Is there a quick way to instal XP/Vista then going through all critical updates & SP?

[ncc1701d]

Greetings Newb question:

I just wanted to know, when you instal Vista / xp on Mac, do you have to install the basic OS, then keep downloading all the critical updates service packs etc? Or is it possible to just download vista with the final Service packs in one go?

I'm thinking of using bootcamp to instal XP, but it seems to take forever the way I do it - starting at the basic OS and then running through all the critical updates and service packs. Is it necessary or can you just go straight from the initial installation to the latest service pack? It seems that whenever I install XP, it goes throguh a lot of updates which are then taken away on rebooting and installing the next service pack. Thanks!

 

[VideoFreek]

Every version of Windows since Windows 2000 has provided the means to do this via a process called "slipstreaming." You only need to assemble all the service packs and updates you want to include with the basic install, and then run a routine to integrate the new files with the install files. You would then need to burn a new installation CD or DVD. I think it's probably not worth the effort if you envision installing Windows only a few times, although I agree that going thru all the updates after installation is truly a pain. However, if you plan to install/ reinstall Windows several times, this really will save you a lot of time and frustration.

A good primer on exactly how to do this can be found here.

BTW, if you really want to be up-to-the-minute, the latest service pack for XP (SP3) should be released via Windows Update very soon (it was supposed to be released yesterday, but has been delayed again due to a minor compatibility issue). You can grab a copy now by following the links in this article.

Likewise, Vista SP1 was released recently, and is available for download.

Have fun!

 

[ncc1701d]

Thank you for the excellent reply! That helps out a lot. Cheers!

 

[Eidorian]

I prefer nLite myself.

The command line method usually ends up failing. There's only one update if you make a Windows XP SP3 disc.

 

[AppleMatt]

So I'm a big advocate of slipstreaming. However, Microsoft haven't released a slip-streamable capable SP3 for Windows XP yet (unless you either believe the torrent sites or use nLite etc).

Windows XP SP3 includes every update released since 2001, so you're better off installing Windows XP, updating to SP1a and then to SP3. After that, when you run Windows Update there are only about 2 or 3 more updates to go.

AppleMatt

 

[donmei]

If you do the install using Fusion. Then you can just make a file copy of that VM once it is all patched and updated.

Set the root folder of the VM copy as read only so you dont accidentally pollute it.

Then when you need to "reinstall" xp, just make a copy of the virgin install and point the vmware towards it. voila. you've just "re-installed" a fully patched version of windows in 1 minute.

(of course you will still want to re-run win update to get the latest patches, but at least you wont be starting from zero. )

I definitely feel your pain. My windows licenses are for an OEM version. My only media is a fresh from 2001 version of XP. It has taken 2 days and about 10 reboots to get it fully patched. With VM ware, I'll never have to do that again.

Don