GMan_PCTT

Good question! Personally, I've always found the term 'maybe' to be a tough sell. It's almost always impossible to foresee every possible reason why a user might have things set up a certain way and that would 'maybe' include licensing terms as well. As a shop tech, I deal with all kinds of keys in all sorts of circumstances. But just because I can't think of a decent (and legal) reason off the top of my head for a private user to be using a VLK key doesn't mean that a good (and legal) reason doesn't exist. I can cite many other perfectly legitimate sites that do allow discussions that include VLK issues, but they also have to occasionally deal with posts that cross the line. The thing is that many of those disrespectful posts are not just centered around VLK product keys. They also hit on certain types of hacks and illegal keys that are used on retail &/or OEM installations. I must admit that I do get to enjoy a good laugh whenever a post is flagged for stuff like that, but I also know that they're annoying as heck to the admins that have to patrol the threads looking for that kind of thing.

I understand the point and would agree that nLite could be made to make a 'least bloated' install of SP2, but that's not all it is. nLite, vLite and many other tools of this type can also be used to 'customize' a person's install disk. How the utility is used is up to the user. If it was designed ONLY to reduce bloat, that would leave out all of the 'hackers' that aren't trying to reduce the size of Windows and instead prefer to use it for registry tweaks, slipstreaming service packs and/or other tasks that it also handles. The bottom line seems to be that you can use the tool any way you see fit, regardless of whether that use adds or removes from the resulting install size. Like the old Burger King slogan goes, "Have it YOUR way".

Hi John, You replied to the wrong post. I only sent in a possible solution for x509's System Restore issue.

It just so happens that one of my tech subscribers brought me a very similar issue earlier today, so I have several tabs open at the moment related to it. Take a look at the following Malwarebytes thread. It discusses how to restore System Restore and covers several subtopics that may be of use to you as you go through the procedure. I'll suggest you read the entire thread before you start so you'll have an idea of what to expect and what to do if things don't go as planned. http://www.malwarebytes.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=7753 Please write back and let us know if it works for your system.

Unfortunately, it also means physically burning your creation to a blank instead of just mounting the ISO, unless you have the means to install from a USB stick.

The only true approach you can take here is to use a separate, blank hard drive and install your creation directly to that. It's the only way that the Windows install will focus directly on your specific hardware and show you what you really need to see here. Just be sure that no other hard drives are attached when you install the nLite'd beast. That way, your primary install and all of your data will be kept out of harm's way.

I should have noted that I DID have to fight through the problem about 2 years ago using a single SATA drive on an ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe board. The only way I could find to get around the issue (the XP SP2 installation's first reboot led to the SATA drive no longer being detected) was to use the official Microsoft 6-disk bootdisk set they offer for XP gold, SP1 & SP2. They don't have one for SP3 or Vista systems, nor do they have any plans to ever make them available. You can download the file below, if you'd like to play it safe this time around. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994 I had no such problem installing to any IDE based hard drive on that same mobo.

I just completed a new build around a Gigabyte GA-EP45-UD3R mobo on a WD 1.5GB SATA hard drive using an nLite'd SP2 install disk (nLite was only used to slipstream SP2). I did not need to integrate SATA or RAID drivers (it's not set up for RAID use), nor did I need to do anything fancy with the BIOS settings to convince the mobo that the drive was an IDE instead of what it actually is. The important part here is that your installation CD needs to be of SP2 or higher. XP Gold and SP1 do not have the SATA support needed, so the drivers would have to be added only if you're using one of those. Post back and let us know of your results.

I've been through the same issue with my own board (ASUS A8N32-SLI Deluxe) a couple of years ago and came to the conclusion that a clean first install of Windows isn't possible to a SATA drive regardless of added drivers, BIOS settings, nLite or original disk, etc.. The only way I was able to get the install to get past that reboot stage was to install directly to an IDE drive. Over time (and with a heck of a lot of experimentation), I was able to finally get a SATA drive to accept a clean Windows install, but only if I started the install using Microsoft's own Boot disk set (a single file that, when run, creates a set of 6 floppy disks). These disks contain the exact same files as first part of the CD installation, but for whatever reason, the system was still able to 'see' the SATA drive after that first reboot. Once the files have been copied into memory and the system reboots, the rest of the install automatically references the optical drive just like it's supposed to. Note that I was not using an nLite disk that was designed for an unattended install. Mine only had SP2 slipstreamed and numerous tweaks & a multiple theme pack added. Note also that the file I used to make these boot floppies was made specifically for XP SP2 installation, just like the nLite disk I was trying to install. Microsoft also made these boot sets for the original and SP1 versions of XP. Once this initial install was completed, I was able to easily add a second instance of WinXP (dual-boot) without using the floppies. For whatever reason, the motherboard would now recognize that SATA drive following the first reboot during the install. I am still shaking my head on why this happens. Microsoft stopped creating these boot disk images after releasing the one for XP SP2, likely because they are trying to move us away from floppy drives, but the ones they did produce are still available from their site. If you choose to give this idea a spin to see if it'll work for your board, be sure to get them straight from the source. There are numerous knock-offs floating around the web, but I wouldn't trust most of them with my own system. The MS page that discusses them and links tot he downloadable files is below. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994 Good luck and let us know how you make out with this. [Edited for spelling]

