mraeryceos

Thanks Magic! I have some XP SP1 boot screens, such as "Windows XP Lame Edition", which shows a snail as the logo. I don't know how to make the boot screens, so I was hoping for something easy to convert XP SP1 to SP2 boot screens. If I find some time I'll learn how to do it manually. Or... HA! http://fox34.deviantart.com/art/Windows-XP-Lame-Edition-36016989?q=gallery%3Afox34%2F55971&qo=17&offset=30

Is there an easy way to use themes and boot screens made for XP SP1 on SP2? Or am I thinking wrong and this question is just for boot screens? Is there a patch that allows any theme from any service pack? Is there a program that will convert an SP1 theme to an SP2 theme?

Are there any updates for Windows XP (SP2 and on) that you would exclude from the Update Lists? Does anyone keep UL's focusing on minimalism? Continued from here: http://www.rtwincustomize.net/web/index.php?/topic/7812-custom-sp3-for-xp/

Just the facts, Ma'am

Thanks GrofLuigi ! Note the cpu update is not compatible with older cpu's: "The update that is described in this article is not supported on computers that use an older Intel Pentium together with a Family 5 CPU or earlier versions of the CPU." Also I'm a bit astonished at the number of USB updates. Actually, that's XP SP3 since service pack 2 was discontinued for updates and most of the newer patches will not run on SP2 anymore. Technically, yes, but I think there is an easy workaround. What requires WGA? If I think it's what you mean, I can download anything from MS. Run their dingy (sandboxed), put in the code, and download. Which is only by luck and not anything you have done, assuming it hasn't already happened to you and you don't realize it. In this day and age, getting hit by a virus or malware is not a matter of if, but when, if you are connected to the Internet. Yes, my testbed, fully patched, which I ran Internet Explorer on, got viruses more than once. For fun, I would browse to the same sites with Firefox and my unpatched system (the one you have attitude about).

Strategy: to use the oldest operating system that is still mainstream. Why: the older operating system was meant to run on older hardware (less code, faster system). At this time, I believe that is Windows XP SP2, released in Aug 2004. I want to add as few updates as possible, especially not ones like microsoft genuine advantage. ****** Security Update selection method: Which viruses were successful? By what security vulnerability did notable viruses spread? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_computer_viruses_and_worms Most spread by user naivety: trojan horses KB912919 bifrost - graphics rendering vulnerability KB958644 conficker - server service vulnerability KBxxxxxx stuxnet - (which vulnerabilities are exposed without a user browsing the website or opening a download?) ****** Desired or improved functionality selection method: KB932716 imapi dvd burning KB896256 multi-core hotfix KB917021 wifi update (security) I have the feeling that if I learned about each update individually, that I would be selecting a lot more updates, but, I don't want to read about each and every hotfix. I was wondering if others would be interested in posting hotfixes they would not do without (probably very few of you, since the majority believe in applying all the patches from microsoft). A description of why the update is important to you would be nice. edit: I would like to add, that I have been without real-time protection on an unpatched system for over 10 years without having been infected by a virus (while not using IE, and using a sandbox for peer-to-peer-network downloads)

Thank you John. Wish this was like Facebook: I would "like" your comment, rather than adding another comment to the thread. I knew this was an easy question, but I didn't find the answer in documentation. I didn't even know about svcpack method. But now I do: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/24/

Why would you ? I don't understand the question... basically you made an admitted mistake that apparently has no consequence and you ask if you can go on doing the same mistake when you see no advantage doing it. No, I want to know what the difference is between what nlite does in those two functions. Here's my guess: one slipstreams, and the other installs during gui mode. Why use one versus the other? Why was what I did a mistake? Thanks! Those are the types of details I want to hear.

I just added RyanVM's Net Framework 1.1 as a Service Pack in nLite (oops?). Should I have added it as a hotfix? What's the difference (can you add all hotfixes as service packs? What are the advantages/disadvantages? This is the first time I've ever bothered with hotfixes. ps. Outside of nLite, should kb hotfixes be added in numerical order? (what happens if one has a newer file than another)

If we had a database of hashes of all Windows files (like crc, md5, sha1, etc), including those in updates, we could check the windows directory for any that don't match the database. These we could assume to be afflicted files (virus or otherwise), and replace them with original Windows files. I know there is the "catroot" database in Windows itself, but this often gets altered by viruses, and I have also read to be inaccurate in some forums(?). I think it would be better if each known Windows file got a third party hash of its own to add to the hash database. Is there some program that has this database of hashes, and can run a check on the Windows directory? Here is some poor fellow who was looking for the same: http://forums.devshed.com/security-and-cryptography-17/how-to-dump-content-of-system32-catroot-cat-files-536678.html Granted I could use the "repair" option from Windows bootable media, but I don't like the closed box feel to it. I don't know exactly what the repair option does. For example, I would like it to ask me: "Replace explorer.exe with original?". I would also prefer the same third party GUI regardless of which Windows OS it is.

I've altered my windows xp system so that when an unknown file is double clicked, you DO NOT have the option to select "always use this program to open this file type". However, if I add a key to Hkey Classes Root, and name it with the three letter extension, then all of a sudden I DO have the option to select "always use this program for this file type". So what I want to do, is add a context menu item to Unknown Files (I'd call it "Associate"), that will: 1. create the three letter extension key in HKCR 2. then run the "open with" dialog for said extension This may explain the details, but doesn't say how to automate 1 & 2 above http://windowsxp.mvps.org/alwaysopen.htm

It has been my experience, that without the empty directories in the winsxs folder, some software/updates will not install. (though I didn't try method 4)

Is there a way to reduce the number of Manifest files in WinSxS\Manifests?

