2 types of installation modes

[ponghy]

I've implemented a customized Windows XP Pro SP2 with 2 installation modes (through a bootable menu). The first mode is with WINNT.SIF unattended script and the second mode is without it. In order to do this, I've made the following:

* a folder named BASE with the files contained in the bootable disks of WinXP SP2 Pro, but TXTSETUP.SIF is modified with the directive SetupSourcePath = \I386, in order to Setup find the remaining files of the installation.

* the normal I386 folder with all files contained in the installation.

When the user selects the first mode (unattended), the loader of the menu points to I386/setupldr.bin (with BCDW), and when he selects the second mode (normal, with repair options, WITHOUT WINNT.SIF), the menu points to BASE/setupldr.bin (with BCDW too). Everything works fine, and is no longer necessary to patch SETUPLDR.BIN with the new BCDW! but I have a question:

How to minimize the duplicated files on I386 and BASE directories? Currently I have to include all the files contained in the bootable disks on the BASE directory, and I think some files are not necessary, since these files are already in the I386 folder.

The problem is hard, I know. I need expert advice (NOTE that I don't want to optimize the image with CDIMAGE, I want a 'cleaner' distribution of the CD, minimizing the duplicated files).

My goal is clear: I want to achieve a CD with unattended and repair options (already achieved) but with the minimum duplicated files.

Any help will be very appreciated

Edited March 25, 2006 by ponghy

[MHz]

but with the minimum duplicated files.

Ok, read your post over and over to understand what you want. Why is duplicate files a problem when it is handled within the directory of the CD? It is as clean as anything else? If you want to save some room on your HDD with a project like this, then use NTFSLink. It does Hardlinks and Junctions to keep duplicates on your HDD to, well, your MFT. For creating your image, then CDImage is proven a winner by my standards.

Unless you want to express more...