Moonchilde

You're right. I didn't think about the folder containing the .sys and the folder being deleted. Over in the vLite forum they have this issue covered. There is an update that "fixes" updatability while "removing" the WinSxS folder. Most stuff will update fine. I think when people were using vLite to remove WinSxS or RT7Lite they were removing stuff that shouldn't have been removed. Of course, that's why I feel this method of removal that takes things component by component will keep Windows safe, because we aren't simply deleting the "garbage" from WinSxS. It simply happens as the components are removed. As long as the component we remove doesn't break Windows, that is, and of course, if that happens, then it's all moot anyway. I didn't realize it before, but we actually don't even have to check thefiledb for component names. Inside every .inf file is usually a name for any drivers and such, and for other components there is usually something mentioned in the random files if we forcefully open them up in notepad. I should have known better having edited .inf files plenty of times during the XP days when you could run unsigned drivers easily.

I think the only accurate way to search for the building blocks of the OS is being forced to do it file by file in the WinSxS folder. Yeah, it's huge, but a lot of stuff is repeated for compatibility layers and components are broken up into "parts" so it isn't like each and every manifest is a new component. At first, I was extremely overwhelmed, especially prior to the release of xml creator. There was no way I was going to be able to create xml files manually, it was just way over my head. I've noticed each component has at least 2 manifests, one for the original xxx.inf, one for inf.resources at minimum. Some include language variations and other stuff as well. This also significantly cuts down the amount of folders we have to browse through in WinSxS, which can be easily overwhelming when you first browse to the manifest folder and see over 12,000 individual files. Also, when searching for string -k atiriol6 it builds an xml file but doesn't for some reason find the .sys file associated with the inf. If you check thefiledb.com, you'll see that the atinavrr.sys has a path of atiriol6.inf. Is xml creator missing something? If so, then it's possible we may think a component is completely removed, such as the ATI video capture drivers but they really aren't fully removed. However, if you search for -k atiilhag it will find the associated .sys, atikmdag.sys. The one thing I LOVE about this method of component removal is that after the component is removed, the WinSxS folder is removed too, which will greatly reduce the footprint of the OS. It's sad when the WinSxS folder for XP x64 edition is only about 128 mbs in size and Win 7 is gbs larger. I never had a problem with Win XP x64 and had a very small nLite install, sadly, my audio hardware device drivers decided to go with the Vista architecture and rendered it useless for the Server 2003/XP x64 architecture. Either way, for this to really take off we're going to need help, and blue needs to come around more often.

BTW guys, an easy way to search for stuff is to look at the names of the manifest files. amd64_adpu320.inf.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_en-us_6a45a05a6afc0a79 Search -k adpu320 and it compile an xml based on the inf information. Usually within the .xml there are keys to finding out what exactly the component is. For example, in adpu320 there is a file called adpu320.sys which you can cross reference with http://www.thefiledb.com/filedatabase/windows7x64/ which has a list of all the files within the OS. Under the file adpu320.sys is the description Adaptec StorPort Ultra320 SCSI Driver which you can use in your .xml to help detail it. To make searching thefiledb.com easier, just google "thefiledb.com adpu320.sys" or whatever other device you're looking for and it should bring the page up as the first hit. WinSxS seems to be divided into several catagories. Anything that is simply amd64_xxxxxx.inf seems to be the basic foundation of the system such as drivers, services, and a few other lower level items. Anything that is amd64_microsoft-windows seems to be software components in the native x64 format. Anything that is wow64_microsoft-windows is the 32 bit version of the native software components. Anything that is x86_xxxxxx.inf seems to be 32 bit versions of the basic OS foundation. And then there is a 5th catagory, msil_xxxxxxx which I'm not sure exactly what it falls under. Anyway, it makes looking for stuff easier. Good thing is, a lot of stuff is repeated over the categories so you don't actually have to search through 12000+ manifests. Maybe, only 4000, lol! It seems it really is possible to create a fully modular Windows 7, something that didn't really seem possible before. Sadly, I doubt this would go anywhere, as it doesn't seem there are many people really interested in a OS with only the stuff you want in it and not the bunch of junk it comes with. Oh yeah, another benefit of this is that by searching this way, you can remove components of components... for example: amd64_desktop_shell-gettingstarted.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_en-us_985b8b2af38a6a1a amd64_desktop_shell-gettingstarted_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7601.17514_none_5d1e01379f4d67ed amd64_desktop_shell-search-srchadmin.resources_31bf3856ad364e35_7.0.7600.16385_en-us_805a99c7c2e587d5 amd64_desktop_shell-search-srchadmin_31bf3856ad364e35_7.0.7601.17514_none_a9f0ab75af7a5b5c Would all be compiled under the same xml if you did a search for desktop_shell but if you did desktop_shell-gettingstarted you could separate the component and you could remove part of it rather than the whole thing. One problem though is that stuff that gets too long in file name, such as: amd64_microsoft.windows.d..eshootingpackmodule_31bf3856ad364e35_6.1.7600.16385_none_7d19911b0fafbb5f Part of it is cut off so knowing exactly what the component is, is a little questionable without time consuming file browsing. It's actually diagnostic troubleshooting pack module, which if you'd only find out by opening the manifest in an editor. Ah well...

Ah ok.. I'm just working my way through the WinSxS folder looking for stuff. Started on the driver stuff and worked my way down a bit.

Hey, do you have a zip file with stuff to remove? Has anyone helped by adding XML files yet?

I've been very interested in component removal, I just don't know what to look for even with the guide. I guess I'm not really up to the task. Maybe the new tool will make it easier.

Yeah, fork over hundreds of dollars or customize your current image? Man I wish I could just use Windows Embedded 7 at the drop of a hat, but not everyone has that kind of money.