Mark, Is there a way to add a Copy function or ability to the tabs within the Information panel? I'm playing with the second build you asked me to download and check, but there's no way to Copy the info to show you what I see here in the Hardware or other areas.

Good point. It also emphasizes one of the worst problems WPI faces in that the full compliment of drivers should always be installed prior to any apps and there's no way I can see to accomplish that before WPI runs and does its thing. I always download the latest drivers from the various hardware maker's sites prior to doing a wipe/reinstall, but it would be ideal is WPI could somehow handle getting them installed before rebooting the system and then launching into the app install stage.

Considering how important it is to get all the correct drivers installed before heading into app installs, I would call it a great idea. It would mean adding all of the chipset drivers for all of the systems to the initial build, but it would certainly make things much easier in the long run for those of us with relatively large networks using different chipsets. I'd be interested in whether it could be taken further by adding something to detect which video card, sound card, etc. was in a system so that the correct drivers could be added for them as well. Maybe even provide a single switch to enable/disable each driver subsection during the build?

Most Illegal Instruction errors are the result of a corrupted temp file already stored on the system in question. Clear out all Temp folders, reboot and then try it again. The built-in Disk Cleanup utility (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup) seems to do an adequate job as long as you select the "Temporary Files" and "Temporary Internet Files" options. Post back and let us know if this helps.

It looks like the original because it IS the original. The purpose this gem is primarily for folks who are running OEM Vista installations, which do NOT contain the ability to run the Recovery Module because the OEM didn't include it on the supplied disk or recovery partition. It's also a Must-Have item for anyone who repairs computers for a living. Read through the original Neosmart link in its entirety to better understand its purpose before condemning a perfectly decent post.

No bother at all. Plus, you're system is now a little cleaner. Success means everything, so I'm very glad to hear that it worked.

There are plenty of non-MS places where you can download a file that's labeled as SP3, but I wouldn't trust most of them. There are a ton of pre-release SP3's floating around and they're causing a lot more problems than they solve. Since everything else checks out, the most likely source of corruption is still Temp files. If you're using any version of IE for downloading the file, you should clear out your Temporary Internet Files folder, as well. Keep us updated on your progress.

Your issue may not be with nLite or SP3 at all. Windows has limits on how long a path statement can be and, if exceeded, will issue this exact error message when you try to execute a file. To put it in simpler terms (and assuming my guess is correct), something you're using is buried too deeply within folder\subfolder\subfolder\etc.. Each additional folder adds to the chance that you'll exceed the limit. So, if you've been working with any deeply nestled folders, try moving everything to just under your drive letter. In other words, copy the contents of the Windows install disk to something like C:\XPDisk and put the downloaded SP3 file into one called C:\SP3 and then run the app using those two locations. If the above does not apply here, then this may also be the result of a corrupted TEMP file getting in the way. Run Disk Cleanup (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System > Disk Cleanup) and make sure there's a check next to Temporary Files in the options. It wouldn't hurt to reboot after cleaning them out. On the other hand, SP3 requires that either SP1 or SP2 be already present within the files. If you're using an original XP (no service packs) install disk, it wont work until you first slip in one of the earlier SP's. Good luck and let us know how you make out.

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Hi Nick, I believe nLite was designed to only be used within XP systems. It may not make a difference if all you're doing is slipstreaming SP2 into the disk, but I wanted you to be aware of it in case it doesn't work as expected. If you prefer, you can go to the MS site that provides the IT version of SP2 and read their directions for slipstreaming it without the help of a 3rd party utility like nLite. Check out the links below for all you need. To get SP2: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details...;displaylang=en How to slipstream SP2 manually: http://blogs.technet.com/brucecowper/articles/240224.aspx Again, once you're all set up with your WinXP install running, you can use nLite from within that install to do all sorts of things to your install disk, but I just want to make sure you can get the initial XP install done without a problem.

