fdv's triumphant return

[tain]

Perhaps I missed the announcement, but fdv has been working on his site: http://www.vorck.com/

I'm back.

February 15, 2008

I was busy for a while in December-January.

I took some time to change the site layout because it was a f***ing eyesore. Hopefully this is simply easier to navigate.

I know many, many links are dead. It's really time consuming to revise a website.

Have a look around...

[johndoe74]

yeah, looks very nice now

[AgiHammerklau]

Like the new look too, but the old one was not so bad either.

Have there been so many changes to W2K, HFSLIP and nlite recently ?

Because I´m missing some things now, especially regarding fdv´s fileset and further nliting.

There was something like : ...two mechanics can´t work on the same motor at the same time...

Agi

[fdv]

Hey fellows!

Changes are indeed coming for my fileset. Nothing too major, but for example:

1. All of those files in your SYSTEM (not system32) directory? They can be deleted. I didn't know this until recently when I was experimenting with NT 4. In fact this directory doesn't even need to exist.

2. NT 4's uninstaller works so the MSHTML dependent one I delete in Win2k doesn't need to be replaced by a freeware uninstaller.

3. The Mozilla ActiveX control can now be (better) used for HTML system stuff, a reader named Mike gave me a tip on some reg keys and a binary from the ReactOS project to use.

nLite versus the FDV fileset

I ran a memory comparison between my fileset and an nLite install with all of the options checked.

nLite came in at 1 mb less memory than my fileset. Pretty good, actually. I should also add that I was no longer able to copy files over a LAN connection. That's kind of fatal right there. But in the end, nLite is for people who want it done fast and want it done without DX9 integration. It boils down to using one or the other. Me, I prefer being able to copy files across the LAN.

I do get complaints now and then from people -- people who don't visit MSFN and usually are IT Nazi types -- who tell me that my fileset is interesting but it takes too much out. When I try to pin these types of guys down, they NEVER say anything specific. It's just "too much" missing. One guy was bothered by the fact that without IE, the Disk Administration snap-in under Computer Management doesn't work. (I didn't even know people still used that). I suggested Paragon Hard Disk Manager or Partition Magic. So there are guys out there you just can't win over.

I bought a Core 2 Duo for use at work, and wow, Windows 2000 runs without being bogged down at all. It's not that it's really faster, per se, more like it just doesn't slow down with, for example, MS Access, Word, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop all running, plus two virtual PC's running under VMWare. This slows my P42000 at home down to a crawl.

Anyway, Win2k can only handle two processors, and sure enough it sees a Core 2 Duo as two. But I got to thinking that Win2k Server can see four processors... and I am thinking about a Core 2 Quad for myself. So I am working on a Windows 2000 Server fileset for removing IE. (First I am finishing up Winnt 4 SP7).

[tain]

1. All of those files in your SYSTEM (not system32) directory? They can be deleted. I didn't know this until recently when I was experimenting with NT 4. In fact this directory doesn't even need to exist.

Seriously?

I bought a Core 2 Duo for use at work, and wow, Windows 2000 runs without being bogged down at all. It's not that it's really faster, per se, more like it just doesn't slow down with, for example, MS Access, Word, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop all running, plus two virtual PC's running under VMWare. This slows my P42000 at home down to a crawl.

Anyway, Win2k can only handle two processors, and sure enough it sees a Core 2 Duo as two. But I got to thinking that Win2k Server can see four processors... and I am thinking about a Core 2 Quad for myself. So I am working on a Windows 2000 Server fileset for removing IE. (First I am finishing up Winnt 4 SP7).

I tried to start a conversation about this a while back. Didn't have much luck.

Side note: the image in your sig isn't loading.

[jimmsta]

Hey fellows!

Changes are indeed coming for my fileset. Nothing too major, but for example:

1. All of those files in your SYSTEM (not system32) directory? They can be deleted. I didn't know this until recently when I was experimenting with NT 4. In fact this directory doesn't even need to exist.

Are you sure that these files aren't needed for 16-bit compaitibility within the OS? I've been under the impression that those files are dependencies for the Win16 virtual machine, and are only in XP for that precise reason. If not, then its odd that Microsoft would include those files in all releases of NT when they're not required...

[fdv]

About /system (not system32) files

Open TXTSETUP.INF

Find [Files.UpgradeWin31]

Look at the files listed

See the ones ending in comma five?

Now look at the directory list at the top at [WinntDirectories]

5  = system

Every file that TXTSETUP and LAYOUT list with a ,5, in it, you can comment out.

For example:

setup16.inf  = 1,,,,,,,5,3,2,setup.inf

turns to:

;  setup16.inf  = 1,,,,,,,5,3,2,setup.inf

(note the semicolon) without any harm done.

In fact, I have deleted everything under [Files.UpgradeWin31] because I have never installed on top of NT 3.1.

Now, open up SYSSETUP.INF (after expanding it) and go to [Files.NoWin31.System32ToSystem]. All those files listed? Same deal. You can comment those out, too.

Also, tain, I had a look at what your friend wrote... in some respects, I think he might be confused.

