syntax01010

I am curious, as that I keep running into people who swear by wanting or needing SP2 for XP installed, has anyone come across a set of configurations for SP2 for XP that actually makes it behave well yet? My personal experience; I've downloaded, and isntalled, and used SP2 for XP on a few different trial runs since its initial release. Much like a few other people that I know i've run into a large number of issues where various applications, drivers, and games simply refuse to work at all or will work but not properly with SP2. Have any solutions to those types of issues been found as of yet? Or is sticking with XP SP1 still the best bet for that?

Slightly off topic, but since the 98 Resource kit link was posted and allowed, anyone know if there is a link to download the Windows 2000 or Windows XP Resource kits? If so, post please.

Does anyone know where you could go to either download, or order on CD, the collective set of all M$ updates released to date for 98SE or ME? I realize there is WindowsUpdate, but i'm looking for a way to collect them onto CD for use with reinstalls(i.e. so not have to go to WindowsUpdate everytime for reinstall). I've checked the Windows Catalog area you can get to from WindowsUpdate, but they stupidly put all the 98, 98SE, and ME updates under the same section. Its difficult to know which updates are just for one or two or all three of them.

I know that by some basic editing of the boot.ini file that it is possible to create a basic boot menu for XP Pro, and even to setup the option to boot automaticly into safe mode as one of the boot options. However, the full menu you get from hitting F8 during boot offers many more options, like restore Last Known Good, etc. Is there any way to make XP default to booting to the F8 menu everytime you reboot? If so, how can you do so? What settings are needed, and where at, to make that an option?

Cool wallapers! On a side note, anyone happen to know of a good website where you can get high resolution wallpapers/backgrounds in a variety of types or styles? I've seen some amazingly high quality pictures in various posts on these forums, and honestly.....even after using the Internet for a few years now, I have no clue where you'd find such high quality images at. I'm lucky to stumble on a good enough quality 1024x768 image for using on custom XP setup screens.

Anyone know of a good way to edit the source files for the Windows XP Pro setup CD so that you could replace the default visual style/background/theme/screen saver, with one that you include and specify? Thanks for any advice with this.

-Update As an update on the project I am working on, i've run into two distinct but different dead ends. 1. When I attempt to use Gosh's method to slim down source, after using nLite to remove unwanted components, I get the error "Cannot boot from CD -code 5" 2. When attempting to Gosh's method to slim source first, and then remove components via nLite, I get errors that needed .inf files are missing from nLite and it crashes. It would seem a great idea if this were actually possible to combine both projects, since my finished .iso image for Windows XP Pro SP1,(when using the first method, I can actually create the .iso it just won't boot), down to a slim 229MB! Compared to the normal 450-475MB a standard XP Pro CD is that is tiny, I would so love to be able to get this to work, but i've retried both methods a few times now and they either aren't compatible or there is something i'm missing in the process of trying to adapt both ideas together. -I did find the post where it was mentioned that nLite won't be adapted for Win98, I was just hoping that perhaps some other tool might exist that will work. I can't use 98Lite, because it requires the purchase pro version to have full functionality, and frankly, I don't have access to a credit card or similar cash to afford buying it. nLite is free, 98lite is far from it, that's why I asked.

I'm trying to get a project completed to where I can have Windows 98SE, Windows 2000 Pro w/Service Pack 4 streamlined, and Windows XP Pro w/Service Pack 1a streamlined, all onto a single install CD. I have checked out nLite, and have been playing with options of removing various initial components that are unneeded for the XP and 2K files. However, I can't seem to find any program that will do the same for Win98 to slim down its install files. Is there such a program? If so, where can I find a copy to download? I am also curious, will Gosh's method for slimming down the source work still, after using nLite on the source files to remove components? or, Is there a way to use nLite after using Gosh's method for slimming source? I tried that a couple times already and kept getting an error message saying certain files were missing. Also, is there a way to use nLite or a similar program to where you can tell multiple operating systems on the same disk to all look in the same folder/sub-folders for additional drivers without having to go into the files and choose the .inf for each and every different driver? Would there be a way using nLite or similar program to replace existing Windows components installed by default? Example: Prevent Windows Media player from even being installed during initial setup, and make Windows install Media Player classic instead, and get Windows to use it as its default media player? Example #2: Prevent Windows from installing any IE files(other than those needed for the OS to function correctly) during initial setup, and instead make Windows install Firefox or Mozilla in its place and use it as its default web browser? Example #3: Prevent Windows from installing Notepad and Wordpad during initial setup, and force Windows to install Metapad and Open Office in their place? Likewise, prevent Windows from installing MS Paint, and make it install Gimp for Windows instead? Thanks for any assistance or advice anyone is willing to give.

I am attempting to create a multi-boot disk, and have followed the instructions listed here http://flyakite.msfnhosting.com/ So far it is going well, i've been able to get my first disk done that has a menu and both Win98SE and WinXP Pro. However, I do not have access to a DVD burner. Is there any way to optimize and slim down the Win98 or WinXP install files so that additional resources can fit onto the same CD? As it stands, using the entire contets of the whole Win98SE CD and the whole WinXP Pro CD, I have little room for anything else. The .iso ends up being around 640MB or so. Any assistance would be appreciated. My goal, if I can manage it, is to get 98SE/WinXP Pro SP1 and Win2000 SP4 all onto the same disk. If it were by some maracle of compression possible, i'd also like to get the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows built with Bart's PE from here http://ubcd4win.com/ on the disk. I'm guessing that unless I can find some good way to slim down the files, that I will remain limited by the storage capacity of a CD and be unable to fit all of those onto the same disk. I'd appreciate any advice anyone would be willing to offer. Thanks!

I own the intigrated CD that is Windows 98 SE and Microsoft Plus! 98. Granted, the Plus! pack for 98 wasn't the best, but it does have some features that I find quite useful. The installation files for Plus!98 on my CD have gotten corrupted from the years of use the CD has seen and from too many scratches. I am curious, does anyone know a place you can go to download replacement Plus!98 Files? I do actually own the CD, but I can't access the files on it to try to make a new copy, and as I'm guessing like everyone knows by now Microsoft doesn't have a habit of replacing damaged disks. Any help would be appreciated, thanks.