been successful in this. In the end when I boot up the new cd I get the message NTFS.SYS was corrupted and it fails to continue.

Here are links and tools that can be used to create this CD:

Technipages article provide instructions using the Microsoft Boot Image to create a bootable installation CD. It provides a link to download the image instead of extracting it from the CD, but I do not know if it is trustworthy.

• Slipstream Your Way to Safer, More Secure WinXP Systems by Peter Hagopian provides procedures for creating a Bootable O/S Disk
• Slipstreamed Windows XP CD Using SP2 by Elder Geek
• ISO Buster to extract the Microsoft Boot Image
• BBIE - Bart's Boot Image Extractor - an alternative to using ISO Buster

Burning a CD

This process varies slightly with each type of CD burning Software. For instructions for a variety of CD burning software see Supersite or UBCD.

• GnomeLocker room procedures to Slipstream Gateways Windows XP Sp1 cd with Sp2. Did not work for me. One of my attempts using this procedure left a SP2 directory that I could not delete because I was not authorized. Once I got Bart's PE bootable cd working, I was able to delete it.
• Another set of instructions was able to slipstream my Gateway EOM with SP2
  
  1. Used Bart PE to create Boot CD it identified many files that where missing from my OEM. I added them. When I booted this new cd is says I have Profession edition when it is Home edition
  2. Copied this directory to another.
  3. In this new directory I deleted in i386 the file SVCPACK.INF and deleted the directory SVCPACK
  4. From the decompress SP2 directory I ran this command update.exe -S:C:\xpcd_remove updates
  5. The slip stream worked.
  6. Now to build bootable CD
  7. Get messsage ntfs.sys is corrupted when booting up with CD
     

Tried to slipstream using the update command; Installing Windows XP and Service Pack 2 with 1 CD and Pc Answer. It did not work any better.

XP-ISO-Builder

Using freeware tool XP-ISO-Builder to create an ISO image from the XP CD. It's supposed to work with recovery CDs as well.
1) Download xp-Iso-Builder_3.exe, scan it for virus, and then install it.
2) Create Directories
3) Download Network version on Windows XP SP2 to BootCD\WIN_SP2
4) Run XP-ISO-Builder

Results:

Fixed error
Error: CopyFile() "c:\I386\ACPI.SY_" to "C:\UBCD4Win\BartPE\CMDC\ACPI.SY_" returned error 2: The system cannot find the file specified. To fix copy the missing files from SP2 to corresponding directory in the BootCD\WinXP_Integration.

Disable the "!Multiboot: Windows" Recovery Console (7.69mb)" plugin and build again. If you get no errors, then your Windows source files are incomplete and can't use that plugin

Results


Got recording errors using StarBurn. Used CD-Record and it worked.


References for SlipStreaming

• Microsoft Slipstream instructions. It presents two methods. The first uses the /integrate switch automatically decompresses SP2 into a temporary directory that should be deleted when finished. The second method uses Update.exe utility. The SP2 is extracted first before using the utility.
• PC Servicing Singapore - The article claims the procedure works for both Professional and Home Editions. This article originally came from Tom's Hardware.
• Maximum PC - Uses Decompress approach
• JSI FAQ - Use SP2 uncompress. Provides two approaches
• Locker Gnome - these instructions did not work
• Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows: Slipstreaming Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) plus Burning software instructions.
• PC Stats Guide to slipstreaming
• Tach Tech - Nice Forum
• Microsoft Slipstream instructions

Tools

• Nlite is used to create smaller boot image. Condorman wrote an article that uses this tool. I have not used this tool yet.
• Autostreamer was unable identify the O/S copied to the drive so I did bother continue using it.
• ISO Buster is a CD and DVD recovery tool that can extract the boot image from the original installation CD.
  

• Windows 2000/XP CD SlipStream Guide by Dosfreek. This forum's topic is Ultimate Slipstream Guide (almost). It provides instructions to Slipstream SP2 without having Windows CD. I have not tried it.

• XP-ISO-Builder is an excellent tool that may be able to help you if you are one of the unfortunate people that do not have a "true" XP CD. If you have a repair or recovery CD, this software may be able to help you create an XP CD that you can use to create UBCD4Win.

CD Mounting Tools

• VirtualCDControlPanel - Small and free tool from Microsoft for mounting ISO images. Very useful tool for testing ISO images without having to burn them to a disc. Please read the documentation provided in the download for instructions on its use. I have not used it.
• DAEMON Tools - The FREE Virtual CD/DVD-ROM-EMULATOR. Works with nearly all common image types. Emulates nearly all known protections. Not sure how free it is. I have not used it.