Error installing XP 2001 (SP0)

[LeveL]

I tried stripping XP Professional the original "no service pack" OS.

I want to just make one without any service pack to see if it is

any faster. I normally integrate SP2 and all hotfixes but I think

this bloats it more than "fixes" security issues, yeah most people

will disagree but this SP0 thing is an experiment more than anything.

I tried with nLite v1.2 first of all and it crashed nLite saying "nLite has encountered

an error and needed to close, you're screwed, sorry, you lost it all" like XP has a knack

of doing, so I reverted to nLite v1.0.1, which is what I was using my Last Session from

in the first place...

Using nLite v1.0.1, I can strip it and make an ISO, but I get these errors when

Windows is installing...

I am sure nLite isn't made to not support XP SP0, or is it?

Looking at the Last Session won't help solve it, but no doubt people

will still ask for it so here it is...

Last_Session.ini

[nuhi]

This sounds like ASMS compression was enabled but it shouldn't have.

See if the files in that gdiplus directory are compressed...if yes then recopy your clean installation files, use 1.2rc and see that in Hotfixes-Advanced ASMS compression is disabled...I'll review this too.

[LeveL]

Thanks for your response...

None of the files are compressed in the ASMS directory,

all are CAT, DLL and MAN files...

I386\ASMS\1000\MSFT\WINDOWS\GDIPLUS\

I386\ASMS\5100\MSFT\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DEFAULT\

I386\ASMS\6000\MSFT\VCRTL\

I386\ASMS\6000\MSFT\WINDOWS\COMMON\CONTROLS\

I386\ASMS\7000\MSFT\WINDOWS\MSWINCRT\

I only tried once with nLite v1.2 and got the "nLite had to close"

in XP, pah. I will try again. Could it be because I am using a Last

Session INI from v1.0.1 on v1.2? A few things are changed like

where it used to be "Luna Theme" it is now "Luna Desktop Theme"

although in past strips I have never had that pose any problem,

like using an XP INI on Server 2003 and vice versa, its never

crashed before. My fault for using full XP, knowing Windows I

could probably remove Dr. Watson and it wouldn't crash.

EDIT: OK I tried again with v1.2 and - no crash this time.

It might have been because in the [MAIN] section it still said env = v1.0.1 etc and I am using v1.2.

Just deleted the lines in the [MAIN] section and it is fine, it might also have been

Kaspersky AV scanning everything that moves so I also disabled KAV whilst I stripped it.

Still got to test it again now, see if I get the SXS.DLL error...!

Edited October 6, 2006 by LeveL

[LeveL]

Heh, nope.

Get the same ASMS error with v1.2 but this time the error log is not as long...

You say check under the Hotfixes section but I am not integrating any hotfixes

or a service pack, the section is never selected, but all the CAT, INF and MAN

files are not compressed.

The problem is I386\ASMS\1000\MSFT\WINDOWS\GDIPLUS\GDIPLUS.MAN

I opened GDIPLUS.MAN (with Notepad2) on an SP2 ISO and get this code...

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?>
<assembly xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v1" manifestVersion="1.0">
	<assemblyIdentity type="win32" name="Microsoft.Windows.GdiPlus" version="1.0.0.0" processorArchitecture="x86" publicKeyToken="6595b64144ccf1df"/>
	<file name="GdiPlus.dll" hash="c62f993be17646ed23895955799841c0938d6c7a" hashalg="SHA1"/>
</assembly>

However if I open it on the SP0 one I get "NUL NUL NUL NUL" an unreadable file!

I will simply replace GDIPLUS.MAN from the SP2 ISO with the one in the SP0 ISO

and see if it fixes it...

Nope - replaced GDIPLUS.MAN and now it says the checksum (which it had

the courtesy to at least tell me is a SHA1 checksum) does not match up with

GDIPLUS.DLL - because I am using a GDIPLUS.MAN from SP2 on an SP0 install,

so I calculated the SP0 GDIPLUS.DLL file with HashCalc, it is...

ede6c1ba261f35fff7a712d6633a88573a4a1129 (SP0)

(not c62f993be17646ed23895955799841c0938d6c7a) (SP2)

Pasted that into the GDIPLUS.MAN file on the SP0 install, lol, I will post back if this works.

EDIT: Yes that worked changing the checksum to match but now I get the same error for

the 5100 folder! It is no doubt the same error, the MAN file will be NUL NUL NUL NUL etc

so I will do the same for the rest of the MAN files, there are only 5 of these MAN files

altogether, its not so bad.

I will post back if this works, I don't know why the MAN files on the SP0 install

say NUL NUL NUL etc (unreadable) and the SP2 ones are fine.

EDIT AGAIN: OK these are the .MAN files that are unreadable in the SP0

install...

CONTROLS.MAN

DEFAULT.MAN

GDIPLUS.MAN

MSWINCRT.MAN

VCRTL.MAN

They are in the various sub-directories of ASMS

I copied the relevent .MAN files from an SP2 install (that used the

same Last Session.ini) and had to change easch SHA1 checksum in

each .MAN file by calculating the SHA1 checksum with HashCalc for

the SP0 DLL files and changing this checksum in each .MAN file.

Some .MAN files have more than one checksum, it was about 7

or 8 checksums in total.

Hopefully I fixed it by doing this!

nLite seems to make the .MAN files unreadable on an SP0 install

The simple answer is "use SP2" but nah, this is an SP0 experiment

Edited October 6, 2006 by LeveL

[LeveL]

None of that worked, it gets past the ASMS part but now its

doing the old reboot loop "setup is restarting". Sorry about

so many posts, just trying to keep it organised.

[Ponch]

I normally integrate SP2 and all hotfixes but I think this bloats it more than "fixes" security issues, yeah most people will disagree but this SP0 thing is an experiment more than anything.

yeah, and those Blaster and Sasser were just rumors anyway.

[nuhi]

LeveL, lets see, this all seems kinda weird and random so for start first take a clean installation files again, put the into some dir...browse with 1.2rc to it and don't use any preset...just to test...especially don't use Services page as disabling some vital one can be the cause.

Then if it fails...test in vmware or virtualpc...attach that last session from that iso and I'll try on sp0...thx

No rush.

[RyanVM]

yeah, and those Blaster and Sasser were just rumors anyway.

I forget, how long did it take for an unpatched XP install to be compromised when some people tried it? I know people have tested it in the past. Wasn't it on the order of seconds?

EDIT: Nope, 20 minutes