How do I slipstream?

[erose86]

Hello all!

Please forgive me if this is a repeat (probably an obvious one at that), but I've been up all night trying to make a horrible nightmare go away... one that involves my mac taking the swan dive because of my decision to install windows and my stupid inability to make sure i actually HAD the RIGHT disc.

long story short, i thought i had a FULL version of windows xp home sp2.... turns out it was ONLY the sp2 update... and the mac didn't like that very much... and then it thought it was a windows machine with nothing to load... panic ensued.. then insanity... then i took it apart, pried the CD out... found my mother's FULL version of windows xp professional sp2 and let it install that JUST so that i could finally see the shinny happiness that is OSX running on my WORKING mac.

heart attack, i tell you.

but i digress...

i STILL want to install windows on my computer... and i DO have professional on right now, but it wont activate for some reason... so instead of toying with THAT mess for 30 days... id rather just install MY version of Home, since i own the product key to it, but the problem is that it's sp1...

i tried to do my research and i keep reading about slipstreaming, but im very confused on how its done and/or if it actually WORKS to install windows on a mac (i really DON'T want to have to sit here prying the case apart again to pull the CD out manually...).

i realize that this may be a really STUPID question... but seeing as how im not computer savvy at ALL, i thought maybe some kind soul would have pity on me and help me out...

so is there anyone out there that can give me a REALLY DUMBED DOWN step by step on how to slipstream sp2 onto my mac without (almost) destroying it. again.

thanks!

 

[j2048b]

I am with ya on this one!! i too would like to know how to do this!!!

 

[pestbest]

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

This site might help you. It has detailed instructions with pictures too.

 

[OllyW]

nLite is a good program for slipstreaming XP.

 

[aaron11193]

+1 nLite is sooo useful for making a speedy Windoze installation.

 

[bli625]

Can't you just install your version of SP1 and then download the update to SP2 or SP3 online?

 

[Sonicjay]

Can't you just install your version of SP1 and then download the update to SP2 or SP3 online?

The problem with that is, the next time you install something that pulls files from the i386 folder, they'll be pulling the pre-service pack version of the files, causing possible version mis-matches.

 

[Mal]

then i took it apart, pried the CD out...

(i really DON'T want to have to sit here prying the case apart again to pull the CD out manually...).

I can't answer the original question, though it appears it already has been, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents on this one. Instead of prying open the case next time you have a disk stuck in there because the computer won't boot, try starting up with the option key and the mouse button held down. It will boot to the built-in bootloader where you can choose to startup from your Mac partition, and will spit out the cd (technically, the option key does the first part and the mouse button does the second, but I've found that it works best to do both). Might save you some time if there's a problem again.

jW

 

[velocityg4]

I vote for nlite as well. I use it occasionally. Personally if you use nlite I would also go ahead with the SP3 and use WMP11 slipstreamer to update Windows Media Player to 11 with hotfixes, though this may be a bit confusing for the average user. You may also want to use nlite to update the CD for Internet Explorer 8.

You will need an iso burning program to use afterwords. I think nlite may have a burning ability built in but I use Nero Burning ROM.

 

[Shake 'n' Bake]

I used Thurrot's guide to slipstream XP SP2 onto an SP1 disc. I used the resulting SP2 disc to install on my Mac mini. It worked great.

 

[ZachsMacDaddy]

I'd just install windows using either a SP1 or SP2 CD (it doesn't matter). Then install the service pack you want.

To slipstream all you need to do is copy the i386 directory from the installation CD to your hard drive, I prefer to copy it to the root (so it will be c:\i386). Then go to a command line interface and change to the directory where you stored the service pack file (something like WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe). Run the exe with the following parameters:

C:\SP3\WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe /integrate:c:\

The file will extract similar to when it was installing, but it will integrate itself with your original i386 directory and update it with all the SP3 files & info.

I recently had to slipstream using this method to get around an issue with an Office 2000 (yes, old but all that was licensed at the time for that PC) installation and it got it past the part where it wanted the SP3 CD.

I have used the basic integrate (slipstream) function that is built into the service pack installers for years and it works fine. There's little need for these 3rd party apps that just replicate the function MS already gives you.

 

[erose86]

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_sp2_slipstream.asp

This site might help you. It has detailed instructions with pictures too.

thank you! i haven't tried it yet, but that site looks fantastic!

 

[erose86]

I can't answer the original question, though it appears it already has been, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents on this one. Instead of prying open the case next time you have a disk stuck in there because the computer won't boot, try starting up with the option key and the mouse button held down. It will boot to the built-in bootloader where you can choose to startup from your Mac partition, and will spit out the cd (technically, the option key does the first part and the mouse button does the second, but I've found that it works best to do both). Might save you some time if there's a problem again.

jW

i tried EVERYTHING.... absolutely nothing worked. ugh. i don't remember if i tried that specifically, but i tried every "eject" shortcut and command i could think of, short of going out and buying an apple keyboard just for the use of the eject button...

...maybe this is completely off, seeing as i know nothing about comptuers, but it seemed to me like my mini thought it was a windows machine for the time being because NOTHING mac related was working on it... which is why i resorted to just taking it apart. hehe