What files store the Product Key

[svasutin]

I'm trying to reduce the space required for my XP images. For my clients, I keep a CD back up (as well as the key, unattend.txt/winnt.sif), and store the disc on my system (which gets slipped as requested). The archive size is quickly approaching 500 GB.

I was wondering, does anyone know which files store the xp product key information; since not all keys work with all CDs.

This would greatly help, since I could only store one master, updated/slipped image, and then replace the files as needed by my clients. I imagine I don't need all 480 MB for each disk, perhaps only 1 MB per CD to ensure installation.

[Randy Rhoads]

XP Home and Pro keys cant be mixed and matched. It would be easier to use just a single "master" backup of each retail version and edit in the customers OEM XP Home or Pro key, that came with there pc, inside the WINNT.SIF file matching the version they have, create any custom unattend.txt files for that pc, if needed, and then burn there restore cd which can then be activated online afterwards.

Once its done, just delete there key from the masters WINNT.SIF file, and just basicly reverse your steps to keep the master backup clean.

If you know how to add the updated drivers on the cd, you can also add them on the disk and simply swap the drivers inside the driver folders each time you make a new disk.

To free up some space for drivers, there are a few folders inside the I386 file that can be deleted. One is the LANG folder.

[svasutin]

Thank you for the reply, but more or less, that is what I'm doing.

I would like to save more than a 1 GB.

I have their base CDs (root files + i386) then I have scripts to automate the slipping for updates and drivers (since many of my clients use the same hardware...I wonder why)?

It's just the storage space is going to kill me.

I suppose I should state, I have master copies of XP Home/Pro SP0->2 (6 images in all).

I have a script that modifies the base images for individual clients (it slips the Ms updates, and includes drivers as needed [only if XP does not include the driver by default and is required to boot the system]).

My clients add another 100 or so. Rather than keeping my clients full masters, I would like to only keep the unattend.txt, winnt.sif, and the minimal amount of files to ensure the product key.

Help

[jaclaz]

Well, maybe you could use another approach.

Am I right in understanding that you have, say, 500 directories of 1 Gb each and that these are (mostly) the contents of XP CD's?

If yes, you should use some of the "advanced" features of the NTFS filesystem, i.e. junction points and hard links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFS_junction_point

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_link

you'll have to read a bit of MS docs to get the idea.

Just recently a nice freeware utility has been released to manage this kind of problems:

http://alax.info/blog/category/utilities/ntfs-links/

or more traditional ones:

http://www.sysinternals.com/Utilities/Junction.html

http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/techi...ew/hlscan-o.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documen...-us/fsutil.mspx

http://www.ractive.ch/gpl/HardLinker.html

http://www.netikus.net/products_nttoolkit.html?SESSION=

http://www.jensscheffler.de/dfhl_en.html

http://www.pearlmagik.com/winbolic/

http://forge.novell.com/modules/xfcontent/...nk2.1_installer

http://www.rekenwonder.com/linkmagic.htm

http://schinagl.priv.at/nt/hardlinkshellex...nkshellext.html

I am sure you will find others too....

jaclaz

Edited February 19, 2006 by jaclaz

[RogueSpear]

The main file in question is setupp.ini (yes there are two letter "p"s in the filename). Check out these two links as they explain pretty much everything:

http://wiki.djlizard.net/Product_IDs

http://www.thetechguide.com/howto/setuppini.html

[svasutin]

@jaclaz & @RogueSpear

Thank you, thank you

@jaclaz

Kind of, I have 400 MB in close to 100 folders

I have the sector size set to 512, on a single drive, partition, and volume in case data recovery ever becomes an issue. At one point I considered this option, but didn't want to risk a deletion as I some times do.

@RogueSpear

This seems to be what I am looking for. I will do some testing and get back to the forum. Just one file, that could allow me to use a mini usb 4 gb drive. Wow. I think one of the things i didn't consider was whether or not the clients disc was retail (up v. full), oem, and/or volume. I suppose I should keep 24 master images.

More or less, I have found I can delete:

Files included in patches and updates - not including roll ups or service packs

driver files

ValueAdd, Support, netfx, Docs, etc

readme, autorun, html

Empty files need to include at least 1 character.

When I go to recreate a disc, I copy over the deleted files from the 'master disc' (xp hm/pr sp0/1/2), apply sp2 (if required), slip the patches, then add the drivers, if required, and finally additional software, registry, and user settings. Of course, all my clients sign a consent form to cma in case Msft ever comes asking. I'm sure sometime, somewhere, some drm is going to flag my system as having alot of information that appears to be suspect.

I'll try the keeping a few files and see what happens. This will take some time, but if there are anymore suggestions, please keep them coming.

Thanks again

[svasutin]

Well here's an update.

First, it seems there is no good way for me to reduce the size unless all my clients agree for my only to keep the latest service pack. It's not that the files don't work, it just creates a management issue that is avoidable by adding capacity. Also, trying to adjust the images would require me to get more capacity anyway.

Going back to the SP2 thing.

I did find I can keep 1 master image (home/pro retail/upgarde/vol/oem/dell sp0/1/2), and 180 MBs from other XP discs ~ with some qualifications.

The non-i386 folders get copied into their own Master Root Folder Folder (about 65 MBs).

All root files (not folders) from the original disc stored within the reduced XP image.

When recombing, one needs to copy the master image, then the master root folders folder, then reduced files image, and then apply sp2 (<-key) and the updates.

There were issues along the way most likely caused by the Layout and Txtsetup, so the reduced image size grew larger and larger, eventually I got lazy and kept most of the uncompressed files. Another note is Major Mfr's have really different discs. It's not just the msft retail/oem v dell, but dell v hp/compaq. None of their files ever returned identical.

I still have one issue, however, the recovery console option, during txtmode, appears to have dissappeared, but I think it has something to do with my unattend.txt/winnt.sif file. Any thoughts?

Attached are files I found to be different amoung the various versions of XP, as well as the .cmd files used to copy the XP disc and re-create a disc, less sp2.

Thanks again for all your help.

cpyLst.zip