Just what it says on the tin I was wondering if it is possible to build a Windows XP install CD (from an original source CD) which does a very quick install and doesn't go through all the 30+ minutes a regular one does? I've been looking at nLite and HFSLIP and removing a bunch of things but it still takes a very long time. I'm sure it isn't my computer which is a 3Ghz P4 with 2Gb memory and not unreasonable hard drive.

I remember someone telling me a long time ago they bragged how they could install XP in only a few minutes. Any truth to this tale? How?

I can IMAGE a highend machine using PING with XP SP2, Office2k7, all updates, Flash, Acrobat, Quicktime and Real in around 7-10 minutes but that same machine would take 30+ minutes to install XP from my slipstream CD

now Windows XP RTM might install in 10-15 minutes on modern hardware but then you'd spent hours updating it

you might speed things up slightly by installing over a superfast network with a RIS server but not by much

I can IMAGE a highend machine...

Good solution.

To use it on multiple PCs, I used this one : perform a HD based install and image that before first boot. It generates an image of about the size of a CD, but install runs locally on the disk, so much faster than from CD or network.

Thank you very much. I thought about making an image but I don't know how to do so before Windows boots up initially (and then starts putting in drivers etc. for the current machine) - wouldn't an image be specific to that computer? I'd be interested in a generic image which could be used to install on different hardware and then configures itself... any particular software required? Preferably cheap or freeware!

Edited November 29, 200718 yr by heffalump

my nlited unattended disk installs in 20 minutes and includes .net 2.0, IE7 and all post SP2 updates. for standard installs i think disabling WFP gives the single most noticeable speed increase... it knocks off at least 5 minutes. unattended installs are faster by nature too.

i'm content with starting an install and leaving to do other things for 20 minutes, though if i were doing say a whole lab full of PCs i'd be installing from a network image for sure.

...for standard installs i think disabling WFP gives the single most noticeable speed increase... it knocks off at least 5 minutes. unattended installs are faster by nature too.

yes, you are right. I used 3 methods to make it faster, and slimmer too

1. nLite the installation removing all crap

2. Disable WFP

3. Used gosh's guide for reducing the size

My XP installation gets over within 12-13 minutes

Using my guide, I've installed in 25 minutes a fully configured Server 2003 (a 4 Gb ISO). When you install from WIM, it really depends on how big the image is, 95% of the time represents data decompression + driver installation