MaximumPC 2008 09

66 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC|SEP 08 |www.maximumpc.com

R&D^

EXAMINING TECHNOLOGY AND PUTTING IT TO USE

HOW TO

We show you how to create no-fuss OS installation discs that contain all the

hotfi xes, drivers, and options you’ll need —DAVID MURPHY

Slipstream Windows XP SP3

HOW TO
Slipstream Windows XP SP3

HOW TO

and Vista SP1

A WINDOWS XP PRO INSTALLATION

DISC

$300, http://www.microsoft.com

NLITE

Free, http://www.nliteos.com

OR

A WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM

INSTALLATION DISC

$240, http://www.microsoft.com

 VLITE

Free, http://www.vlite.net

SUBMIT YOUR IDEA Have a

great idea for a How To project?

Tell us about it by writing to

[email protected].

T

here’s nothing we dislike more than firing up a fresh, new installation of

Windows only to find a slew of hotfixes, updates, and patches awaiting

us through the Windows Update mechanism. Granted, we can take some

small comfort from the fact that the updating process is relatively automatic—

but not so when it comes to outfitting a new OS installation with all the requisite

driver packages. This list can be a doozy: videocard drivers, soundcard drivers,

motherboard drivers, etc.

But you can reduce the time and effort it takes to get a fresh install into tip-

top shape. By creating a slipstreamed installation disc you’ll have all the patches,

fixes, drivers, and options you need at the ready to be easily and automatically

integrated into your next OS install—be it XP or Vista. This is especially relevant

now, with new service packs available for both OSes (SP1 for Vista and SP3 for

XP). If your original OS disc shipped prior to the SP release, your slipstreamed disc

will give you all the newly added features. Depending on your operating system,

you can make your customized installation disc using one of two handy tools,

nLite or vLite. We’ll show you how.

WHAT YOU NEED

TIME = 45 MIN