svcpack.inf & SVCPACK folder

[nite0859]

Would it help speed up windows installation if I were to delete every .cat in the SVCPACK folder -- as well as every .CAT reference found inside SVCPACK.INF ? ( As I understand it, you CAN do this but Windows File Protection would not protect those files referenced by the .CAT files. The .CAT files and the references to those .CAT files are NOT necessary for Windows to install, but ARE necessary IF you want Windows to protect those files -- Right ?)

For example, if someone had a lot of hotfixes to integrate, would Windows XP crash if the SVCPACK folder and SVCPACK.INF file were edited ?

[nite0859]

Found an answer on Ryanvm's forum.

http://www.ryanvm.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=531

In a Nutshell :

Ever since integrating all the updates etc i noticed it pauses on 39 mins and installs VERY slow. IS there any reason for this after the integration?

And the Answer :

Fine here is how to do it =

Navigate to your I386 folder, find svcpack.in_, it is compressed.

Now use some kind of archiver app to extract it a lot of us use 7zip.

Open it in notepad and go to the section that lists all ot the .cat files (kbxxxx) [ProductCatalogsToInstall] and delete all of the entries in that section.

Recompress it either by using makecab or jcarles compression bin

(http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=25442&hl=jcarle+utilities).

Don't forget to make sure that you replace the old svcpack.in_ with the one you just edited in your I386 folder.

Now go to the svcpack folder and delete all of the .ca_ and/or .cat files contained therin.

[Oleg_II]

nite0859

Interesting...

If I use FDV's fileset and remove DTC component so I don't need installing dtcsetup.cat?

Or if I don't use MDAC component I don't need installing mdac.cat?

Interesting!

But somebody should help sorting all these CATs because some of us would like to unable file protection after installing