nLite before or after changes to CD?

[Sanjay]

Does one use nLite to reduce the size of CD before or after making the other changes, for eg. adding drivers, applications, SATA driver slipstreaming, registry tweaks etc? I would like to use nLite only to reduce the size of the CD.

[bucketbuster]

This is what I do:

1.Slipstream SP2 into XP -> using nLite

2.Extract RyanVM’s Pack to i386

3.Use nLite -> DON’T make an iso yet!!

4.Make RyanVM’s adjustments to dosnet.inf and txtsetup.sif

5.Do Gosh's Unattended Secret Reducing Size of Source: -> copy svcpack-folder back to i386

6.Remove obsolete stuff -> fonts and keyboard-layouts

7.Use Unattended Guide

8.Add modified files

9. Make iso using nLite

This works for me.

[RyanVM]

nLite 0.99.1 will do 1-4 for you in one step. (I even say that in my nLite directions)

EDIT: But yes, RUN NLITE BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THE CD.

[Sanjay]

EDIT: But yes, RUN NLITE BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THE CD.

Strange, the first time I used nLIte on a fresh Windows CD to reduce it's size and then added my stuff which gave me all the missing file errors. But the second time I first added all my stuff to a fresh Windows CD and then used nLite to reduce the size, this time total success.

Thus can someone please tell me which is the right way.

[bucketbuster]

EDIT: But yes, RUN NLITE BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THE CD.

What RyanVM said

[Sanjay]

EDIT: But yes, RUN NLITE BEFORE MAKING ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THE CD.

What RyanVM said

Sorry, but I think you guys are wrong. Why do I say so? Well for starters as mentioned above my experience shows that it is the other way around. Also I think it has to do with the fact that nLite makes changes to certain files and specially to textsetup.sif so if I were to make changes to the CD after nLite that would mean replacing the 'textsetup.sif' file also, since slipstreaming of SATA drivers requires changes to the 'textsetup.sif' file. I guess what you guys might be suggesting is that I use nLite first on a fresh Windows and then make my changes to the 'Textsetup.sif' file fromt he nLite package, rather than replacing it, right?

[RyanVM]

well, all I can say is that during the course of making my update pack, I tried adding entries to txtsetup.sif before running nLite. After running nLite, I searched txtsetup.sif for those entries and they were gone. Likewise for dosnet.inf. Take that for what you will

[Sanjay]

I think I have figured out what the confusion is. It is limited to the two files that are changed by both myself and nLite, namely the files being, txtsetup.sif and dosnet.inf When I stated that upon using nLite before adding my stuff I forgot to mention that I also replaced txtsetup.sif and dosnet.inf with my versions which obviously did not inlude the changes by nLite and thus the errors with the installation. On the other hand when I first added my files and then used nLite everything went smoothly although this time I installed on a computer with no SATA drives so therefore for all I know that might not be working as per what RyanVM has experienced. Although I must say that upon checking the file itself I still see the entries that I made to txtsetup.sif regarding SATA, very much present.