Windows doesn't need to know that an L2 is shared between cores. If you think about the function of an L2 cache, why would it? No version of Windows gets "told" by the processor the L2 configuration, and no version of Windows has any use for "knowing" the configuration. Windows cannot "run threads" in a manner fundamentally differently based on the configuration of L2 -- L2 is the waiting room before instructions are executed by the processor. L2's just cache RAM, and it's the size of it that the OS needs to know and 2003 autodetects. Windows 2000 and XP can be set manually (Google search).

Also, Hyperthreading has nothing to do with the Core 2 Duo and Quad chips (maybe he knows this). The Core 2 chips have dropped Hyperthreading support.

Windows 2003 runs better because it makes the box run "smarter?" So, running Fax Services is running smarter? Running IE Dlls at all times is running smarter? The only thing this holds true for is Active Directory. Have your friend uncompress and load SYSSETUP.INF and look under [infs.Always].

If all of those INFs make 2003 run "smarter," then I'm a n00b and a monkey's uncle. 2003 is bogged down because it's bogged down, and if he doesn't believe it, he needs to expand and have a look inside some of those INF files listed under [infs.Always]. What he says about execution quanta happens to be correct.

Bottom line -- 2000 Server will see 4 processors on a Core 2 Quad, and it's my aim to take advantage of that once I get a finalized fileset.

Edited February 26, 2008 by fdv

[AgiHammerklau]

Hi FDV !

Forgot to say, that I´m glad, that you are completely back !

Hope, this is some constructive criticism :

Changes are indeed coming for my fileset. Nothing too major...

Hoped for a multilanguage set.

I should also add that I was no longer able to copy files over a LAN connection.

Did you find the reason for it ?

Maybe something should(n´t) be placed in "keep/ remove files" ?

But in the end, nLite is for people who want it done fast and want it done without DX9 integration.

Objection, yer honor !

nlite isn´t faster then HFSLIP, but it has a nice GUI and is geared towards people, who don´t like (or know how) to edit infs.

Just integrated DX9 with nlite, got the full bloat, but nevertheless, it´s working.

Unfortuanately Tomcat76 doesn´t show the "lean way" on his page anymore !

Agi

P.S.:

How did you solve the "pianoproblem"

[Arie]

fdv, does commenting out all lines in TXTSETUP.INF in regards to updating from Windows NT 3.1 speed up a part of the setup process of Windows XP for example? Under the [sourceDisksFiles] section there are two files which have ,5, in their line: setup16.inf and stdole.tlb. Can these files be safely commented out for Windows XP for example? Does this speed up a part of the setup process?

[fdv]

AgiHammerklau

Hoped for a multilanguage set.

Too much work, but I do invite others to create non-EN language sets which I will gladly host on my site and give full credits.

I should also add that I was no longer able to copy files over a LAN connection.

Did you find the reason for it ?

I never did, no... I don't really use nLite except for XP because of all of the tweak options it gives. It's a great program, I would never slam it but I didn't have time to investigate. I think it's to be expected when you click to remove just about every single component in Windows 2000, something's going to go wrong -- it's just interesting to me that using nLite to remove everything in 2000, and using my fileset, only have about 1 meg of commit difference between them (in nLite's favor).

Objection, yer honor !

I meant faster as in 'no need to read instructions' LOL but yes, it's for the folks who don't want to mess with INFs, etc. I am behind the times, I didn't know DX9 was able to be integrated with nLite!

How did you solve the "pianoproblem"

Hmmm, I am racking my brain trying to figure out what you're referring to... I can't recall... I'll edit this if I remember but this isn't jogging any memory...

Arie

fdv, does commenting out all lines in TXTSETUP.INF in regards to updating from Windows NT 3.1 speed up a part of the setup process of Windows XP for example?

I don't think you'd notice any real difference. The issue for me is having a useless directory filled with junk. Don't expect a speed increase. One of the ways that you can increase installation speed is to make the same edits to LAYOUT as you do to TXTSETUP in terms of leaving files out. LAYOUT copies files from CD to hard drive into two temp folders. TXTSETUP then copies them from these two temp folders to their final places on the hard drive, creating the final Windows layout. (Then setup deletes the temp folders).

nLite deletes files from TXTSETUP. Which works 100%. But if nLite were to edit LAYOUT, the files would not get copied from CD to temporary directories in the first place. That makes installation faster if you're removing a lot from XP. A lot of people say "b-b-but you can't edit LAYOUT!!" And of course, they're wrong and pay no attention since all you have to do is open LAYOUT.INF and delete every single "_X" (leaving the commas) in the list of files (just use replace in Notepad for example to replace ",_X," with ",,". The _X means "check this file's size, and if the size doesn't match, stop setup. If the _X isn't in any file entries, Windows doesn't check it's size. (Nuhi knows all of this but it's his choice not to implement it since it would probably introduce unnecessary bugs and be a hassle to add it).

Under the [sourceDisksFiles] section there are two files which have ,5, in their line: setup16.inf and stdole.tlb. Can these files be safely commented out for Windows XP for example? Does this speed up a part of the setup process?

Again, these will not speed up setup. You'd need to delete about a third of the files in XP to notice a real speed difference in setup. But yes, you can delete setup16.inf and stdole.tlb from TXTSETUP and LAYOUT.