Best Methods? 1st create Unattended : 2nd Bold_Fortune deletes etc.?

[tweed]

Hi! Truly great to be here:

I'd love to go into TOO much detail [as I really like to get things obsessively right] though I'll just top line it here.

OBJECTIVE: a just for my use, Unattended install IDEALLY with just one user. [Administrator] I hope to delete or not create 'default user' and also hope to nuke out [as per Bold Fortune style] lots of stuff in the All Users folders. and then a lot more AFTER install.

For all the eye opening things I've studied here, and at the nLite forum, elsewhere and at Bold's forum two main things stick in mky head as beliefs. [happy to be corrected of course!]

1) nLite orders the events or removing and tweaking right and yet, it can't be as detailed as hand picking what to delete. Also, nLite can have quite a few gotchas.

2) There seems to be a RIGHT time [T-12] to apply some registry tweaks OR supposedly they may not be applied to all user OR maybe not at all !!!!!!

I really need to know the GURU's way of:

Removing as much as possible for my TWO required Unattended Installs [one for general use, office, internet, a bit of everything AND, my second unattended build, which will have NO internet, though will have basic LANing, and lots of stuff for video and audio work. (audio card has own drivers)]

SO: Can anyone tell me how much and/or what I SHOULD remove and tweak during creation of unattended builds and then what can be 'oh so cleanly deleted and tweaked using Bold Fortune's cool experiences.

I plan to use winnt.sif to rename the WINDOWS folder to SYSTEM and the Documents and Setting to Users and the Program Files / Common Files to Applications / Common. And the rename Users and Applications will all go on D: drive with the SYSTEM on C: drive.

Is it messy to tweak and delete after install is basically what I'm trying to find out.

AND, exactly WHAT is best to totally remove [and obviously When if relevant] during the Unattended builds.

I'll be going over and over all the reading here in the tutorials though there's just SO MANY things that the GURU types know... You can be certain i'll be thrilled to learn anything that puts this fascinating subject to use in my little world...

Very Best wishes to all...

Edited February 16, 2006 by tweed

[RogueSpear]

There are several answers to your questions and most of them would be correct. The differences are mainly personal preference. As an example - I really don't see any point in renaming the various system directories. While people do it all the time I'm sure, to me it just seems to be inviting difficulties down the road. One thing I would suggest is to get all the regular stuff down first, and then if you like, experiment with renaming these directories.

In my various scripts and installers I always try my best to use system variables wherever possible so that no matter what you call "C:\Documents and Settings", my scripts will find it properly, even if it's not on the C drive. But still, there are so many things that go on in the background that we don't know about or have any control over, it just seems like one more thing that could go wrong.

Regarding registry tweaks. Indeed applying your registry tweaks from cmdlines.txt will apply the HKCU entries to the Default User profile, which is desirable so that the first user to log in (usually Administrator) will inherit those settings. One thing you'll find however is that not all of those settings will "stick". I haven't documented which do and which don't, so I apply my reg tweaks from both cmdlines.txt and during RunOnceEx. Then later in my RunOnceEx routine, I export the current user's registry hive and copy it over to the Default User profile. It's sort of a "belt and suspenders" approach, but it works.

Regarding nLite. This is really tricky. I always lean toward conservative and remove what I believe to be very little. Actually it seems like quite a bit to me, but compared to a lot of nLite fans, I'm really not removing too much. If there's any doubt about removing a component, it stays. There's a rather lengthy, but extremely helpful, sticky thread in the nLite forums about what NOT to remove in order for things to work. Definitely check that out.

Edited February 16, 2006 by RogueSpear

[tweed]

So cool. Having done my 20 nLite runs I feel like I'm ready to do one to roll it out and work!

Yeah, i read once an example with Microsoft Money hardcoding C drive into the installer which could be gotten around by temporarily creating a program files folder on C:.... hehehe this is probably a very simple example and there likely a lot more insideously hard to figure probs that could happen...

Anyways... for me it's the lengthof the names [documents and setting grrr] and that a LOT of things are in there that I don't wanna loose...

Having them all on D: with the programs SEEMED like a great idea..

Just reinstall windows.. copy my programs folder writing over the new one on D: and the same with my Docs and settings folders [booting off a BartPE cd I'd thought] and then banging in the old registry and away we go... Nope I've found out.. lot's of weirdness with protected programs etc.

I'd STILL like to rename AND have them on D: as the setting and stuff are crucial to audio and video work I'd say.

After reading Bold's delete and tweak monster treatise I'm thinking hey, if I learn pretty much every file and kill TONS of stuff I may never have to reinstall again ...um, sorta....

So.... can I do ALL tweaks after install?

And I am thinking that it's really just the fear of tweaks not getting applied to the only user 'Adminstrator '[me!] that I'm concerned about...

I will have to be very conservative with my first build I guess..

Gee.... I DO wish there was some way I could have all my progs and setting on D: reinstall Windows onto C: [with a dummy partition for the reinstalled fresh D: stuff... then... ... rename D: to something like S: and take myt REAL D: drive partition and rename it back to D: and voila..!!! on I go with a NEW build of WINDOWS on C:

Sounds great to me.... though I'd have to find some Guru way to collect the micro-bits that the installing of my programs puts in the C: drive in the WINDOWS folder..

THIS would be my greatest achievement... IF I could make a BETTER unattended install and 'trick' in my programs and settings partition as D: drive...

Hope that's clear...

Could be possible though several of my programs have protection and who knows what that goes into Windows folder...

hmmm... maybe it IS possible...???

I DO know that I 'm gonna wanna do a new install if I get a better unattended made down the road ...

thinkin!

Edited February 16, 2006 by tweed