MaximumPC 2007 06

Update your Windows

XP disc with support

for massive hard drives

and all the post-SP2

updates.

Download the free nLite tool from http://www.nliteos.com. We used the fi nal 1.3 version

for this how-to. Install it, start it, and choose your language.

I

f your Windows XP disc is older than Charlton Heston, it won’t perform basic

tasks, like recognize hard drives larger than 137GB. Slipstreaming the disc

allows you integrate the latest service packs and hotfixes from Microsoft as

well as add or remove components—a valuable proposition for most end users.

If you find yourself frequently installing Windows, a slipstreamed disc can save

you hours of work each time you face that unwelcome task.

Build a Slipstreamed OS Disc

WHAT YOU NEED 1 Download It

NLITEOS 1.3

Free, http://www.nliteos.com

RYANVM INTEGRATOR

Free, http://www.ryanvm.net

RYANVM’S WINDOWS XP

POST-SP2 UPDATE

Free, http://www.ryanvm.net

WINDOWS XP WITH .NET 2.0

FRAMEWORK INSTALLED

WINDOWS XP OS CD

A BLANK CD-R OR DVD-R

INTERNET ACCESS

VIRTUAL PC 2007

Free, http://www.microsoft.com

BY GORDON MAH UNG

58 MAXIMUMPC JUNE 2007

how (^2) IMPROVING YOUR PC EXPERIENCE, ONE STEP AT A TIME
NLite should be able to tell you which service pack you have on your install disc.
TIMEHOURS:MINUTES
01 : 00
2 Dig up Your Original OS Disc
Put your Windows XP disc into the optical drive. If the autorun process tries to start
installing a new copy of XP, cancel the installer. Go back to nLite and click Browse
and point nLite at the optical drive that holds your Windows XP disc. When it asks
you where to install the fi les, choose a handy location such as the desktop. We
named our directory Original Retail.
Make Sure You Don’t Already Have SP2 on the Disc
3
When it’s fi nished importing the
fi les, nLite will display a sum-
mary screen describing what
you just imported, including the
service pack that’s built into the
disc. If your install disc already
has Service Pack 2 installed, you
don’t need to slipstream it into
the nLite install CD. It’s safe to
click past the Sessions screen;
since this is the fi rst time you’re
using nLite, you won’t have any
previous sessions.