Hi Nick, That size limitation only exists with XP when there are no Service Packs installed. If the drive is already formatted at 160GB (only 130GB or so will be seen within Windows), you have choices. My fist choice would be to slipstream SP2 with the disk you already have and then burn yourself a new "Base" install CD from the result. My primary reason for suggesting an SP2 slip is that SP3 requires that either SP1 or SP2 already exist or it won't install. I am also a bit leery of SP3 when slipstreamed due to the percentage of folks who haven't been able to get nLite, SP3 and other additions/removals to work well together. Of course, you may never have some of those issues, but I'm trying to help preserve your sanity here. Assuming the hard drive is not just fully formatted but also empty, a second choice would be to install what you already have (non-SP install CD), but do NOT allow the install to mess with the partitioning/formatting of the hard drive. Yes, only 127GB will show up initially, but you'll get the rest back when you get around to installing SP2. This is how we did it prior to finding utilities like nLite. So, given your situation, I would do nothing more than slipstream SP2 with your original install disk and create a new install CD from the result. This new base disk will provide you with an easy way to get a full Windows install that recognizes the entire size of your hard drive. You can later use that new "base" CD for experiments with SP3 and whatever other stuff you want to try with nLite.

Thanks for your reply, GMan_PCTT! There's info I didn't provide on this forum that suggests that your proposed solution likely wouldn't work for me. This is the info I obliquely referred to in my OP's first paragraph (i.e, "detailed description available upon request"). The relevant part of that issue for this thread is that Intel insists the bug/glitch I ran into at the outset that caused me to turn to nLite in the first place was caused by the fact that the Sony external USB floppy drive I used isn't on the Microsoft approved hardware compatibility list for Win XP. In my opinion, that's total BS, but they wouldn't help me until I got one that's on the HCL (which should be arriving Wednesday, June 11'th). But back to this thread here for now. I'm interpreting your reply as telling me that I probably can't get nLite to do what I want. If you or anyone else thinks differently, please let me know. By no means am I implying that nLite is not capable of getting around the issue. I am only saying that the boot disk set was the only way I was able to get past it. I strongly suspect that it has to do with trying to install to a SATA hard drive using an IDE optical drive. Although my BIOS was set up so that the SATA was the primary boot drive, it could not be found by the installation once the install had copied all of the files it needed to that same hard drive. I agree that the HCL is a bunch of bullony. I sure hope that the new floppy drive is able to help you get past the problem.

Hi Ambee, I've experienced this same frustration myself when I set up my first new SATA equipped system over 2 years ago. Nothing would let me get past the "No drives found" issue until I tried starting the install with the 6 floppy disk boot disk set provided by MS for XP. These floppies will contain the same files that are normally copied to the drive from the install CD, but they somehow get around the 'missing drive' issue. You can download them from the link below if you're interested in giving it a shot. Note that these are only available for XP Home & Pro and will not support a SP3 disk. You will have to add SP3 manually once the system is up and running. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310994

That's a nice bit of sleuthing. What told you that they were both set up as Primary?

Actually, you explained yourself quite well. That was completely my fault for being in such a hurry, I failed to read the part of your post that was below the scroll point. That will not happen again for a long time. Most modern mainboards do not need those SATA drivers unless you are actually interested in building a RAID configuration. As far as the BIOS is concerned, once it recognizes a connected drive, it doesn't care if it's EIDE or SATA. You have further proof that this is the case in your own Boot.ini file as it's clearly showing the second drive has been both recognized and added to the menu. Unfortunately, it has both OS's showing twice with the one that's in the install process described in two different ways (one for the continuing install and the other for a completed install). The confusion occurs because the boot menu will always go with the first listing of any particular volume and the first shown here one for the new drive lacks the install info. My suggestion is to remove the two extras (the ones that do not include the switches) which should also remove the installation's confusion. Current Contents: [boot loader] timeout=10 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS [operating systems] multi(1)disk(2)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="New Windows XP" multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Old Windows XP" signature(2cd09)disk(2)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="New XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Old XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect Suggested Contents: [boot loader] timeout=10 default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS [operating systems] signature(2cd09)disk(2)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="New XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Old XP Home Edition" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect If setting it this way fails to take you back to continue the install, change the 3rd line to the following to help the boot menu to send you there. default=signature(2cd09)disk(2)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS

The addition of SP3 to Windows XP removes your ability to revert back to a previous version of IE. This was done intentionally due to the fact that rolling back to an earlier version would also replace some of the new SP3 files with earlier 'unpatched' versions of those files. So, if you want to have the option to roll back to IE6, roll back before you install SP3. Then, update to IE7 again once SP3 is in place. The files that are backed up as part of IE6 will then be the same as those included with SP3 and the rollback option will be forever available to you. This same idea also applies to anyone running the IE8 beta. Roll back, add SP3 and then roll forward to wherever you want to be. If you don't, you'll lose the option of rolling back to IE7 or earlier and be stuch with the beta until it can be replaced with the full IE8 version.