You can instead use GRUB in the 100MB partition to have the alternative boot be Linux.

I'm holding info hostage in exchange for Windows6.1-KB947821-v4-x86 edit: ok, i'm such a nice guy These are the updates in this thread people have had problems with: KB971033 not being able to install this: bonus (didn't bother trying) KB979309 installation complete KB976098 not installed (this is the time zone or whatever update) KB978601 installation complete KB971468 installation complete So, only the one Photek said didn't install, doesn't install

thank you zwaldowski, it completed installing. Has anyone tried removing publicKeyTokens from all the manifest files? http://blog.kalmbachnet.de/?postid=80 I like apps being more portable, and I'm hoping this ?might? reduce the use of winsxs.

Aviv, my experience was that it didn't finish installing (hung about 3/4 of the way there). Although it did create thousands of folders in the winsxs directory. I was using VirtualBox. Do you have a link to the older Windows6.1-KB947821-v4-x86 ?

They have updated KB947821, and I wonder if anyone here could point me to the last version. I can only find one published April 27, 2010: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=44e15787-66b0-4e9c-9c3b-1fc9ea40f69f&displaylang=en The one I downloaded is named Windows6.1-KB947821-v5-x86.msu What was the previous you guys were using? I haven't tried this one, but I don't want to start with it when I never gave the previous a try.

If you run win7 on fat32, then no built in access control lists. The way I know to do this, is to: - boot from another win OS - take ownership of all files (make sure apply to all subdirectories, and override any special permissions) - use supercopier or terracopy to copy all files off partition (with exception of junctions that i think are of little importance) - format partition fat32 - put files back - fix the boot sector with bootsect.exe limiting factor for fat32 is number of objects in a directory: problem with winsxs crap, but probably not for your small OS. i talk about windows 7. did you try this? is it works? or you talk about theorically. doesn't registry ownerships effect? Yes, I have windows 7 running on fat32. Works. All files, including registry hive files copied fine, after granting *Everyone* full permission to all files on drive. Perhaps I did this before booting to other OS. Perhaps I used terrible bloatware "Security Explorer". Or by right clicking folder in XP (on the win7 files), security, advanced, remove all nonsense, add Everyone and propagate to subfolders. Or by cacls. As for the ownership of the individual registry keys, I never even thought about it.

If you run win7 on fat32, then no built in access control lists. The way I know to do this, is to: - boot from another win OS - take ownership of all files (make sure apply to all subdirectories, and override any special permissions) - use supercopier or terracopy to copy all files off partition (with exception of junctions that i think are of little importance) - format partition fat32 - put files back - fix the boot sector with bootsect.exe limiting factor for fat32 is number of objects in a directory: problem with winsxs crap, but probably not for your small OS.

They have updated KB947821, and I wonder if anyone here could point me to the last version

I am very happy for this thread! I was wondering if any of you could tell me what happens during Win 7 installation during TEXT MODE. Assuming that Win 7 has a text mode, and it is similar to Win XP, this is what I mean: http://unattended.msfn.org/unattended.xp/view/web/13/ So I am mentioning this to remind people what TEXT MODE is, that it will be fresh in their memory. TEXT MODE is what happens before the first reboot during installation. My question: Is it the same process, regardless of the type of hardware that windows is being installed to? I wanted to try for myself, to see if this is all that happens during TEXT MODE: create a partition, create an MBR, create the partition's boot sector, and copy the files over. Then, when I reboot, Win 7 installation would continue from there? edit: there is no text mode, but i'm hoping this works anyway

Settled for installing Windows 7 on a Fat32 partition. Faster file system. No more "access denied", no more messing with permissions. No more Junction, Symbolic, or multiple Hard Links. No more Alternative Data Streams. I'm sure all the geeks will cry that this is a terrible thing.

Maybe someone who knows more about this can make some use of this info. I tried replacing NTFS.SYS in Windows 7 with older versions, like WinXP's and some old ones from WinNT I found on the net. I wrote the results for myself, so if you need clarification, just ask (just don't ask why). I have been trying this on Windows 7 Embedded Standard RC. - fat32 file cleaning: win7 will run if files have been passed thru fat32 partition - windows\winsxs: win7 will blue screen if windows\winsxs directory is missing, and will stall with only the cursor if only the short named folders are left - ntfs.sys nt4sp6a: win7 will exhibit the lightshow indefinitely - ntfs.sys winxpsp2: win7 prompts that ntfs.sys is corrupt, lightshow never reached: "windows failed to load because a required file is missing, or corrupt" - ntfs.sys nt351sp5: bluescreen with message unmountable_boot_volume - ntfs.sys nt4sp3: bluescreen with message unmountable_boot_volume - ntfs.sys nt4sp6a revisited: same as before: lightshow indefinitely - ntfs.sys winxpsp2 + ksecdd.sys winxpsp2: ksecdd.sys: "windows cannot verify the digital signature for this file" - disable driver signing via f8 on startup: tcpip.sys "windows failed to load because a required file is missing, or corrupt" - add tcpip.sys winxpsp2: rdyboost.sys ""windows failed to load because a required file is missing, or corrupt": this file is in win7 only! The rdyboost.sys file is existing in the Windows 7 installation, and it is the original, and yet the error message says it is missing or corrupt. Weird.

Ah, someone mentioned it here: